hydraulic brakes

pedalpower

Just wondering what hydraulic brakes people recommend. I've heard mixed things about the Avid juicy 3s. What's recommended a step up from them? Budget is flexible dependent on what's considered good performance (including ease of maintenance) for money.
Thanks

jimexbox

Buy some formulas direct from the manufacturer. http://store.formula-brake.com/special_offers

omegas

Depends on where and what type of riding you do. For xc I would just go for budget Shimano (575,595) as they are reliable and don’t need any special equipment to bleed.

pedalpower

Thanks. It's just for xc and general commuting. Something effective, robust, easy to setup and maintain. I don't know anything about the formulas.

jimexbox

pedalpower wrote:

I don't know anything about the formulas.

Probably the best range of mtb brakes there are. Their mid range stuff is generally regarded as the best bang per bucks.

pedalpower

thanks, sounds like sort of thing i'm looking for. I see their new RX range has good reviews. Any idea how these compares to the older stuff on special offer you helpfully pointed me towards.

warpcow

Formula are pretty much as Jim describes. Formula Oros are the only disc-brakes to have recieved a 'recommended' rating on mtbr.com (based on actual user feedback) iirc.

I bought some Oros direct from Formula and am very impressed so far (only just over a month with them). That's after coming from various Avid and 'other' branded brakes. Apparently the bleed procedure is the same as for Avid Juicys, which some people describe as 'a faff', but I haven't needed to yet.

jimexbox

pedalpower wrote:

Any idea how these compares to the older stuff on special offer you helpfully pointed me towards.

Its like any new range, slight tweaks possibly, cosmetic changes and stick a new year on the end. I never buy the latest incarnation, you pay a premium for what could be little actual benefit.

diy

There is nowt wrong with Juicy 3s and they are pretty cheap. No brake performs well if its not set up correctly and the vast majority of complaints have been from people who need to do just that.

weeksy59

diy wrote:

There is nowt wrong with Juicy 3s and they are pretty cheap. No brake performs well if its not set up correctly and the vast majority of complaints have been from people who need to do just that.

The problem is that due to a crap bleeding system they're ridiculous to reach that stage.

i bought a cheap shimano for a mate a few weeks back, £12 with a disc, works perfectly.

diy

Yep - the bleed kit is ridiculously expensive, but its not difficult to use.

warpcow

The newer Formulas aren't just a visual update. They're a pretty much completely new design.

The calipers are one-piece now, and the pistons are a larger diameter. Some materials may be different too, but it basically adds up to more power with less weight. I've only had a go with RXs, but they were very very powerful even with 160mm rotors.