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What's the most powerful / snappy brake you've used?

Udi

Udi

RM Chief Ornithologist
Mar 14, 2005
4,915
1,200
Just for interest's sake, the most powerful brake you've used - minimum finger effort / maximum stopping power. If they locked up too easily and had no modulation then that's perfect.

Two things - it'd be great if you could also mention what other brakes you're comparing them to, and if you're going to say Gustavs, please tell us your 2nd most powerful too - since they're a bit pricey/tricky to buy these days.

Thanks!
 
HAB

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,006
Seattle
Saint 4 Pot
Formula The One
Hope V2
Code

That's my top handful, from most to least. Plenty less grabby of course. Also pretty subjective obviously. Edit: also have never ridden Gustavs.
 
B

BmxConvert

Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
715
0
Longview, Washington
The new Saints about killed me hopping on a buddies bike every time I've ridden it. I was concentrating harder on NOT skidding than I was riding. Part of this may have been due to the fact that he's 100lbs heavier than me and runs a higher tire pressure, but those brakes were nuts.

The Elixir CR Mag/Code combo that came stock on my Demo is a very close second power wise, but with much more modulation.

Other brakes I've own/have owned with considerable ride time to compare them to:
Shimano XT
Shimano LX
Shimano Deore
Avid Juicy Carbon
Avid Juicy 3,5 and 7
Avid Elixer CR
Hope 6pot Ti
Hayes 9
Hayes Mag
Hayes ElCamino
Hayes Stroker Trail/Carbon(gram?)
Magura Louise BAT carbon
Magura Julie
 
rigidhack

rigidhack

Turbo Monkey
Aug 16, 2004
1,206
1
In a Van(couver) down by the river
Hayes Mags - very off or on, but no where near a powerful as...
Shimano XT/Old Saint which are poor compared to ...
Avid Juicy 7s, which have the modulation of the XTs but a lot more power, though not as much as...
Avid Elixir CRs - which I really, really like. 1 finger braking for full days at Whistler is always good. And then there is...
New Saints as off or on as the Hayes, only with MUCH MUCH MUCH more power
 
N

NWS

Chimp
Sep 19, 2010
66
0
I have a Hope V2 that is plenty strong and also very easy to modulate. I rode a friend's bike with Saints and while they are a bit stronger, they have too much of an on/off feel for my liking. I'm sure you could get accustomed to Saints with practice, but then everything else would feel weird. :)

It makes me wonder how it would feel to use the Saint's pad material with V2 brakes, or V2 pad material in Saints. Maybe one of those combos would give you Saint power with V2 modulation. I have a hunch that the pad material is what gives the Saints both their power and their (lack of) modulation, though.
 
karpi

karpi

Monkey
Apr 17, 2006
904
0
Santiasco, Chile
if you want less mondulation, try stainless steel braided hoses... that helps too. Less expansion on the hose means more direct feel with the brakes.

I for one would have to go with Formula The One for brake power, although they do have some modulation. They brake as hard or harder than codes or saint, but have a nicer feel to them in my opinion.
 
daisycutter

daisycutter

Turbo Monkey
Apr 8, 2006
1,660
129
New York City
Easy MAGURA GUSTAV. The 810 Saint have nice power, but the Gustav's are amazing. They are also heavy, prone to pad drag, and not produced by Magura anymore.
 
norbar

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,369
1,605
Warsaw :/
daisycutter said:
Easy MAGURA GUSTAV. The 810 Saint have nice power, but the Gustav's are amazing. They are also heavy, prone to pad drag, and not produced by Magura anymore.
Click to expand...
Actually they weight the same as v2s and not much more than the saints. I mean the newer style gustavs. 2nd most powerfull would be gatorbrake zillion pot on my friends bike but they feel like crap. V2s can be setup very snappy
 
no skid marks

no skid marks

Monkey
Jan 15, 2006
2,511
29
ACT Australia
Maybe try different pads. Braided lines, or 9" Hayes rotor.
Gustav
Saint/The Ones
Code? Hayes?
will be the results you get.
Anyone have a link the the Europen Dyno test that was done on most brakes a year back?
 
