[TypicalNinja]

Hey guys,

I have Hayes Sole Hydro brakes front and rear, however I am using Avid Juicy 5 discs with them. I have a 8 inch disc up front, 6 inch in back.

My front works great, nice and responsive. Problem is in the rear though, the brake just doesn't stop sharply. I slowly come to a stop over a 2 meter distance.

What could possibly be the cause of this? I know the Hayes Sole are crappy in comparison to other brakes, but they should still at least work better then the standard Canadian Tire vee brake. I'm new to disc brakes in general so it probably just needs to be adjusted or something but I don't really know what to play with to fix it.

 

[sanjuro]

Did you know the Sole is single side actuated, the only hydro brake that I know of like this?

 

[DownCycles_Stef]

Make sure that your caliper is aligned properly. The pad surfaces and rotor should be parallel to each other. Your inner (non-moving pad) should also be as close to your rotor as possible without touching. If that doesn't help, your pads or rotor are probably contaminated. You can try cleaning them with rotor/pad cleaning fluid or wash the rotors with Dawn (or any de-greasing soap) Detergent and Water and place your pads in the over with your broiler on until they smell to burn off contaminants. If that doesn't work, try new pads. If that still doesn't do it, try new pads & rotors.

If you still don't have any luck, it may be time to invest in some more powerful brakes.

 

[Spunger]

I have HFX Mag's and have the same issue/problem with my rear. I've tried bleeding the hell out of the system, changing pads, rotors, whole 9 yards and the rear still leaves something to be desired. Front works like a champ but the rear sorta sucks. I too run a 8" up front and a 6" in the rear.

I know that you don't want to really lock up the rear wheel per say as when it is skidding it isn't getting any traction at all. I have tried both compounds from Hayes and haven't really had that power. Though these pads are a maybe 80% new there is still some left to be desired. They could also be contaminated and I don't even know it.

I just think in general the rear brakes don't slow you down or stop you like the fronts (think of automotive brakes same principal) that the front does most of the work, the rear just aids in stopping.

 

[zebrahum]

I'll second checking your brake adjustment. My So1es are a 6" rear and 8" front (though I took that one off) and it stops really well. Hell, my buddy and I ran down DH bike hacks at snowshoe with our hardtails and my Soles worked great.

Anyway, make sure when you squeeze your brakes, the rotor flexes very little. The rotor flexing robs more power than anything. So get that inside fixed pad close, a little bit of rubbing is better than no power.

Also, clean your rotors with Isopropyl alcohol, soap leaves residue. Or if you clean with soap, finish with alcohol to get rid of any residues.

Rear brakes don't work as well as fronts, especially when the front is 8", but you can get it strong enough to stop by its self.