Guesswhokk

I have tried several bikes in LBS with these brakes on and the "Juicy 3" consistanly feel quite "soft & squeeshy" when applying the brakes compared to "Elixir R" or "Hayes Stroker Ryde".

Is this just setup issue with Juicy 3 and would beeding solve the problem or is it the nature of this model?

Also can the brake levers' travel adjusted (for Juicy 3) to be more sensitive?

thx

BCRider

The Juicy 3's that I've fondled in the LBS all felt just fine so it's more likely that the one set you tried may have an airbubble in one side or the other. Or did they both feel the same to you?

If the calipers are not set up so they match the rotor faces then the first portion of the pad contact will be used to flex the rotors to fit the pads. That could be another source of softness at the lever and would certainly also reduce the available braking power.

Did you only try the one set? Perhaps go around to a few shops or back to that one and try pulling on other Juicy 3 brakes and see if they all share the same mushiness level.

No, with hydraulic brakes what you see is what you get power wise. However this does not mean that you can't optimize your handlebar setup. Moving the master cylinders inward so that your fingers pull more on the outer part of the lever just by the last ball shape or kink that turns forward will increase your leverage on the lever. Similarly depening on your hand size using the adjusters to position the lever's engagement point so the lever sits closer or further from the bars will allow your fingers to work where they are most comfortable and can provide the most force with the least effort. But these last couple of things are human engineering and have nothing to do with the mechanical design of any brake. All cable or hose systems can benefit from this sort of setting up.

Guesswhokk

Both left and rimodel.ght brakes feel about the same for Juicy 3 (same for Elixir R and Hayes Stroker) and also tried different LBS with same bike model.

Anyway I will consider brakes setting it up when purchase!

Zef

I would recommend shying away from the Hayes Stroker. I worked on a set of Hayes Stroker Trails that belong to a colleague and had problems getting things set up properly so they did not rub. I looked up reviews about these brakes and many people seemed to have similar problems and just switched to a different company's product.

I sent an email to the company and they gave me extensive directions on how to go about fixing the issue. Bottom line is that brakes from this company can be a pain in the arse.

-j

LarDasse74

I have the stroker trail brakes (got them on clearout for ~ $60 per wheel) and I bolted them straight on to my bike in about a half hour after receiving them and had absolutely no problems. Also I have very little experieice with disk brakes and the frame and fork I mounted them on had never seen disks before.. still zero problems.

Funny you would use your experience to colour all of Hayes products with a negative brush, as Hayes have probably sold more hydro brakes (OEM and aftermarket) than almost any other company and they seem to have an OK reputation... or so I think, anyways... like I said - not too much experieice with disks.

Zef

wait until you have to overhaul your brakes because the piston starts to hangup. The brakes I was working on were not brand new. But I read enough reviews and customer feedback on that model to decide that Hayes' product was a PIA to deal with. There is little support for their product, replacement pads were hard to come by...I was in Philadelphia and went to 8 different bike shops in and around the city limit and not one stocked pads for Haye's brakes. I was able to find them at Jensons online but not at any other major mail order company. My colleague asked why they are so hard to find and all I could do was point to the reviews/feedback from people who had used their product. Our experience was just one more in that very same trash heap. My very precursory analysis of Haye's is they develop a product and advertise that it is an awesome product then find their product has problems and instead of refining the product they seem to abandon the product line and come out with something totally different. I don't think this is just my perspective but I will state that I am only speaking for myself.

I think it is great you had an easy time setting your brakes up and I hope they continue to work for you.

-j