Disc brakes: Juicy 3 v's Shimano Deore M535

dac73

G'day Everyone,

I have been commuting to Work (in London) for the last 6 months on my Cannondale Bad Boy Ultra 08 hybrid bike - awesome! ... except during winter ...

I appreciate that this winter in particular has been pretty harsh so plenty of road grit has been thrown about and my poor Avid Juicy 3 disc brakes have copped a bit of a hiding in that they have been suffering from corrosion and starting to become unreliable. I appreciate I need to look after my bike and need to wash it frequently etc etc etc but my Rockhopper (of 7 years) has been completely reliable - I think they are Hayes disc brakes ...

I've heard some negative things about the Juicy 3 disc brakes so I'm considering changing my braking system to the Shimano Deore M535. I commute just over 100 miles a weeks so reliabilty is very important to me.

Has anyone else had problems with the Juicy 3 disc brake system? If so, have you replaced them with a different kit? If so, what?

Can anyone vouch for the reliabilty of the Deores? Have you had problems as well?

So many questions! Thank in advance for any advice given.

Cheers,

Dean

el_presidente

I had a Deore disk on my front wheel on my old singlespeed which had no issues at all other than new pads over about a year with zero maintenance and cleaning.

kr1s

Ive run juicy 5's and 3's for the past 3 years and have had no serious issues

Pads can be a bit of a nightmare to replace and pads tend to wear fast if cheaper/softer compounds are used.

Ive heard of folk saying theirs have leaked but I havent had this problem, I just slacken the resovoir screw when I change the pads so as not to force to much pressure into the res.

If you have them on the bike and theyre OK id stick with em

PhilTheFish

dac73 wrote:

I appreciate that this winter in particular has been pretty harsh so plenty of road grit has been thrown about and my poor Avid Juicy 3 disc brakes have copped a bit of a hiding in that they have been suffering from corrosion and starting to become unreliable.
Dean

I'm suffering the same with my rear rotor on my machine (which also has Avid Juicy 3 system). I don't see how changing the braking system will make any difference. Surely a new rotor would suffice (and possibly new pads if they've ended up getting some oil or grit from the road on them?)

I couldn't understand all the fuss about hydraulic brakes until I started using them myself. Been riding the new bike for around 2 months now and didn't really notice the difference until I took my other machine out with the kids at the weekend and realised the difference between V brakes and Hydraulics! The feel is totally different to anything I've experienced before - controlled braking whatever the speed.

dac73

I guess I am wondering is some makes are more susceptible to the elements than others but from the sounds of things it looks like I need to be a little more rigid in my maintenance routine ... or move back to Australia where it doesn't bloody rain :-)

PhilTheFish

Don't worry mate, summer will be here soon! We can all then moan about riding to work in baking hot temperatures (18 degrees!).

dac73

PhilTheFish wrote:

Don't worry mate, summer will be here soon! We can all then moan about riding to work in baking hot temperatures (18 degrees!).

Sounds positively balmy!

Thinking about Hayes Stroker Trail's now. Watch this space ...

Rocky-ETSX

I am the proud owner of a BadBoy 8 with juicy 3 brakes and I also had some troubles with corrosion. The corrosion was limited to the metal plates of the brakepads and stains on the rotors. One brakepad got stuck in the calliper because of rust. The pistons of the brake were not rusted.
I noticed that the brakepads that you can buy in aftersales use different metal plates. I expect these plates are much better protected against rust. So you might want to try this before changing the brakes.
I'm also familiar with the Shimano M535 brake and I think this brake is a lot better. I've never seen any rust anywhere, pads are easier to change and there is a bit more space between the pads and the disk. This means they are less noisy when driving in wet conditions.

dac73

Rocky-ETSX wrote:

I am the proud owner of a BadBoy 8 with juicy 3 brakes and I also had some troubles with corrosion. The corrosion was limited to the metal plates of the brakepads and stains on the rotors. One brakepad got stuck in the calliper because of rust. The pistons of the brake were not rusted.
I noticed that the brakepads that you can buy in aftersales use different metal plates. I expect these plates are much better protected against rust. So you might want to try this before changing the brakes.
I'm also familiar with the Shimano M535 brake and I think this brake is a lot better. I've never seen any rust anywhere, pads are easier to change and there is a bit more space between the pads and the disk. This means they are less noisy when driving in wet conditions.

Cool, thanks for the info. I'll check out the aftermarket plates and see how that goes. Could you suggest any brakes apart from the Shimanos? I was also thinking of the Hayes Stroker Trails.