Anyone else still putting miles on their RipCurrent S?

[olbriar]

I lost a seal in my front caliper today. I've gone through a number of pads but have no idea what brand of brakes are on the bike. They have no name and I have no idea what seal I need or if it can be had. I've often considered upgrading the brakes and now seems a great time. I ordered a three pin shut off four piston caliper upgrade kit. I went with CooMeng Zoom HB876E 3pin 4 piston with 180mm rotors. I hope I can make them work.

The correct pin set for my 2023 RCS is two pins and not three.

 

[Chazmo]

Great! Good luck, olbriar. Brake upgrades are almost always a good idea if you don’t mine the expense!

The information about the 2022 model’s original brakes is available in one of manuals which I can dig up if you like, but the pads were common and compatible with a standard Shimano pad, I think. I posted about my pad change here:

What brake pads do I buy???

I thought this would be easy. I have a Radrunner 2 ebike. Easy question: What brake pads do I need? Semi metallic, organic? What brand? Are Tektro 10.11 all the same? I saw Tektro 10.11 organic but the add said it was for hydraulic brakes but I have cable brakes. Will these work? Lots of...

forums.electricbikereview.com

 

[olbriar]

I've replaced the pads a number of times and rotors but this time one of the pistons blew a seal. Being as I was itching to upgrade and the brakes are low end and have 25K on them and due new pads and front rotor... it's a great time to replace them. I appreciate the info. I ride a pretty limited access loop over and over which limits the need for braking or the brakes would have given up before now. They owe me nothing. Great brakes considering the maker didn't bother to put their name on them.

 

[olbriar]

I want to confess to making a mistake on ordering the brakes for my RCS. I didn't bother to undo the bundling coils to trace the brake cutoff to a connection to check the pin set. Instead, I simply pulled the wire and thought I had the right one, and it wasn't. Whatever brand of brakes are on my RCS are TWO pin cutoff and not three pin. I'm returning the wrong set tomorrow and the correct set is to be delivered Thursday. I hate making the mistake and dislike leaving bad information on the forums.

 

[jrhoffman75]

Please let us know how it goes. In particular how the brake cutoff connection worked out. I have read that the Juiced pinout is normally open and closed when you brake, sending a signal to the controller. Most brakes seem to be normally closed and open (cutting off power) when you brake.

 

[olbriar]

Please let us know how it goes. In particular how the brake cutoff connection worked out. I have read that the Juiced pinout is normally open and closed when you brake, sending a signal to the controller. Most brakes seem to be normally closed and open (cutting off power) when you brake.

So far I have not tested to zoom cutoffs. The original brakes have a two pin female connector going to the male connector from the controller. The zoom brakes have a two pin male connector leaving the brake. I would shop longer to find a brake with a two pin female leaving the brake if I were buying again. As is, I had installed too much to return the brakes so I'm riding with the cutoffs disconnected. I have ordered two patch cords that are female to female so I can connect them to the controller. Once tested I'll report back. They are being shipped from China.... I don't mind riding without functional cutoffs. I pedal when I'm riding but I don't pedal when I brake. If the brakes are functional I'll be happy but if not... oh well.

The zoom brakes were easy enough to install. They came with a number of mounting brackets but I mounted the calipers on the old hardware. The brake lines were long enough. Though they are pre bled I managed to get a little air in both lines. I have a bleeder cup and purged a bit of air out of them. I am not particularly fond of the travel of the levers. The calipers have a greater space for the rotor so almost half of the pull is taking up that distance. I could likely pull the wheels off and apply the brakes without the rotor. I've read that will take up the slack. I'll not be trying that trick. The brakes do a great job stopping and aren't noisy... that's the bottom line.

 

[Chazmo]

apply the brakes without the rotor.

I did this on the stock brakes and the piston popped right out of the cylinder. My brake bleed kit came with a plastic piece to put in the slot where the rotor goes if you’re bleeding without the rotor, so I kind of learned the hard way.

I’m not sure what you’re describing about the lever travel, but are you sure your brakes are bled properly? The lever shouldn’t be traversing half the travel to engage the rotor; that sounds a little wrong.

Anyway, cheers! If you’re happy with it, go for it!

 

[olbriar]

I did this on the stock brakes and the piston popped right out of the cylinder. My brake bleed kit came with a plastic piece to put in the slot where the rotor goes if you’re bleeding without the rotor, so I kind of learned the hard way.

I’m not sure what you’re describing about the lever travel, but are you sure your brakes are bled properly? The lever shouldn’t be traversing half the travel to engage the rotor; that sounds a little wrong.

Anyway, cheers! If you’re happy with it, go for it!

It's less than half the travel before the pads touch the rotor. The original brakes were much quicker to engage. The problem with that was the pads sat so close to the rotor that the slightest wobble in the wheel would cause it to tick on one side or the other. I would fight adjusting the caliper position after every flat because of that tight clearance. I think the new brakes are far better. It's different enough that it really got my attention to begin with. I'm loving them after riding over 500 miles with them.

 

[jwhy]

2nd year with my 2018 RCS. Just replaced the stem, handlebar grips, and handlebar (mid-rise) this year. Also replaced the battery with the 21aH from greenbikekit, added a bell, foldylock, and handlebar mirror last year.

 

[olbriar]

Please let us know how it goes. In particular how the brake cutoff connection worked out. I have read that the Juiced pinout is normally open and closed when you brake, sending a signal to the controller. Most brakes seem to be normally closed and open (cutting off power) when you brake.

I received the two pin female to female patch cords today. They were about 3" long. With the two pin male out from the Zoom brakes and the two pin male connection going to the controller, I ordered them. A simple female to female connector would be ideal. I'll look harder for such. Making up the cutoffs to the controller worked. They show the braking on the display and they cut the power off to motor. I'm not crazy about the extra wire. The leads from the Zoom brakes are longer than needed and adding to them sure wasn't needed. There is enough wire that I doubled them over about four inches and then put the twisty organizer around the bundle and the hydraulic line. It's neat enough but a double ended female connector would be better... or brakes with a female cutoff lead.