XC Brake set

[Baldy]

I am interested in peoples thoughts on upgrades for my Juicy3's

I have had a bit of a look around, mostly in the Avid range and am thinking along the lines of the 2011 Elixir R or 5

Any experience with those 2 or something like them from another brand I'm keen to hear.

Would also be interested in any second hand bargins

cheers all

[trailgumby]

Both are good. Pads can be a bit squealy, but they have better power and modulation than the Juicy 3's. I'd suggest matching them to the new rotors as well.

If you can wait a bit and the extra moolah is within your budget, I'd suggest the new 2012 XTs will be excellent. I have a set of the 2010 XTs with servo-wave actuation and they give easy genuine one-finger no-fatigue braking. Early feedback I've heard on the new model is they are even better.

On the upside with the Avids, the independant lever stroke and engagement point adjustment feature of the higher end models is pretty nice.

[Baldy]

Cool I was hoping you would see this Gumby.

Hmm how long till the new XT's are released ?

Yeah I like the sound of having adjustment on both but dont think my budget will stretch that far. I dont want to spend any more than 350 and will get them from my lbs[bit of winter support] So trying to figure out my options.

I want new rotors as well yeah. Is 185 overkill for XC? Just have 160 now, they seem to be the same price so I'm not sure.

I need new pads, so that led to the upgrade idea So I want to get them or at least order them this week. Rather than buy the juicy pads and have them sit in a box after I upgrade.

[skull]

upgraded from juicy 3's to elixer CR's. They are the SRAM x9 brakes, good stoppers, the juicys use to squeal alot and send me bonkers. Haven't had that issue with the cr's.

I can't give you a price on the brakes alone as I got them included on a grouppo upgrade to x9

[Mulger bill]

I'm gonna run me Juicy 7s till they die. Methinks I might go first...

[legsrburnin]

I had my Juicy 7's for 5 years. Rode and Raced them the whole time. Bled them twice!! Bombproof.
I sold them to someone else who uses them on his 29er. He'll probably get anoth 5 years out of them.

I've recently moved to Formulas R1's and I'm having a great time with them so far. Awesome stopping power.

[LoveB]

Whats a good uprgade from bb7s??

[TrekWrekka]

Hey Baldy what is your motivation in changing out the Juicy 3's? I have found mine to be disappointing after the first 6 months of use, but have put up with it for 2 years now.The fronts have been fine but the rears need regular bleeding , lever adjstment (inconsistent travel) and generally they feel mushy and tend to fade when under any decent load.I guess a case of "get what you pay for".

[mitzikatzi]

Whats a good uprgade from bb7s??

Your building an All Mountain bike? Then something like Shimano Saints or Avid Codes perhaps. Shimano XT always gets good comments. Lots of love for BB7's out there. How much do you have to spend?

[trailgumby]

I'm more than capable of sending myself over the bars with my 2010 XT stoppers, with just 160mm rotors.

With a 120-130mm travel dually you could consider a 180mm on the front with an aggressive tyre like a Kenda Nevegal, but for XC it's probably a bit of overkill with the current name brand brakes on the market.

BB7's are great. My son had them on his old bike with XTR dual-control brake/shifters and they didn't lack for power. They were, however, a pain in the butt to set up....

[LoveB]

They seem to be biting great now. I put 203s front and rear but havent had them on the road since the new rotors.

Are gatorbrake 6 pots overkill? I have the chance to get them for cheap. Otherwise I was looking for the codes as they are 4 piston and seem to get very good feedback.

I'm not so informed about shimano components so I'll look into them. Found afew codes for cheap though. Around 100-130 which makes me think I'm asking too much for my bb7's at 100$ lol

As for how much I have to spend I'm not sure yet. I wasnt planning on building the AM bike so if I find something I like I wouldnt mind spending. But ideally I could go for a 2nd hand one in the 100-150 range? maybe a bit more. Not really doing DH so dont need super strong ones. Just something that bites with good feedback and less fade


EDIT: im pretty sure I can get a bit more strength from these if I switch to SD7 levers. I've only got cheap shimano ones now lol

[trailgumby]

SIX POTS!? Jeepers! Erm, maybe if you're contemplating some Observed Trials type riding or freeride at Whistler MTb park in British Columbia ... For AM riding, overkill? Probably. Heavy too.

Like I said, I can pretty much faceplant at will with my XT's on 160mm rotors, and that's using only my index finger on the brake lever ... although I have taken the time to set them up on the bars properly to achieve this.

This is my old bike, but it gives you an idea. As you can see I have chosen a bar (an Easton) that has enabled me to get the brakes inward enough to have my hand comfortably positioned on the grips and the crook of the index finger fitting neatly into the little crook at the end of the lever. The brakes bite when the lever is parallel to the grip.

Set up that way I don't ever need more than one finger, leaving the other three to grip the bars and control the bike. I don't get arm pump nearly as much as I used to - I don't have to grip the bars as intensely with more fingers.



