Full Circle
 

Well, I spent half of Monday and a good part of Tuesday morning confirming what I already knew: That you do, after all, get what you pay for. I got these Zoom DB680 dual-piston, mechanical calipers from Aliexpress on Monday morning and learned my lesson - for the zilionth time. Though single-piston, the Meroca D201 (also from Aliexpress) that I intended to "upgrade" from were far superior to these, whether in terms of build quality or ease of installation and adjustment. I can't compare them performance because I never even got to test ride the Zooms - which is probably for the best.

Instead of a lengthy, rambling writeup (which the paragraph above has already turned into :D ,) here's the review I already posted:

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...056565a443.jpg

At the end of the day, I probably should've listened to the YouTuber who reviewed these and told me not to waste my time and money on this junk. Instead of wasting any more time and effort trying to get these to work, I just went ahead and put the Shimano 401/420 brakes back on the bike ans made it classy again.

Hopefully it wasn't a lot of money. Thanks for the heads up.

About $17 for the calipers, nothing to cry over. I did, however, get some other goodies in the same order and got free shipping to my door - all taxes and fees inclusive, so it wasn't all bad.

I don't understand. As you said, a YT reviewer advised against them & yet you went ahead anyway? Trace Velo, Cade Media have excellent reviews of most anything bike related sold on Aliexpress. $17 for brakes though....I mean how much do you value your life?? I would like to know that I would be able to stop each & every time reliably so no...you got exactly what you paid for knowing that they were bad in the first place.

My entire gravel bike is pretty much all Aliexpress parts (carbon fork, Sensah Empire 11spd drive train, Z-race hydro/mechanical calipers, gravel wheelset, Sunrace cassette & various gubbins) & it works great. Been riding it for about a year now with no issues. Just do your homework & read all the reviews first before buying.

Oh, thank you for the sage advice, newbie! Show me where in my posting did I ever say that those brakes weren't able to stop me. In fact, if you had read the posting at all, you would've seen that I had clearly stated that I never even took the bike out on a test ride with those brakes on. You would've also understood that my frustration with the calipers was never because of their performance (or lack thereof, because I hadn't even tested them,) but because I wasn't able to adjust them properly due to the manufacturer's design and build choices. There's a reason you didn't understand, abd that's because you didn't bother to read what I wrote.

Do I hear a zillion and one?

A Google search on those calipers seems to show they sell for at least double what you paid everywhere else. Are you sure you didn't get a counterfeit set?

A counterfeit of what? The real Zoom calipers?

The reason why I got them so cheap is thanks to Aliexpress's Direct service. Aliexpress works with local shipping and delivery companies in some countries (such as Saudi Arabia) to streamline shipping charges, taxes and duties and roll those fees into the overall price of the product. Purchased alone, those calipers would've cost me 23.11 Saudi riyals in shipping (local value added tax and customs duties included.) however, because I rolled them into a larger order of items eligible for Aliexpress Direct, I got free shipping for all items. Plus I got a *****load of savings because I got a crapload of accumulated Aliexpress coins. Other sellers offer the same calipers for 90-ish riyals with free shipping (67 + 23 = 90 riyals) but through standard shipping and VAT and duties excluded. The highest price I found on Aliexpress was 134 riyals for the pair with free shipping to Jeddah with VAT and duties excluded. They're as high as 186 riyals in Amazon Prime Saudi Arabia, all inclusive.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...28ae3e8699.jpg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6f14ea295a.jpg

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1b2de72ed0.jpg

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bc5cecdc0c.jpg

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...23ba033b37.jpg

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...06c63842fd.jpg

Do screenshots from Smartphones HAVE to show up 300% magnified on the forum? Paging through all that was very annoying. And uneccessary. Even at double the price it is not reasonable to expect satisfaction from a set of brake calipers. Give it a rest. America is in the grip of unprecedented inflation and the price of most things has gone up 10% and lots of things 20%, and my DW's employer just offered 4% COL increase on the new contract. A contract meant to last for 3 years! Still, brakes are not the place to draw a red line on costs. Posting a 1 star review to warn the unwary about a bad deal like this is like doing the same about the Taco Bell restaurant across from the train tracks at the end of town. No need.

Screenshots look reasonably sized in a browser in mobile mode on a mobile display. And I don't live in America. And I just lost a major part-time gig and most of my income with it. And while it is perfection that I do not expect from an item purchased on Aliexpress, I do expect at least some satisfaction. Those calipers probably would've been fine out on the street, especially with ceramic pads. It's just getting them set up that's the real issue.

By your own admission, you don't actually know if the brakes would reliably stop you or not. IMO, stan01 made a fair point about the value of reliable brakes. You made a bad decision to buy a product you knew was bad, and you got a predictable result. No reason to bark at the new guy about it.

