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Disk Brakes vs. V Brakes??
Hi, I tried a bike with hydraulic disk brakes (Hayes Sole V6) yesterday for the first time, and would appreciate your input on my impressions: - On the first bike I tried, it was not possible to block the wheel with the disk brake. I checked and found that the disk was oily. On another bike (same brake) I was able to get the wheel to block, but with application of extreme force to the brake handle, MUCH more than required by any V brake I ever tried. Question: Are Hydraulic Brakes really weaker than V brakes, or was this bike just assembled by monkeys? - I noticed that the hydraulic disc brakes have a much 'spongier' feel than the cable actuated V brakes. This I guess was related to the hydraulic hose / brake line expanding under pressure, because it was ok on the front brake (1/2 of the brake lever way until full braking), and not acceptable no the rear brake (had to pull the brake lever almost up to the handle bar to get full breaking power) Question: Is this again a problem of monkey assembly (not enough fluid?, air in the lines?, what else? ...), or cheap brake lines, or both? And are there better brake lines that expand less than the stock ones? Or ARE hydraulic disc brakes just spongier? If yes, that much spongier?? - After playing with the brakes for a few minutes, I noticed that the discs get noticeably warm, around 170F. Are there ever heating issues with disc brakes on longer downhill segments? Seems a stupid question, but they did get quite warm just by playing around on level ground for about ten minutes. Thanks a lot! PS: All the monkey references are founded on an employee there telling me that 'there are no electrical brakes' when I asked for differences between hydraulic and cable actuated. When I asked her that about the front fork maxing out, i.e. hitting the limit of it's travel hard, she replied with 'many people like their forks soft'. (I found out how they can be adjusted later.) When I showed her that the (later found to be well oiled) disk didn't stop the bike, she said 'Oh. Eh? Uh?' So monkeys or Neanderthals are definitely a possibility in that store. But the bike is on sale, so I might still buy there. Uh. Uh. Uh. I -- rec.bicycles.off-road is moderated by volunteers. To find help solving posting problems, or contact the moderators, please see http://rbor.org/ Please read the charter before posting: http://rbor.org/rbor_charter.txt |
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