Too many bars (eg, FSA) have the fat bit extending out much too far, and getting the brakes positioned on them correctly is impossible unless you choose quite wide bars, and then you end up clipping trees (ask me how I know )

[LoveB]

I might try changing levers and cables first. But other than that perhaps I'll go for avid codes or xt's. Yep 6 piston! lol he's running them out so they are cheap. 100$ for both ends O_O but i'm afraid I'll be flying off the ends of the bike too!

Btw yeah, the bike is mostly for xc and a bit of Am. No super downhill stuff so in theory the bb7s are more than fine. I suppose it wouldnt hurt to upgrade to new brakes for a new bike lol

[trailgumby]

@TrekWrekka: Maybe water in your brake fluid? DOT brake fluid is hygroscopic (water absorbing), so maybe toss it and buy a fresh lot? It's pretty cheap and can be bought at Coles and Woolies. Alternatively a clean ad service replacing the seals. Seal service kits for Juicys should still be available from c r c. At least, they were when i did a bulk order for some mates late last year.

[Mulger bill]

Gumby ol' mate, if the J3s are like me J7s then they run DOT5.1 fluid. Not so easy to find and often expensive. A moto shop quoted something like $35 for 150ml. Supercheap, Bursons and Big W did not stock it at all. Finally found it at Hoon Central, otherwise known as Autobarn. When I asked the bloke he said yeah but it's pretty dear $22 for 500ml. Didn't stop me getting it.

[LoveB]

If I remember correctly motul 5.1 brake fluid is like 12 a bottle lol can those be used?


Might look at codes.How much do xt's usally go for now? 2nd hands are fine

[trailgumby]

Thanks for the correction MB. Last set of brakes I had that used DOT fluid were my old Hayes Nines ... may they rest in pieces.

I have a recently acquired set of J7's that now live on my son's bike, but haven't needed to bleed them yet so haven't looked into the particulars of what fluid they use - has ASSumed that they used the same range of DOT fluid the Hayes took.

$22 for 500ml is still very cheap compared to what local bike shops charge (as usual ) for Shimano and Magura mineral oil brake fluid.

[Mugglechops]

If you can't afford the XT brakes have a look at the SLX ones. Still have servo wave levers and adjustment. Pull me up with one finger easy and my combined weight would be close to 135kgs.

[Baldy]

Thanks for the replies everyone, some handy info there.

I have changed my mind about upgrading the J3's right now. Going to just replace the pads and give the rear a good clean out/lube and bleed. Also get the lbs to have a go at truing the rotor. Next step would be one of those new G3 rotors to see how they run.

With the money I "save" I thought I'd go tubeless and replace my rickety CB candy pedals

[mitzikatzi]

I have found that EBC Green pads work well with J3's and are cheaper than genuine Avid pads.

Also c r c has Avid Juicy 3 Disc Brake - White 2011 for about $60 posted. Cheaper than buying pads, new rotor and paying someone to bleed your current brakes.

[trailgumby]

Good call baldy.

Having done two tubeless conversions, I'd recommend the Bontrager rim strips over the Stan's kit, unless you're going with UST wheels (which I'd recommend ... while the tyres are tight to get on, they are much easier to air up and more secure).

@Mitzi: are those EBC pads metallic or organic?

[mitzikatzi]

..snip..
@Mitzi: are those EBC pads metallic or organic?

I think EBC Green are "organic" EBC Green

Lots of love out there for EBC Gold if you prefer sintered pads

[DarrylH]

I ditched my noisy J3s for XTs - much better brake. Got out of Avids because I believe a lot of the noise was caused by the rotor design. The more meat in the rotor the better and XTs have a lot. Also had odd wear on Hayes due to big holes in rotor leaving little metal for pads to grab.

[Baldy]

Having done two tubeless conversions, I'd recommend the Bontrager rim strips over the Stan's kit, unless you're going with UST wheels (which I'd recommend ... while the tyres are tight to get on, they are much easier to air up and more secure).

Oh ffs, you suck Gumby I have just started googling UST rims Ok you sob, give me the good oil on them

Upgradeitis is an insidious disease, the moment I saw UST my first thought was......hmm my rims are pretty heavy..

Carry on with the XC brake talk. At this point if I were to upgrade it would be XT's or Elixir R's. I keep hearing good things about both.

cheers

[mitzikatzi]

...snip...
Carry on with the XC brake talk. At this point if I were to upgrade it would be XT's or Elixir R's. I keep hearing good things about both.

cheers

SLX brakes almost get as much love as the XT's in cyber space but are much cheaper.

If you already know this it may be of help to others.

Avid brakes use Auto DOT 4 or 5.1 brake fluid. Cheap and easy to source.
DOT fluid absorbs water and then doesn't work as well.

Shimano brakes use "special sauce" (mineral oil. genuine shimano oil is not cheap, some other brake oils (for some older cars) are ok but usually comes in 1 litre bottles ).
Shimano brakes are easier to bleed.

Avid brakes are often cheaper. You get everything when you buy rotors mounts etc. Shimano you have to buy each seperately.

I would love XT or SLX brakes but would most likely but AVIDs on price.

The 2012 XT stuff is out very soon or now. The New XT pedals are already for sale. The brakes can't be too much longer.

These Hygia brakes get good reviews and probably some bad ones too. (There is an Australian seller) Some models are quite low weight and cheap.