Yeah, that's exactly what I said - that I did not know how they would've performed out on the road, because I never actually took them out on the road. They probably would've been fine - great, even - but I won't have a way of knowing that unless I actually put the whole system back on the bike and take it out for a ride. As I clearly said elsewhere, the reason I decided to go down the route of resurrecting the Shimano hydraulic brakes was one of both frustration with getting the Zooms well adjusted, and of convenience - the MT401 brake lever just happened to arrive when I needed it, so it was just a better use of my time to reassemble the Shimanos and be done with it. I never said anything about the Zooms being poor-performing brakes, even though stan01 - the new guy - seemed to have gathered as much from what I wrote.

I instantly assume that $17 dollar brakes suck eggs. But that’s just me.

agreed. there's a very good possibility that they are knock offs from another brand (Tektro maybe). Made in the same factory off the same tooling. Basically rejects that did not pass QA for the major brand.

Which is fine. I understand many people like "best cheap... " And I will concede that more expensive is not necessarily better.

That said, brakes are a primary safety system.

/markp

The Merocas were $18 and they stopped me quickly and reliably, every time. I'm not trying to win the Megavalanche over here, but hey, you're entitled to make whatever assumptions!

Your interpretation of what stan01 said is different than mine.

I'm still a bit puzzled about your point for this thread. You bought some brakes that you knew were bad, confirmed that they actually were bad, and then posted a review about how bad they were. Ummm...okay. Was there another point?

​​​​​​It's an online forum, where randos on the internet like me go and say crap so other randos on the internet like you may retort with some more crap. Is there another point?

No.

No.

And no. You obviously missed the point, just like others did. Which goes to show just how you never actually read what it is that I had written. I never complained about their performance - because I never actually tested their performance. What I wrote about was how difficult they were to adjust, given the lack of synchronicity between the two pistons. It's all in the review, if you care to read it.
And your point is?

Zero points missed, and every word read.

In other words...they were bad. You seem to be hung up on "bad" equating to braking performance. In this case, I'm using "bad" to characterize poor construction that does not permit them to be properly installed/adjusted so they function correctly, according to your review.

Your words, not mine. I may have used words like "poor" and "disappointed" and phrases such as "lack of," but I never used the word "bad" as a description the calipers. You're the one who did that just now. You seem to be hung up on equating the issue I've had with simultaneous piston movement with "bad." In fact, the calipers do look and feel robust, solidly built, and nicely finished (for what they are, that is,) and the knocking off of certain Tektro/TRP calipers comes right down to the additional piston return springs on top. It's the actuating arm that could use a redesign, possibly in favor of a one-piece affair that could eliminate the issue.

Well, you did write that you knew that you get what you pay for, and that you saw a YouTube video that said they sucked so yeah, you had a pretty big clue they sucked and yet you bought them anyway.

Yeah, so? I'm just some stupid Middle Eastern guy who does stupid things with the stupendous amounts of money he makes from selling oil from the oil well in his back yard. But even a stupid guy from the Third World like me knew that an $8 brake caliper from Aliexpress is going to be having some issues, and hence this thread on this forum: to report experiences and start debates. I didn't get to become Bike Forums Resident Dumbass without doing dumb things.

And who knows? Maybe, after the frustration wears away, I just might go back for a fresh look and a fresh attempt to find a way to either fix the issue or work around it somehow and get those calipers working as they should. I still don't expect any miracles, but I am stubborn that way. How else do you think I'm keeping a 40-year-old, 450,000-mile French car on the road?

Yes, my words. I don't feel obligated to use only your words. I might have opted for other adjectives like crap, poor-quality, mediocre, or many others, but I guess I was in a bad mood. If brakes aren't able to be installed so they function properly, that sounds pretty bad to me - bad design, bad craftsmanship, bad assembly. Bad decision...but you already acknowledged that.

Actually, I don’t know anything about you. Except that you seem to know that buying cheap things in this hobby usually results in frustration, and that you seem to believe it will happen to you again, despite knowing what you know.

Yeah! I'm the dumbass whod rather see for himself than take some random YouTuber's word. So, what? Don't tell me that you haven't met guys like me before! It's because of guys like me that the Darwin Award exists! We're the ones who keep smart guys like you safe and entertained. Of course, I wouldn't go so far as to strap a rocket onto my Peugeot station wagon or go ice fishing with dynamite (or C4, for that matter :D ), but, just like every Darwin Award candidate, I do tend to occasionally put my curiosity to poor use!

Look who's making assumptions. Just because I'm a newbie on this site, means I have no validity?? I've been posting on another site since 2014. If you read my post, I recommended that you watch 2 YT channels that feature Aliexpress parts. Their videos specifically note when modifications need to be done to make certain parts to work. That in my books is a no go because you essentially voided any manufacturer's warranty. And this is something that is noted in their videos as well. I've reviewed lots of stuff that I've bought on Aliexpress & I've given my honest opinion when I think something is good or not so that other buyers can make an informed decision. When one buys something even when others don't recommend it....well what do you expect as a response???

I don't know if you have some deep-seated insecurities or what, but talk like this can lead to a self-fulfilling prophesy.

As you've said, you've learned this lesson for the zillionth time. Looking forward to a thread on the zillionth and first...