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Hayes Haters;)

DHPeteinSC

Monkey
Nov 17, 2006
484
0
In the KY (jelly) E-town
Ok, so i know there are people out there that are hatin' on Hayes brakes. Well, whats your story? Just lookin for some opinions on Hayes stuff, like why you did/didnt like their product. Which of the standard brakes is better, HFX9 or HFX mag? Let the trail tails begin!!:rockout:
 

Zark

Hey little girl, do you want some candy?
Oct 18, 2001
6,254
7
Reno 911
I used Hayes Mags for years. They are easy to bleed, durable performers. The stock levers blow and they've been outclassed in power and feel by other brakes (Saint, Juicy's)
 

bdamschen

Turbo Monkey
Nov 28, 2005
3,377
156
Spreckels, CA
I currently have hayes nines on my dh bike. They feel ok, but get brake fade REAL fast if you're on them too much. I try not to touch the brakes as much as possible lately, so they have been fine for me.

If I had a choice now, I don't think I would buy these again, but at the time they were cheap, and they work good enough to get me down the mountain.
 

Bicyclist

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2004
10,152
2
SB
I had Nines for a while. The lever shape and position sucked, not being able to easily adjust pad contact point sucked, the fade sucked, and the power was decent. The reliability was horrible. I had my little bleed screw pop out of the lever mid-ride, resulting in the fluid squirting straight out in front of me. Fun.

Juicys/Saints/Formulas offer way better feel, power, reliability, and adjustment.

PS, the Strokers are a b!tch to set up and the pivot is really far away from the bar, so they aren't as ergonomically correct as, say, and Avid lever.
 

gemini2k

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2005
3,526
117
San Francisco
i felt some strokers on a test bike 2 weeks ago, I was very impressed, on par with my m4's and juicy's. Granted I just sat there and squeezed the lever, but they looked and felt great
 

KavuRider

Turbo Monkey
Jan 30, 2006
2,565
4
CT
Pros: easy to bleed.
Cons: everything else.

I've used Hayes for awhile, but after switching to Codes, I won't go back. Being able to actually modulate braking power makes a huge difference in terms of control. I feel more confident with Codes.

Even with the Dangerboy levers, I won't touch them anymore.
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,669
1,713
chez moi
Hayes Mags are just fantastic, utilitarian brakes with some good features which were once unique (reversible levers, split perches, adjustible caliper mounts). They're easy to bleed, once you get a syringe and learn the technique, and easy to mount. Dead reliable and super-hard to break. (Hoses are hoses, however...) Kind of the blue-collar brake of choice. Some people say they don't like the lever feel; I do.

I don't like the tendency of the lever to adjust out from the bar over the course of long riding. If you use loctite to correct this (put on threads, blot, let dry, screw on lever), it can still freeze the lever in place and then you round out the adjuster screw trying to remove or adjust the lever in the future....then you have to cut the post and replace the master cylinder.

That said, mine are old and I'm running out of cannibalized parts. Might try some Shimanos or something now.

The original Hayes Nines were awful. I think they replaced the plug-style master cylinder bleed cap (???) and they might be better now...but I'd get Mags for sure, esp. if you're buying used.
 

Transcend

My Nuts Are Flat
Apr 18, 2002
18,040
3
Towing the party line.
You think Hayes are easy to bleed?:bonk:

Have you ever bled Avids before? 10x easier (and they perform better/have better modulation).
Hayes aren't hard, but they are a pain in the ass. Shimano/Avid etc you open the top, and alternately pump, close bleed, release, open bleed pump. Do this a few times and the lines will be good to go.

My Stroker experience is limited as well BTW, riding around the warehouse, but they felt fantastic. Powerful, good modulation etc.
 

pancho64

Monkey
Jul 28, 2007
210
0
i put hayes on my hardtail and they worked fine when all i did was ride street the occasional dirt jumps. but as soon as i took my bike to the hills....seemed like they had no power. lame...i want codes or hopes or formulas or something....
 
Mar 10, 2005
479
0
Santa Cruz/Sacramento, Ca
I started out on a pair of HFX9s from my 2005 coiler.

The adjuster screws would never stay set, so the levers would always be working their ways closer to the bars. After popping the levers out once to fix the adjuster screws, I had seemed to spawn a chronic problem where my levers would pop out of their master cylenders over any rough terrain and render the breaks unuseable. After a few ****ty ****ty bails at northstar, I decided to switch over to avids.

I've been a fan since.
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,669
1,713
chez moi
You think Hayes are easy to bleed?:bonk:

Have you ever bled Avids before? 10x easier (and they perform better/have better modulation).
You can't get much simpler than bleeding Hayes with a syringe. Little mess, fast and easy.
 

CrabJoe StretchPants

Reincarnated Crab Walking Head Spinning Bruce Dick
Nov 30, 2003
14,163
2,484
Groton, MA
You can't get much simpler than bleeding Hayes with a syringe. Little mess, fast and easy.
Um...........how bout a syringe that threads into the caliper/lever (a la avid)......