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T

Trekrules

Turbo Monkey
Apr 12, 2007
1,226
148
My top 5.

1. Formula R1
2. Formula The One(MY09)
3. Formula Mega
4. Avid Code 5
5. Hayes Mag

Im very very impressed about the preformence of the Formula R1's for Downhill use,they have excelllent modulation & are far better than my old Formula The Ones and the lever feel is soo much better on the R1's.

Very ferm feel with no brake fade on the R1's,1 finger braking to do it all and the R1's brake very hard with 8'' rotors.They now stay on my DH rig for the rest of the season,im only weighting 121lbs soo the Formula R1's are plenty powerfull for me for Downhill use
 
miuan

miuan

Monkey
Jan 12, 2007
395
0
Bratislava, Slovakia
StabprimoMonkee said:
@Trekrules: I'm extremely sorry that you never had a chance to own proper MTB brakes.
Click to expand...
At least he named some brakes, unlike you. Don't get me wrong, I like some Kona bikes. I also like the cheap RX Formula brakeset that I own, although it's nowhere near as grabby as the Gustav boat anchors that almost catapulted me off the bike upon first lever actuation.

It often surprises me how strong some freshly bled Juicys or Elixirs are in the parking lot. But then they always suck after a month or two of riding. Almost any brake can bite, if bled properly and equipped with soft compound pads.
 
- seb

- seb

Turbo Monkey
Apr 10, 2002
2,924
1
UK
Socket said:
The Ones for sure. Saints are more reliable but definitely not as grabby.
Click to expand...
I don't find my Ones grabby *at all*. Looooaads of modulation, always has been even when they were brand new. Plenty of power too though. Friends' Saints seem very very grabby to me, though I'm sure you get used to it.
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,080
5,998
borcester rhymes
Well my saints have ultra power and excellent modulation...maybe it's the gator windcutter rotors i use vs. the shimanos (less contact area). I can lock them up with one finger no problem. Fantastic brakes.

The most absurd I've ever used were the gustavs. I took them off the bike because I could/was locking them up so fast I couldn't modulate right. It was retarded. One finger would lock the front wheel when it was wet out. I don't know if it was power, lack of modulation, bad tires, or rocky terrain, but I hated them. The level feel was awful and so was the blade.

Third (gustavs 1, saints 2) would be Codes. Lots of power but a bit better lever feel than the saints, leading to less grabiness...
 
S

Steve M

Turbo Monkey
Mar 3, 2007
1,991
45
Whistler
- seb said:
I don't find my Ones grabby *at all*. Looooaads of modulation, always has been even when they were brand new. Plenty of power too though. Friends' Saints seem very very grabby to me, though I'm sure you get used to it.
Click to expand...
haha I was just stirring Udi up. Saints are grabby when the pads/rotor are brand new, but once you've burned em a few times they settle down to a more punter-friendly level. I liked them a lot when they were stupidly grabby though.
 
captainspauldin

captainspauldin

intrigued by a pole
May 14, 2007
1,263
177
Jersey Shore
miuan said:
It often surprises me how strong some freshly bled Juicys or Elixirs are in the parking lot. But then they always suck after a month or two of riding. Almost any brake can bite, if bled properly and equipped with soft compound pads.
Click to expand...
Agreed, my Juicy 7s on my trail bike feel amazing, coming off my saints on the dh bike.. but I also don't beat the piss outta my trail bake like I do my DH bike.
 
Huck Banzai

Huck Banzai

Turbo Monkey
May 8, 2005
2,523
23
Transitory
My Saints have plenty of modulation, but maybe being 240+ has an impact on that.

Maybe.

I dont agree on the Gustavs for sure - plenty powerful, but I'd have to 4 finger them to get what I get out of 1 on my Saints. Good thing they had enormous levers I suppose..
 
motomike

motomike

Turbo Monkey
Jan 19, 2005
4,584
0
North Carolina
My Saints were so strong I feel like they made me crash in some instances. I now have Hope Tech M4s and am loving the powerful, yet easily modulated feel.
 
w00dy

w00dy

In heaven there is no beer
Jun 18, 2004
3,417
51
that's why we drink it here
BB7s out of the box. Never before or since have I skidded on pavement in a manual. Tire lost traction before the front wheel hit the ground. Hate on cables all you want, but I haven't been on anything so grippy as those.
 
