Hydraulic Brakes

[Reg]

Has anyone replaced the mechanical disc brakes on their Pedego with hydraulic ones? Which ones did you use? I've talked to a few dealers and they said there are none that will just drop in. Best they could do is a hydraulic brake that is cable actuated which will probably be fine but I was hoping for a complete hydraulic brake.

 

[justforfun]

We have one bike with and one without hydraulic brakes. Not enough difference in performance to warrant an up-grade imo. They both stop well, even on very steep hills.

 

[vincent]

my understanding is regular disc brakes need more adjustment/maintenance than hydraulic

and most people think they stop better

 

[Reg]

Thanks for the replies. Yes my main concern is with the superior modulation and lower maintenance of the hydraulic brakes. With the faster, heavier ebikes I don't want to skimp on the most important component. The brakes.

You also get equal pad wear and auto adjustment of a sorts. Plus the cost of the brakes I have seen is like 250 a set. Seems a small investment to be a tad bit safer.

 

[jazz]

There is a reason high end ebikes come with hydraulic brakes. They are simply better.

 

[Reg]

Just for fun I asked Pedego and this is their answer.

Thank you for your interest in Pedego Electric Bikes! Unfortunately, we do not stock the hydraulic brakes to sell separate. We only keep enough on hand for warranty purposes. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Guess I will try using a set of Tektros.

 

[Shoestring]

I'm not sure why a set of hydraulic brakes wouldn't just "drop in". Most ebikes I've seen have iso 6bolt patterns on the hubs, standard 74mm post mount or 51mm frame mount spacings. Let's say you wanted to swap out your cable brakes for say Shimano 8000 series brakes. Choose the rotor size ex. 180mm; choose the caliper mounting bracket that corresponds to your frame or fork mounting dimensions and disc size. mount the disc, mount the caliper bracket, mount the caliper, make your centering adjustment and you should be good to go. Unless there is some specific odd ball brake on that bike , this should work. From what I've read , Pedego uses decent components. I bet my lunch it would work.

 

[Reg]

Not so worried about the brake side of things, it's hooking up the motor cut out that mostly concerns me. Are there different kinds of plugs? Are they standard? Sure I could hard wire it but would that void my warranty?

Was just hoping someone had already done it and could tell me what works.

 

[Shoestring]

Basically there are two types of cut outs, 2 wire-a simple interrupter, 3 wire-low voltage powered signal. The bafang BBShd uses the 3wire and most simple hub motors use the 2 wire. Magura MT5e is a great 2wire set of brakes with the higo style connector, Tectro is a popular ebrake which is pre wired also. A little searching will turn up a solution. Another option would be to keep your handles and change to a larger rotor and caliper bracket, and swap in an avid BB7 caliper- the go to cable standard. Grin Technologies has a conversion switch for hydro brake conversions in two styles. they look a little tedious to mount but they work. Hope this helps.

 

[Reg]

The Pedegos come with Avid BB7's. I haven't ordered the bikes yet. I wanted to get some hydraulic brakes ordered so I could install them when the bikes arrive. I have googled various ebike specific hydraulic brakes and am aware of most of the brands available. What I don't know is what kind of connectors Pedego uses and lots of the brakes don't give out what kind of connectors they use for the cut outs. I was just hoping someone had done it and could tell me that brand x, model y will drop right in.

Guess I will wait til I have the bikes and go from there. Thanks to everyone for replying.

 

[justforfun]

My Platinum came with Magura MT Four J hydraulic brakes. What model bikes are you buying?

 

[Reg]

A regular interceptor and a boomerang plus. Can't get the mag wheels with the platinum and I really like the looks of them.

Do those brakes have the higo connectors?

 

[justforfun]

If there are connectors in the brake controls, they are covered. I don't see any.

 

[Reg]

Thanks for looking. Yeah I will just have to wait til I get the bikes and proceed from there it appears.

 

[justforfun]

My manual shows quick disconnect fittings for both brake levers. They are hidden under the wrap.

 

[Reg]

Ordered the bikes. I'll write about what I find out on my retrofitting hydraulic brake adventure.

 

[Reg]

Alright we got our bikes and the Magura MT5e I ordered showed up today. The Magura has a red Higo connector which denotes two poles, with the fitting being male. I unwrapped the fitting on the Interceptor and opened the connector and learned why the brakes are not "drop in". The fitting from the Avid mechanical brake is a red Higo but the connector from the brake lever is female and it has what I assume to be a proprietary sleeve on it so you can plug the fittings in, then screw the sleeves together to assure the cables don't separate.

There don't seem to be any female/male adapters so when I do make the swap I am going to have to cut the Higo plugs off the Avids and use them on the Magura's.

On the plus side the Magura calipers look like they will fit just fine and there is plenty of hose to run to the back brake.

Pedego really does not want you putting hydraulic brakes on their bikes lol.

 

[mhs7386]

my understanding is regular disc brakes need more adjustment/maintenance than hydraulic
That’s are. Thanks.
and most people think they stop better

Hey Vincent, I live in Tucson and I’m deciding between the Pedego Interceptor and another ebike brand that has the battery on the down tube instead of the rear, and a mid-drive motor. I am w0ndering which Pedego you ride and what your thoughts are. Thanks.

 

[vincent]

Sorry i dont have any pedego bikes

have rad rover, rad mini
Easy motion street
Prodeco mariner
A couple of Chinese bikes
and just ordered a haibike yamaha mid drive that will not be here for a few weeks

I am considering selling the prodeco mariner and the em street

Most of my models are 2016 but if it helped you to decide and you wanted to test drive some of the ones i have sure we could meet up somewhere towards the end of the week or the weekend

I know it is hard to buy bicycles without getting to test them out

Did you go to Phoenix and try out the interceptor?
And what other brand/ bike were you considering?

 

[mhs7386]

I rode the Interceptor at the new Pedego st0re in Tucson. I like the ride, fit and finish and high quality parts. I don’t like the look of the battery in the rear.

The other bike I’m considering is the 2018 Raleigh Retroglide. Has battery in the center downtube and a mid drive motor.