Upgrading Dash brakes to hydraulic?

rickgassko

rickgassko

New Member
i'm about ready to pull the trigger on the Dash - very excited - but after testing the Peak and the Emotion EvoCross, I really missed the hydraulic brakes when going back to the Dash. I was considering upgrading the brakes to a hydraulic. Has anyone tried this? Any reason why I would not want to do it (other than $)?
 
You will probably void the warranty on your new bike.. Maybe your Dash dealer can cover you? Start looking at bikes in the $3500 range and see if you like those better than the Dash with hyd brakes. The truth is you get used to whatever you have.

They economized on the fork and brakes to keep the price down. But if you rode the bike and like it, then just get used to the brakes.
 
I was once a Dash owner & quite motivated to replace the mech brakes, do a search & you'll see a history. In the first 1,500 miles I probably adjusted the brakes over 20 times, on my current bike (about 1,500 miles) I have not had to adjust the brakes AT ALL! The connections on the Dash can become an intermittent problem and the frame just felt a bit unsafe at higher speeds (creaks and wobbles). At 4,000 miles I was done with the Dash and was going to replace it with either a Stromer ST1 or Haibike FS RS. As I found a good demo price I was able to get the Haibike. The stopping power is beyond compare! The Dash was a good first e-bike for me but like Joe said maybe spend just a bit more and get something with hydro brakes to begin with. -S
 
rickgassko said:
i'm about ready to pull the trigger on the Dash - very excited - but after testing the Peak and the Emotion EvoCross, I really missed the hydraulic brakes when going back to the Dash. I was considering upgrading the brakes to a hydraulic. Has anyone tried this? Any reason why I would not want to do it (other than $)?
Click to expand...

I ride the Peak and love it. With a mid drive and hydraulic brakes it is far superior to the Dash. Balance is better because of the placement of the motor and battery. Wheels behave like a regular bike and flats are easier to service than a hub motor. Shifting takes some getting used too but is manageable. Retail price is only $200 more. Great for exercise and will climb most hills. Performance Bikes has some close out pricing on 2014 models.
 
@gadgetguy - thank you. I am really enthusiastic about the mid-drive and have heard rumors that all Currie bikes are heading in that direction. I was surprised that the Peak only got an 8.5 from Court on the site. I really appreciate his level of enthusiasm, selection, and knowledge but most bikes are reviewed fairly high, so the 8.5 put me off. @Court , I'd love to hear your thoughts on why it didn't quite measure up beyond the "cons" in the review.
 
rickgassko said:
@gadgetguy - thank you. I am really enthusiastic about the mid-drive and have heard rumors that all Currie bikes are heading in that direction. I was surprised that the Peak only got an 8.5 from Court on the site. I really appreciate his level of enthusiasm, selection, and knowledge but most bikes are reviewed fairly high, so the 8.5 put me off. @Court , I'd love to hear your thoughts on why it didn't quite measure up beyond the "cons" in the review.
Click to expand...

I posted some comments on the Izip forum under E3 Peak 1st impressions that you might want to read. I would not put too much emphasis on his rating system which is very subjective (my opinion). I can't tell you why he did not rate it higher. Court's comments pro & con are all valid. This is my second ebike. The 1st was mountain bike conversion that I built. I learned a lot in that process that influenced my choice in the 2nd ebike (this bike - a mid drive at a deep discount also influenced my decision).

I now have a little over 1,000 miles on my ebike and I still like it. Sure, there are things that I don't like but that's going to be true with whatever you buy. For example, the throttle cuts out at 6 mph when you are not pedaling. At 1st I thought that was a big deal. Well in reality I rarely use the throttle. The torque and cadence sensors work great so I really don't need the throttle as much as I thought I would. No water bottle cage mounting points, so I figured out a place on the frame to mount one. That said, choosing a bike is a very personal experience and you really need to ride before you decide. What I or any other members of this forum think is a big deal you may not care about. This forum is great, but you should only think of it as a tool to point you in the right direction. The Peak won't be the last ebike I purchase, but for now I am happy with it and would only suggest that others give it some consideration.
 
I replaced the stock pads last year and that alone made a world of difference on not having to adjust them constantly. You can replaced the brakes with hydraulics but you will lose the brake cut off switch to the motor. Not that big of a deal if you don't use cruise. You might have to wire the cut off connection open on the cut off as well (hit me up, I have pics of what pins to fuse together to override the cutoff)
 
Thank you. @HumaitiesHaze, Sounds like a great reason not to do it - particularly since I am not at all handy like many of the amazing people on these forums.
 
