Im new to disc brakes and need to know which are the best

theone5800

I bought a marin point reyes 2009 bike the other day it came with avid juicey 3's but they seem so weak my vbrakes are a lot stronger.I also think they need bleeding because the brake levers are coming pretty close to the handlebars.I dont know anything about disc brakes or when they need bleeding but these seem so weak.I just need to know what brakes i should invest in i dont want the most expensive brakes just something in the middle but good brakes.

chedabob

I've got Juicy 3s and they do the trick. Definitely sounds like you need to bleed them, or extend the reach a bit.

peter413

Avid Elixir 5's for £135 a pair from CRC or Merlin

itsmygame

hi guys i got a specialized hardtail and it came with avid elixers '4' but ive read somewhere that they only come in odd numbers... i was out today and also thinkin about brake up grade lol

joshtp

dont buy new, the J3's arnt the best, but they should be beter than that. Bleed them , if it persists get new pads and clean the rotors, bed them in and bleed them, that should fix any issues. Mostly though, they just sound like they need a bleed. should be fine.....

You may want to change them in the futur as they arnt the best brakes out there.... but will be fine untill they truly do die, or you have some spare cash for shiny bits...

BTW... you have bedded them in, right? if you havent they will be low on power.... although the pulling to the bar suggests they definately need a bleed.

diy

Keep your J3s and learn how to bleed them with a kit

Seriously the J3s can be superb if correctly maintained, with quality pads etc.

No brakes will work well if they have air in the system.

theone5800

I dont know how to bed them in im new to these disc brakes.Im gonna bleed them myself bike shops charge too much evans charge £50 for both brakes being bled halfords charge £17 each brake.Kit costs £35 - £40 but ive never bled a disc brake before so dont know what to expect or whats gonna happen.Ive got a few vids off utube and watching them all the time to get the knack of it before i do it.Thanks for the help guys looks like they need bleeding probably because the bikes been in the warehouse for so long.

chedabob

Bedding them in is simple: Get a bit of speed going, and then pull the lever fairly hard. Don't do it so hard so you slide the rear wheel, or go over the bars :P You need to do this a few times.

Apparently bleeding with the Avid kit is a doddle, but I haven't done it myself. If they've been in storage, it's pretty common for them to need bleeding, especially if they've been stored upside-down.

theone5800

cheers geez a doddle i like the sound of that the levers come pretty close to the bar so pulling them hard well i couldnt pull them that hard put it that way.Looks like i need to bleed i might as well give it a go i would like to bleed my own brakes.

tony620

had the same problem with my juicy 3's brought a bleed kit ( not avid as its a rip off ) for £20 and they were fine after that.

theone5800

Cool ive contacted who i got the bike off and asked for a bleed kit trying to get it free well it must b covered under the warranty.It wont hurt to try

diy

I use this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mg6NbIjmOM

As a good reference. I would use dot 5.1 too

half of what this guy says is useful too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv6IPNSwHvY

Although smearing mud on the brakes to bed them in is just daft.

theone5800

Thanks that first video i do have and he makes it look simple ive just grabbed that second one too.As it goes which brake pads would be the best for these brakes

theone5800

I just phoned place were i bought the bike there prepared to send me out a avid bleed kit free of charge.site is winstanleysbikes.co.uk i got my marin 2009 point reyes for £700 inc delivery they have other good deals also.

diy

http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/index.php?cPath=21

A1 in a kevlar (for summer) or sintered for winter/summer

theone5800

Thanks dude so i look for pads that are A1

diy

yes if buying the superstar ones. they are very good, about 1/3rd the price of the SRAM ones and almost as good. I would buy a 4 pack.

theone5800

Sure will do cheers

I think i have it sussed the bike has to be at an angle with the brake lever being higher than the caliper front shouldnt b a prob and back well ive managed to balance my bikes front wheel on my kitchen sink so thats cool.Looking forward to doing it now site i bought the bike from are ringing me monday about sorting this bleed kit.Soon as i get bleed kit ill b smashing into it.

chedabob

Why don't you take the whole assembly off? The hardest thing is probably getting the grips off :P

101_North

theone5800 wrote:

I dont know how to bed them in im new to these disc brakes.Im gonna bleed them myself bike shops charge too much evans charge £50 for both brakes being bled halfords charge £17 each brake.Kit costs £35 - £40 but ive never bled a disc brake before so dont know what to expect or whats gonna happen.Ive got a few vids off utube and watching them all the time to get the knack of it before i do it.Thanks for the help guys looks like they need bleeding probably because the bikes been in the warehouse for so long.

You quite sure on prices as they sound really high? Only had my LBS bleed my brakes once but it was only about £6 per brake!

Alternative bleed kit here for £20:

http://www.reddogracing.co.uk/itemdetails.php?partno=22

101

theone5800

Yeah halfords said £17 each wheel evans say £25 each wheel thats cheap for that bleed kit cheapest i found was £32.

diy

Note that this is not the OEM Avid bleed kit - but who cares if its as good and cheaper?

cavegiant

The best money no object high power brake is the One from Formula, super powerful, light and lots of modulation/control.

If you are a big guy I would get shimano Saint.
There is no such thing as having too much controlable braking power, very easy to have too little.
There is a small weight penalty, you won't notice it, but you will notice the huge drop in speed when you pull the brakes.

I went from Shimano XT (awful) to One (amazing) and never looked back.

You can move brakes from bike to bike, they will last.

One final point the superstar pads are generally a lot better than manufacturer, just because they are cheap does not mean they are bad.

theone5800

Thanks for that info theres one thing i dont get about the bleed procedure and thats adjusting the reach how do i know when its set were its supposed to be.The reach adjustment screws are all the way in is that were there supposed to be before i do the bleeding.

diy

Push the lever out, it will click in to the max reach position, if its fully out it wont.

TBH this is not the most important thing.

Far more important to get the air out of the fluid and give the system plenty of time under neg pressure to let the bubbles out.

theone5800

Thanks diy ill b taking my time when i do it i keep watching the vids i got on utube i know all the steps now.And ive read the pdf off of sram site

theone5800

I just figured out the reach i was unscrewing a screw that holds the bolt in thinking that adjusts the reach but its a small screw nearer to the bar that does it.well im new to these brakes but i know now so thats cool.