Damn, leaking master cylinder seal on my two weeks old Hope T4s. Lever slowly creeps to the bars under constant pressure. Is there no company that can produce some solid brakes? 
Frankenbrakes and brake improvement discussion
- Thread starter Udi
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Care to post a pic so I know where to look out?Damn, leaking master cylinder seal on my two weeks old Hope T4s. Lever slowly creeps to the bars under constant pressure. Is there no company that can produce some solid brakes?
Nothing to see I'm afraid, it's the seals around the MC piston itself. Lever feel is solid, remains solid, but if you squeeze it for like 30 secs, it creeps closer and closer to the bar until it touches it, so fluid is leaking past the piston seal back into the reservoir.
Contacted Hope, read somewhere on the German MTB-news forums that there were issues with these seals in early batches. Seems to still be an issue then, as mine are brand new from the factory.
Have you tried the TRP dhr-evo?
Mine's from an X2, but hooked up to my V4, I got it mounted though now and it feels a lot firmer now than when I was testing before doing my bleed. I have the TRP 2.3 rotor on it. I just say that, because at first I felt the lever might be a little "softer" during bleed, but having it all hooked up, it's firm and crisp, like any other hope lever.
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Yeah, it's not soft, it's just slowly going to the bar when you keep constant pressure on and keep it locked for 30 secs.
Here you go. Perfect fit.
normal pads = BAD for the environmentThey (AB) at least try to implement a good testing protocol with comparable parameters for every pad. We shall see how those fancy pads behave in real life. The marketing mambojumbo is strong in this ad.
absoluteBLACK Introduces the GRAPHENpads
Brake pads are the single most important part of the bike, which determines how confidently you can descend. The key element to their optimum performance is to keep the temperature of the brake pads and the rotor as low as possible (ideally below 400C), especially on longer descends. The hotter...www.vitalmtb.com
edit: good point in the comments section, not breaking force was measured but lever force which says absolute nothing about the thing that really matters - stopping power. I think it's AB snake oil again.
graphene dust = GOOD for the environment
Man oh man, not only is the main lever piston seal failing, I also started noticing a bit of power decrease and squeal increase on the new T4 V4s (with temporary T3 lever). Leaky caliper piston seals, yay. Nice work Hope!
Two year update on both TRP DHR (big bike, 220mm 2.3 rotors) and Hayes Dominion a4 (littler bike, 200mm 2.0 rotors).
They both work great. No issues at all. Other than a fresh bleed when I swap pads just for grins, they have both been flawless.
Feel-wise, Hayes is a little sharper off the top (Ala Shimano) and TRP build power more deeper in the stroke.
after years of endless brake woes, it’s really nice to essentially never think about them any more.
They both work great. No issues at all. Other than a fresh bleed when I swap pads just for grins, they have both been flawless.
Feel-wise, Hayes is a little sharper off the top (Ala Shimano) and TRP build power more deeper in the stroke.
after years of endless brake woes, it’s really nice to essentially never think about them any more.
A mate of mine took the gamble and bought a set of these things and we unpacked them at the pub last night. Excuse the crappy pics but just to show what they're like. Looks like a bit of a rip off of a Trickstuff lever combined with a Hope E4 caliper? He's going to mount them up shortly and report back on them. He might die, he might live - its all for science.
But for AUD $170 for a pair delivered with pads, I'm blown away by the level of detail they went to.
Can anyone help me compare the different trickstuff pad compounds? Information on them seems hard to come by.
The options seem to be ST (standard), PO (power) and PO+ (power plus).
My Direttissimas came with pads with a silver backing plate and they say "power" so I'm guessing these are PO pads. They needed replacing so I grabbed some Galfer green because I could get them quickly but I'm curious if anyone has tried some or all of the ST, PO and PO+ compounds and can give a comparison? I'd like to have pads last longer so the ST are appealing for that reason but how much do they give up on braking power?
I've tried the PO+ compound in the past and while I enjoyed the feel they barely lasted a week in wet UK conditions.
One other question, if not Trickstuff pads, what would you use instead to balance power and durability? I have the C42 calliper so have quite a wide choice of Sram Guide compatible pads.
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Edit: photos on Bike24 suggest that silver backing is PO+ and orange backing is PO in which case I'm even more confused because my silver pads lasted about 6 months while my orange pads lasted about a week. Admittedly the 6 months were over summer and the week was over winter.