rickgassko said:
@gadgetguy - thank you. I am really enthusiastic about the mid-drive and have heard rumors that all Currie bikes are heading in that direction. I was surprised that the Peak only got an 8.5 from Court on the site. I really appreciate his level of enthusiasm, selection, and knowledge but most bikes are reviewed fairly high, so the 8.5 put me off. @Court , I'd love to hear your thoughts on why it didn't quite measure up beyond the "cons" in the review.
Click to expand...
@gadgetguy Hey, don't let an 8.5 put you off; everyone has their favs. The IZip Peak 2014 was a hardtail which could give it a little rougher feel, but the torque on that bike is phenomenal. I've actually had one Currie rep tell me that the torque on the Peak was as good if not better than the 350watt Bosch mid drive. Remember, the Dash and the Peak are different animals--the Dash is hub motor driven with a throttle so is really speed focused; which is how Currie Tech likes to differentiate between hub motor systems and mid drive bikes. The Peak is the TransX mid drive, no throttle, but tons of hill climbing ability. If mountain biking were my primary use for an ebike, the hydraulic brakes are more valuable bc of the riding scenarios, otherwise it really depends on your riding style and ability to do proper bike maintenance.

Accell, Currie Tech's owners, is taking what has been developed with the IZip & Haibike lines and spreading that out over the other brands that Accell owns--Raleigh, Diamondback, Lapierre, etc. rather than the other way around. Some of that manufacturing is being done at Currie Tech's facilities in CA.
 
rickgassko said:
@gadgetguy - thank you. I am really enthusiastic about the mid-drive and have heard rumors that all Currie bikes are heading in that direction. I was surprised that the Peak only got an 8.5 from Court on the site. I really appreciate his level of enthusiasm, selection, and knowledge but most bikes are reviewed fairly high, so the 8.5 put me off. @Court , I'd love to hear your thoughts on why it didn't quite measure up beyond the "cons" in the review.
Click to expand...
Hi @rickgassko, the Peak is slowly growing on me but I just don't enjoy the TranzX mid-drive as much as Impulse 2.0 or Bosch. It doesn't have shift detection, isn't as responsive and I dislike how throttle mode cuts out at ~6 mph (seemingly unnecessarily). I'd almost rather have no throttle and avoid a compromised grip for off-road use vs. the abrupt cutout and very limited speed it offers. The bike itself is solid and I love that they have a full suspension model now but I think you get so much more for your money with a Haibike RX 29" or FS 27.5" that I reflect this in my scores. I feel that the Peak is average considering what it could be and given the intended use vs. the Dash which feels much faster (easier to hit that 28 mph mark), operates more quietly and has had a higher top speed in throttle mode. Hope this helps and seems fair to you, it's always difficult to choose a score for bikes (and I have to adjust my scoring with each new year to reflect what's on the market0 but I'm glad it generates constructive conversation like this :D
 
Hey @rickgassko, Court's right on the $$ about the quality of the Haibikes vs. the Izip Peak. Had some serious trail riders stop by the shop with both of those bikes, both ridden a lot and the Haibike seemed to withstand the trail torture better, requiring fewer adjustments and just plain looking less beat up. The little 5mph throttle on the Haibike (not Peak) is just there as a handy help when a rider is walking up a steep hill beside the bike. Cool feature, it keeps you from having to push 48lbs uphill, but that is something to weigh vs having a solid grip. It shouldn't be too hard to eliminate that mini throttle if it bugs you, just check with your shop to see if that would affect the bike's warranty. This year's pricing on the yet to be released full suspension Peak is close to last year's Haibike 29er (no suspension on that bike, tho!) Also, 2015 Haibikes will have fixed the slight lag in the engagement of the Bosch drive. There are still some good deals to be had on both the 2014 IZip Peak & Haibikes . Just get out there and have FUN!
 
For all those who complain Dash is not equipped with hydraulic brakes:
Here is Dash's father from the Tranzx lineup with Hydro brakes :)
Pic taken at the Interbike.

Hydraulic Dash.jpg
 
What bike is that? That's super clean and sharp!
I don't have an issue with the Dash's brakes, it's the pads that wear out too quick. I run through 2 pairs a season with this bike. But I do a lot of stop/go city driving.
 
rickgassko said:
Thank you. @HumaitiesHaze, Sounds like a great reason not to do it - particularly since I am not at all handy like many of the amazing people on these forums.
Click to expand...
I don't want to repeat a long post already posted somewhere here, but I swapped out to AVID BB7 brakes and new Jag-wire brake cables/sleeves and my brake problems faded away.
 
You can retrofit TRP Hy/Dr hydraulic brakes to the Dash, etc. without sacrificing power cutoff at the levers. In effect, that is what they are designed for. Hydraulics are a significant upgrade for two reasons they self-adjust, and TRPs also accept much more capable pads, eg Swissstop 15e. Compressionless housings for the cables complete the upgrade.
 
Go right ahead; there's no reason to not upgrade the brakes. We've done this many times at our shop. Just choose a set of hydraulic brakes that your shop is comfortable installing and providing support for. This shouldn't impact warranty on the bike.
 
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