Good hydraulic disc brake?

[Rakku]

Hi there,

I have a Radrhino from Rad Power Bikes and Im thinking to switch over to hydraulic brakes.

I dont like the Tektro mechanical brakes at all.
I got some recommendation to change out the wires etc, but I do think I want to go all the way to hydraulic, I just dont like the current "stopping power" at all.


The thing is, I have a motor cutoff switch and brake light switch integrated in my current levers.

So I´d need a solution which could incorporate those 2 features in some way.

My price range would be around 150 - 190€ for a complete kit, not much.... I know.

I do have 180mm brake rotors on my bike, maybe its possible to keep them and upgrade them later.

Important points would be ofc how smooth they operate, stopping power and servicability (meaning a good way to bleed them) and ofc the 2 points mentioned above.

Any ideas?

 

[WilliamT]

TRP has cable actuated hydraulic brakes. Just get the 160 mm unit and use the existing 180 mm adapter on your bike. It works with your existing brake lever. Replace your cables with Jagwire Pro Mtb cables (they come in different colors). With the two, you'll see a huge improvement in stopping power.

 

[Augsburg]

I have several bikes with Avid BB7 mechanical disc brakes, and Shimano XT and Zee hydraulic disc brakes. The hydraulic brakes are far, far superior. Both from a braking performance (power and modulation) standpoint, but just as importantly, easier maintenance.

The Avid BB7s are considered by many as the best mechanical brakes made. I think they are decent, but after a couple thousand miles, they can get finicky. That is hard to adjust to stay quiet. The Avid BB5's are similar, but have less adjustability (only one pad adjusts, not both), meaning harder to keep them noise free.

Hydraulic brakes must be set up correctly (that is properly bled), but once they are, little maintenance is necessary. They self-adjust and mine stay quiet over many miles. I find that the XT's are plenty of brake for most conditions. If you ride in hilly city like Seattle or San Francisco, the XT's are probably good unless you have a heavy cargo bike.

We have Shimano Zee 4-piston hydraulic brakes on our Larry vs Harry Bullitt E8000 cargo bike. The Zee's have larger pads - which means more braking power and slower brake pad wear. The Zee's are awesome on a big heavy cargo bike.

As far as maintenance, The Shimano hydraulic brakes allow the pads to be pulled out for inspection or replacement from the "top", meaning you do not need to remove the wheel. Much easier! The Avid BB7's require removal of the wheel, which can lead to a need to re-adjust the caliper position, etc. More of a pain.

For pads, I use resin pads on the Shimano's (without fins). They work great. I use organic pads in the Avid - as the metal pads are too noisy for me.

 

[Dmitri]

If I had to recommend something, I'd say Shimano XT + resin pads. Reliable and easy to bleed.

That said, I have plenty of other brakes on my bikes, with varying levels of success. Tektro hydraulics are actually holding up OK so far. SRAM Guide R (and the whole Guide series) have constructive defects (lever sticks when it gets hot), so stay away or at least read the angry reviews before you commit. SRAM Level we are happy with, no issues there. Avid BB7 mechanicals are actually great... for mechanical bikes!

Oh and we tried Magura MT2 and MT5 and are bitterly dissappointed... MT2s are awful, plastic bendy levers (yes, plastic levers!) and MT5s had issues with asymmetric protrusion of brake calipers which is also not funny... they also feel spongy so, sadly, I cannot recommend Magura. Which reminds me, I just bought a bike with Magura MT5s... ugh :|

I have heard very good things about Shimano Saint/Zee brakes. So unless you ride in extreme cold and need DOT fluid, I would get either XT or XTR/Saint/Zee for quad-piston and that's it. If you ride in very cold temperatures and need DOT, well... either SRAM Level (affordable and nice) or, I don't know... Hope? I'm not a fan of their business practice wrt brakes... but if you get their brakes then all of a sudden you can use their composite rotor. So there's that.

 

[rich c]

I’ve been very happy with Magura MT4 on both my Trekking and full suspension emtb. Over 2,000 miles on both. I’m a big guy, 250 lbs, mountain bike stops beautifully with 2 fingers on steep single trails.

 

[Rakku]

Since Im going to buy a new bike, I wont be upgrading the Radrhino anymore.

The Allmtn 9.0 Im getting has the Magura MT5 too, hope they arent as bad as you described them.
Will be my first hydraulic brakes.

 

[TForan]

I recently put a Tektro 725E on the front of my Biktrix Ultra and I'm very pleased. I don't think I'll bother with the rear brake.

 

[rich c]

Since Im going to buy a new bike, I wont be upgrading the Radrhino anymore.

The Allmtn 9.0 Im getting has the Magura MT5 too, hope they arent as bad as you described them.
Will be my first hydraulic brakes.

Radrhino to Allmtn 9.0 is a huge step up in bikes. I went from a Sondors Fat to XDURO Full Seven S RX, very similar. Enjoy that new ride!

 

[Rakku]

Radrhino to Allmtn 9.0 is a huge step up in bikes. I went from a Sondors Fat to XDURO Full Seven S RX, very similar. Enjoy that new ride!

Yeah, a huge step up in price too, but I think its worth it.

I pretty much tested the waters with the Radrhino and its a good bike for the price, but I just want a bit more quality and especially a bit more offroad capabilitys.

Mountainbiking on a Radrhino is a chore, you can barely lift that thing off the ground on trails and its not really playful, though it shreds uneven terrain, thanks to the fattires.

Now Im ready for some heavy investment, getting the bike end of june, I just cant wait for the call from my LBS.
My head is full of mtb´s since 2 months now.

So thanks, I really hope I will enjoy that bike!

 

[Dmitri]

Since Im going to buy a new bike, I wont be upgrading the Radrhino anymore.

The Allmtn 9.0 Im getting has the Magura MT5 too, hope they arent as bad as you described them.
Will be my first hydraulic brakes.

The issue we had with MT5 is, when installing them, we noticed that the pistons would come out of the caliper at different lengths, which required us to perform modifications to compensate. If you are getting these brakes preinstalled, then this should be corrected for you. However, I found MT5s spongy, and much prefer other brakes.

 

[Rakku]

The issue we had with MT5 is, when installing them, we noticed that the pistons would come out of the caliper at different lengths, which required us to perform modifications to compensate. If you are getting these brakes preinstalled, then this should be corrected for you. However, I found MT5s spongy, and much prefer other brakes.

I may swap them out later on the road, but for starters I think I have no choice to settle with them for a while.
Well I guess they are still going to be way better then the mechanical brakes I have on my radrover and will be a improvement.