SuspectDevice

SuspectDevice

Turbo Monkey
Aug 23, 2002
4,169
373
Roanoke, VA
Gustavs are the only brakes I've been satisfied with in terms of feel and modulation.
All of these fancy new brakes feel like kids toys, full of all of their bells, whistles and distractions to move them off the sales floor.
The Hayes Mags are a close second- You can bleed them rock hard, dial the lever all the way into the bar and then lock up the wheels at will with only a tiny movement of your finger.
Unfortunately I seem to be in the minority when it comes to feel.

I have good hope for these Shimano commuter levers tied up to new Saint calipers though:

A figure an extra inch or two on the lever could never hurt...
 
IH8Rice

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
Gustav-tons of power, crap lever feel though
The One's (MY11)-pretty powerful, awesome lever feel
Hayes Mags and Purple DH's-powerful and bombproof
Hayes Nine's- cheap, reliable and strong
Elixr CR/Code calipers-marginally better then straight Elixr setup (with more issues though)
Elixr-probably least powerful brake ive ever used. great lever though
 
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sikocycles

sikocycles

Turbo Monkey
Feb 14, 2002
1,530
772
CT
My Code feel good.
My Primes will be here today and will try those soon and my Magura MT8 will be here sometime in July to try
 
Arkayne

Arkayne

I come bearing GIFs
May 10, 2005
3,738
15
SoCal
Magura HS-33
On my trials bike though. Put some coke on the rims and you have NO modulation.

 
K

k8piranha

Chimp
Nov 30, 2010
30
0
Hayes Nines - so strong and not much modulation. The ones I have are still around. They've been retired to being on my xc bike at this point but they're 6 years old with little/no service and still work great.
 
-BB-

-BB-

I broke all the rules, but somehow still became mo
Sep 6, 2001
4,254
28
Livin it up in the O.C.
LOOnatic said:
1- Dragging foot against side of tire
2- old saints
3- Elixer CR's but i like these the best after #1
4- Hayes mags with goodridge lines and aftermarket pads
Click to expand...
Wow... you should try the following technique. It works a LOT better.

I call it "stick in the spokes"

Step 1 - Get a pretty hefty stick
Step 2 - Pick up some speed
Step 3 - Insert stick into your front wheel between the spokes
Step 4 - Prepare for take-off

;)
 
IH8Rice

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
-BB- said:
Wow... you should try the following technique. It works a LOT better.

I call it "stick in the spokes"

Step 1 - Get a pretty hefty stick
Step 2 - Pick up some speed
Step 3 - Insert stick into your front wheel between the spokes
Step 4 - Prepare for take-off

;)
Click to expand...
the Italians use frame pumps

 
no skid marks

no skid marks

Monkey
Jan 15, 2006
2,511
29
ACT Australia
Udi said:
Just for interest's sake, the most powerful brake you've used - minimum finger effort / maximum stopping power. If they locked up too easily and had no modulation then that's perfect.

Two things - it'd be great if you could also mention what other brakes you're comparing them to, and if you're going to say Gustavs, please tell us your 2nd most powerful too - since they're a bit pricey/tricky to buy these days.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Purple Hayes/Mags followed by Saints are the crapiest least modulated but powerful brakes I recall.
 
toodles

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,516
4,768
Australia
New Saints - when they're brand new they're so snappy and abrupt I really had to adjust to use them.
Avid Code Rs - for a budget brake, the few pairs I've played with lately have been sicktacular. A bit easier to control than the Saints but if you want them to lock up they do it and do it with ease.

Years ago I got to play with a prototype that had a split rotor and ran 3 pads (one in the centre). That still sticks in my mind as being the most stupid brake - the lever worked like a light switch.
 
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