Mountain Biking - Hayes review

First i wanna say thanks to you all for putting up with my constant hayes threads asking every question imaginable. You all helped me more than i probably deserve considering how much space i've taken up here. But i assure you that i'm done for a while unless something goes terribly wrong.

So after all that i figure it's only right that i top it all off with a review that is in part for gonesh9's benefit, since he's trying to decide between mechs and hydros.

I just got back from the steepest fireroad i know. It's only 2.5 miles, but it's a killer, and coming back down will quickly tell you how good your brakes are. These Hayes are........well, awesome! I bought them because my hands were in pain when going down steep FR's because i had to grip the V's so hard. What i found was that a good part of that pain was not from the brakes, but from my body weight on the bars while slowing down fast. But the brakes took a lot of that away, and afforded me great control.

I found within minutes that i will never use any other brakes. The control is awesome. Being able to stop VERY quickly with next to no effort and w/o locking up was heaven. The only bad thing about them for me is that i tend to go FASSSSSSSTTTTTTTTT!!! They inspire such confidence ! I am new to this, so i can't compare them to anything but the V's i had. But i will say that i can't imagine them being any better. FUN is the key word.
:)

As for squeal problems and drag that you hear about so often.........listen to and believe the guys that keep saying that properly set up, they will work perfect ! When i first set them up i had incredible loud howling and drag. But if you're fairly intelligent and mechanically inclined you will find these things are nothing more than a product of improper setup. I didn't hear a single bit of noise or drag on the way down today. Heres what i did to totally eliminate both of these problems....

DRAG: the credit card thing didn't work for me. I simply eyeballed the clearance of the disc and pads and moved the caliper around to where it looked like equal clearance on both sides, then locked it down. After a couple trys not a bit of drag. However, make sure you pushed in the pistons first as per hayes' instructions. Very easy.....just took me a while to figure it out.

NOISE: #400 sandpaper.....sand the pads, maybe 30-50 strokes, then thuroughly clean them with rubbing alcohol. Then clean the rotor with alcohol.

Do those 2 things and you may find they'll work perfect as they did for me. As for break in.....they say they get a lot better once they seat in after a few rides. My thoought about that is...HOLY @#$%.......they actually get better?!!

To sum up...........i don't care how good they say avids are, or even hopes. It just don't get better than this !!!! gonesh9, i suggest you get those $99 Hayes at jensonusa. Man oh man, am i glad i did !!!

dazco- thanks alot, man--- it's great to get first hand testimonials about something. i was starting to lean towards hayes after finding out about the deal at jonesusa, but you really convinced me. the issue does really come down to FUN, huh? my v-brakes work fine, but i want discs so i can bomb harder- hence more fun... i believe avid mech's would be fine from hearing it's reviews, but why not spend a couple more bucks for hydros?

You're welcome. And yes, it does come down to fun, and discs are that. Everyone says jensons are one of the, if not THE best, so why not at that price?

MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THE CABLE LENGTHS BEFORE BUYING THO !! Chances are they're fine, but be sure because these brakes are cut, pre-bled, and assembled. So if the cables aren't long enough you be better off buying an unassembled set. But i'm sure they'll fit, but check anyway.

Oh, and be prepared for possible frustration at first till you figure it all out. Use the advice i gave and that should help you bypass a lot of the initial torture. It's really easy once you figure it out, and hopefully the advice i gave will work for you too.

My Avid's worked fine out of the box!! :D




Actually I had to help a kid repair his Hayes hydros on the trail this week. Somehow the caliper had seperated and was spilling fluid onto the rotors, causing awful squealing and poor stopping power. I was impressed by the modulation the brakes had. Pretty powerful, too... but I don't think it would be worth all the issues of hydraulic just for a little more modulation and power. My Avid's worked without adjustment all week.. I love em :)

No fluid = no spill

My first set of hayes never needed attention, but these new HFX 9's are suckin shît....

The jenson Hayes on sale are the older model.........maybe i'm lucky in that regard? In what way are the HFX-9's bad?

The only bad thing about them for me is that i tend to go FASSSSSSSTTTTTTTTT!!! They inspire such confidence !

This is so true. When my wife and I went on our first ride after I installed her new Hopes I could already see how much more confidence she had. There is one technical descent on a local ST that she used to gide down around 7 mph. With the new brakes **** hit it at 15mph because she new she could stop or slow down before the next turn.

Ever since she got her new brakes she has been thinking of doing some DH, so in two weeks she will do her first race in San Diego.

Glad you like the brakes.:beer:

Originally posted by dazco
The jenson Hayes on sale are the older model.........maybe i'm lucky in that regard? In what way are the HFX-9's bad?

I have had problems with 2 front hoses, and one rear. One of the pistons in the rear also leaked. I sent the front brake to hayes after the hose cracked in 4 or more places and they replaced the whole brake for free, and then I sent them a front and rear brake at the same time (front hose got kinked which was my fault really and the rear hose cracked open by the caliper and leaked through one of the pistons) and they replaced both hoses and supposedly fixed the leaking piston but its still having problems.

Hey Klien. Why not go get some steel braided lines to replace the stock ones? They are not to expensive and you do not have to worry about the problems you were having.

That's bizarre when you think about it. Considering that from what i've read, most people love hayes and have no problems, and the fact that your brakes are made up of many parts which in large part have failed......it's just odd. I mean, to have that many parts fail all on one perticular system would seem to indicate that they aren't very good brakes in all respects, yet the reviews show otherwise, along with thier rep of being the best. It would seem to be too much of a coincidence for that many problems to happen to one system. The only explanation i can possibly come up with is if you are an EXTREMELY hard rider. But in that case i would think you'd have lots of problems with the rest of the bike too.

A hose crack and a piston leak isnt that many problems, i'm not asking for help because I know whats wrong...it just hasnt been fixed right yet.

I love my Hayes. They are as much better than v brakes than v brakes are better than calipers. For once something new is more than hype!