Fraser, exactly what I meant. When something is a pain in the ass, I don't consider it easy (although it isn't technically difficult). When I'm bleeding brakes before a race at 4:00am 1/2 in the wrapper, I don't want bleed hoses coming off the bleed ports and shooting brake fluid everywhere.
 

demo 9

Turbo Monkey
Jan 31, 2007
5,910
46
north jersey
well my hayes 9, which i had for a year. SUCKED

the front got 18 bleeds and the rear got 23.

everything broke; pistons, kinks, levers, seals, bushings, ect.

it got to the point where i would bring the bike in later that day for a blow up brake.

dont forget about how many pads i had to buy from getting brake fluid on them..
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,669
1,713
chez moi
Well, if it makes you happy, I might need some new brakes, and Avid BB5s are looking like a prime choice...low cost, available in all sizes, simple, good rep...
 

FOXROX

Turbo Monkey
Jun 23, 2007
2,120
0
hambur,nj
hayes SUCK! i had them for about 6 months! i just finaly changed to avid codes! i was blow out the master cylinders like you wouldent believer! screw hayes!
 

ElTORO

Monkey
Jun 27, 2006
369
0
With all the other Tards!!
Avid Mechanicals are stronger then Hayes. No BS!!

1st bike had 9's blew them up pretty fast.
2nd went with Mags blew up the master twice, lever just went to the bar.
3rd bought Juicy 7's been buying them ever since. I have broken a Juicy 7 though but the power and mod is just 10x anything hayes.

I do have a 9 on the rear of my DJ bike though. Works fine on the DJ's.
 

bdamschen

Turbo Monkey
Nov 28, 2005
3,377
156
Spreckels, CA
Dang. Maybe I'm not fast enough or something. I've had hayes nines on two dh bikes now and never really had anything blow up. Of course I've probably just jinxed myself for northstar this weekend.
 

Kornphlake

Turbo Monkey
Oct 8, 2002
2,632
1
Portland, OR
Well, if it makes you happy, I might need some new brakes, and Avid BB5s are looking like a prime choice...low cost, available in all sizes, simple, good rep...
I've got BB7s on my bike, I noticed that some times they feel like just don't have enough grunt to lock up a wheel, most of the time that is probably a good thing for me but it's kind of scary coming off a drop to a steep chute with a tight turn at the bottom and feeling like you just can't squeeze the brake levers hard enough. Of course I've really only noticed it riding ATT which is about like riding through the stuffing in a pillow, only hard. I may have been locking up the wheels just fine but the dirt wasn't firm enough to slow the bike down any.

I've had pretty much zero mantinance issues with the brakes though, they don't fade (as far as I can tell) they don't have issues with messy or difficult bleeds, they're cheap and you can adjust them without tools. I've been a fan for quite a while, but I have to think that the newer hydraulic brakes are most likely a little better.
 

Trekrules

Turbo Monkey
Apr 12, 2007
1,226
148
I never go back to hayes again,i head to much trouble with these brakes,they fade quick,broken piston,broken levers,pads where out quick,the list is going on.I now ride juicy 3's for 2 months and they are so much better than the hayes.
 

KavuRider

Turbo Monkey
Jan 30, 2006
2,565
4
CT
The first brakes I ever bled were a set of Hayes Mags. Used the bleed kit from my LBS (no syringe), no problem. Worked like a charm. I'm sure the syringe would make it a lot easier though.

Haven't had to bleed my Codes yet, glad to hear its easier.

If your bike came with Hayes, I can understand, but I can't imagine someone buying a new set over the other choices out there...
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,669
1,713
chez moi
On Jenson, Mags are $165 and Codes are $230 or something, so I can imagine someone buying a set of Mags, myself...
 

?????

Turbo Monkey
Jun 20, 2005
1,678
2
San Francisco
People don't like them because most bikers want the latest and greatest.

Hayes work great, they just don't have the cool/new image anymore.

The two pairs that I've had for the past 5 or 6 years still work great.

I've got Avid Juicy Carbons now, but the Hayes work just as well.
 

thom9719

Turbo Monkey
Jul 25, 2005
1,104
0
In the Northwest.
I've had the same pair of 9's for 4 years, never bled them, just changed the pads, they still feel great. I love my hayes, I can't wait to get a set of the new strokers or the new carbon 9's!

Kyle,
 

Lollapalooza

Monkey
Jan 22, 2007
527
0
I've got Avid Juicy Carbons now, but the Hayes work just as well.
Are you sure your Juicys are set up correctly? I weigh 120 lbs and notice the fade and lack of power.

As for the durability issue, I have new seals coming. This is the 4th part I've had to order parts for my 9's.
 

Kntr

Turbo Monkey
Jan 25, 2003
7,526
21
Montana
I ran the same Hayes Mags with Goodridge Lines, Dangerboy levers, and red Galpher pads for the last 5 years. I never had a problem I didnt cause (wreck). They have about 2,000 DH/FR miles on them. I loved em.