The options seem to be ST (standard), PO (power) and PO+ (power plus).
My Direttissimas came with pads with a silver backing plate and they say "power" so I'm guessing these are PO pads. They needed replacing so I grabbed some Galfer green because I could get them quickly but I'm curious if anyone has tried some or all of the ST, PO and PO+ compounds and can give a comparison? I'd like to have pads last longer so the ST are appealing for that reason but how much do they give up on braking power?
I've tried the PO+ compound in the past and while I enjoyed the feel they barely lasted a week in wet UK conditions.
One other question, if not Trickstuff pads, what would you use instead to balance power and durability? I have the C42 calliper so have quite a wide choice of Sram Guide compatible pads.
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Edit: photos on Bike24 suggest that silver backing is PO+ and orange backing is PO in which case I'm even more confused because my silver pads lasted about 6 months while my orange pads lasted about a week. Admittedly the 6 months were over summer and the week was over winter.
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Power and power+ are the same pad compound, differences are the nickel hard plating of the P+ acting as a thermal insulation to help to decrease heat transfer from pad to caliper, interlocked interface between pad compound and carrier plate and a chamfered lower pad edge to help insertion of the rotor.
Standard compound lasts way longer at ~6% less absolute braking power according to Trickstuff. Can confirm, they last about three times longer for me. I'm running P+ front and Standard at the rear.
Standard compound lasts way longer at ~6% less absolute braking power according to Trickstuff. Can confirm, they last about three times longer for me. I'm running P+ front and Standard at the rear.
He's put them on his 26" DJ street bike with 160mm rotors so not exactly getting dragged down massive trails. I rode them the other day and there's nothing wrong with them at all. I'd say they're about the same power as Hope E4s or Shimano single piston brakes. Finish looks fine, and firm lever even without a bleed. I *think* they use a similar pad to the Hope E4 or trickstuff DRTs, but they sell the pads for like $7 a pair anyway.
I'm thinking of giving these a try with the Formula calipers. They are cheaper than the Formula Cura lever replacement kits.
I have the SRAM RSC G2 and Codes. I would like a little more power and initial bite for both. The G2 are much weaker than the CODES. I love the real brake fluid/DOT due to proven safe and reliable for trillions of miles in all vehicles and weather! I ride year round so the DOT works best for me. DOT brake fluid can be found every where here.I do not drink it, and it is easy to clean with water and a towel!
I have TRICKSTUFF pads for both coming from Germany, they are stuck there for a week waiting to come to the USA.
Also have the SRAM HS2 rotors coming. Hopefully between the 2 changes I will get the power and feel I am looking for.
Also thinking about the HAYES Dominion brakes.
Thank you folks for the information.
I have TRICKSTUFF pads for both coming from Germany, they are stuck there for a week waiting to come to the USA.
Also have the SRAM HS2 rotors coming. Hopefully between the 2 changes I will get the power and feel I am looking for.
Also thinking about the HAYES Dominion brakes.
Thank you folks for the information.
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You should probably go to the extreme setting up your brakes like this.
For the sealed brakes like sram and shimano. Put the bleed cup on top and have them full of fluid once you’ve tuned in the pad clearance at the end. They can’t back off that way but your free travel will eventually get bigger and bigger and you’ll have to refresh out as your pads wear.
For the sealed brakes like sram and shimano. Put the bleed cup on top and have them full of fluid once you’ve tuned in the pad clearance at the end. They can’t back off that way but your free travel will eventually get bigger and bigger and you’ll have to refresh out as your pads wear.
I normally put a flathead screw driver on the side that’s too far from the rotor push that pad pretty hard, like enough the rotor is bending but not enough that it would take a set and stay not flat, then pump the lever.
I didn’t include that in the video because I’d only tested it on guide and shimano 4 pots at the time but now I’ve done it on hope 4 pots and codes and I’m pretty sure it’ll work on any 4 pots.
I didn’t include that in the video because I’d only tested it on guide and shimano 4 pots at the time but now I’ve done it on hope 4 pots and codes and I’m pretty sure it’ll work on any 4 pots.
Won't pushing the side too far from the rotor just push the rubbing side in further?
No you’re putting the screw driver between the caliper and back of the pad pushing it towards the rotor and if the opposite pad is rubbing you’ll enter up pushing it further away. But if you center the caliper on the rotor and then pump up the pads and have a pad that rubs you probably need to exercise and clean the pistons more.
CALIPER HALVES!