One finger stopping power.... always.
 

PatBranch

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2004
10,451
9
wine country
I've been running Hayes 9's on my Bullit for about year. I've haven't had a single problem with and they've never needed to be re-bled. My only issue with them is the lack of power (1 finger isn't powerful enough to stop well) and adjustments. I now have Juicy Carbons.
 

JRogers

talks too much
Mar 19, 2002
3,785
1
Claremont, CA
I ran Hayes (both Mags and 9s) for a few years and liked them. Didn't have to bleed them too much (syringe is key!) and they proved to be durable. After switching to Juicys, though, I think that the 9s and Mags are inferior. The adjustability, lever feel, power and modulation are all superior on the Juicys. I liked Hayes, but I certainly won't be buying a pair of Mags anytime soon.
 

jamesdc

Monkey
May 6, 2007
469
0
I don't know why everybody hates hayes, I never had problems with my hfx-9's, I ran them for alomst a year and never had to bleed them and the power seemed good, my only complaint is the lack of modulation. I have now upgraded to shimano xt 4 pistons and couldn't be happier.
 

djjohnr

Turbo Monkey
Apr 21, 2002
3,001
1,693
Northern California
I had the same set of Mags for 6 years. All I ever had to do was bleed them. Never once did I run into brake fade.

Juicy 5's came on my new bike, and I decided to finally try something else. Lever feels better, but now I've got brake fade problem on really long DHs, and I'm not getting as much power overall. Maybe the Codes are different, but I'm not a huge fan of the Juicys.
 

bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,928
24
Over your shoulder whispering
Just shows how spoiled some of you are and how far removed you all are from just where Hayes brought us all.
Until they came along ,there was zero reason to use any disc brake over a rim brake.
Then when they came along...everyone said they were too damn powerful for bikes.
Then Avid's came out and everyone suddenly thought Hayes were hard to bleed.
Now everyone else caught up to Hayes and suddenly you think they are at best a last resort.
A set of Hayes Mags properly bled are damn near bombproof. I used them exclusively for 5 years. Last year my bike came with Juicy 7's and I did love the feel. But pads were garbage...which is remedied with aftermarkets.
This year, I have Codes..which to me feel exactly like all my old Hayes, but with the reach adjuster in a different location and the pad contact dial. No difference in power or durability, just a few upgrades to make them more convenient.

Now Hayes has decided to upgrade features too and I'd expect them to work just as good as anything out there now. I'd love to get my hands on a pair of Strokers.
Hayes has been building disc brakes for decades longer than any other brand out there.

The best thing right now is that you can't go wrong with disc brakes, almost regardless of brand.




Who could have said that in 2004?
 

seth505

Monkey
Jun 9, 2006
519
0
CA
Ive run hayes brakes, mostly mags, since I started riding mtbs around 2000. I have had good luck with them and they almost never get busted even when something bad happens aka: bad wrecks
 

bballe336

Turbo Monkey
Mar 3, 2005
1,757
0
MA
Everyone seems to hate hayes. To be honest I really like the lever feel they have, and they stop me just fine. I had a set of mags that just died, couldn't do anything to make them work. But the nines I have now feel pretty decent, they will need fresh pads and a bleed soon but they have treated me well for about a year or so.
 

?????

Turbo Monkey
Jun 20, 2005
1,678
2
San Francisco
Are you sure your Juicys are set up correctly? I weigh 120 lbs and notice the fade and lack of power.

As for the durability issue, I have new seals coming. This is the 4th part I've had to order parts for my 9's.
They're setup how they were setup when I took them out of the box. I haven't bled them, but the lever feel is not spongy nor do they show any other signs of being improperly bled. My Hayes have not been bled in 5 years and they still work fine. Hayes pads are also much easier to swap than Avid's. If anything the Hayes have more power than my Juicy's and the modulation issue is irrellevant. They modulate just as well as any other brake with the exception that the range from no braking to full on braking is less. Once you get used to them they're fine.


The Avid's have a nicer lever feel, are light, and stop good enough. The exception being that I don't trust them to save me from looping back and busting my ass during high speed manuals.
 

Dave-B

Chimp
Mar 13, 2007
22
0
new zealand
My hayes 9's have worked fine for the past 2 years.
I've bleed the rear once and havent bleed the front at all.

With one finger on the levers i can pull stoppie's at any speed so they have plenty of power for general DH use.

The levers are getting a bit sloppy but they still work fine.
 

gmac

Monkey
Apr 6, 2002
471
0
I had 00 Hayes w/ 8". Best thing that happened to them was Razor Rock levers. Second best was that every shop has parts for them. The brakes were reliable w/ regular service. But, I only DH about 6x a year. Also, I can't comment on comparison other systems. I'm just getting onto Saints now. Overall thay were a good experience. They are still in service. I'm just curious to see what eles is out there. DOT fluid is not fun. And made me reluctant to work on them.