Thank you sir. Looks like I've got some weight to shave off the already light Xprezo Furax.
Help Saints, Codes or Elixirs?
- Thread starter quickneonrt
- Start date
I would never buy Hayes again. Don't like the looks of the new levers, look too easy to break, hfx's were garbage so were el caminos and never had luck with mags either.
Are the Saints that easy to bleed? What about air bubbles?
So saints and codes are close in weight and the elixirs are about 200gr lighter for the set
Totems sucked one year too, but I don't see everyone boycotting Rockshox.
I judge a product based on how it works, not how bad another product was.
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I BELIEVE that there was a thread recently in which i remember reading that there was some fancy craftsmanship on the new saint lever that made it extremely difficult to make upgrade or replacements for it. I want to say this was said by twenty6?
But Hayes brakes have sucked for many years...
Yes they have. Burn me once shame on you, burn me twice shame on me, burn me three times well I finally got the hint. Screw HayesBut Hayes brakes have sucked for many years...
It has something to do with a riveted fitting. I imagine there's a separate part riveted to the blade that has to be duplicated, making it more complicated than just a machined blade.
I would agree that the code and saint have excellent blade feel. I am extremely content with my saints. I would consider swapping if somebody made a cheap replacement, but I have no reason to stress on it.
There is a thread floating around somewhere comparing different mineral oils. Your options are magura blood, shimano overpriced, or pentosin 11 steering fluid from an audi. Pentosin is the cheapest and seems to work fine. I would consider the magura stuff but I just don't want to worry about the breaks. I don't need the oil that often to worry about spending an extra 10 bux.
I haven't had to bleed mine yet, but I imagine since the process is almost identicle to automotive brakes, that you would be forcing any air in the lines out the bleed screw as you pump fluid through the system. It really is that simple.
There is obviously a weight difference between the Codes/Saints and the Elixers. Just keep in mind that you are comparing a 2 piston caliper system (Elixer), to 4 piston caliper systems (Saint/Code).
I agree with the earlier post about lever feel on my Saints. I like them. I wouldn't mind having some options for aftermarket levers, but I wouldn't switch brakes just to get more lever options.
i came across this tip for my saints and it works like a charm:
http://bike.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/tech_support/tech_tips.download.-Par50rparsys-0025-downloadFile.html/08) Saint Brake Pro Tune.pdf
http://bike.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/tech_support/tech_tips.download.-Par50rparsys-0025-downloadFile.html/08) Saint Brake Pro Tune.pdf
Well I pulled the trigger on the Saints. Few things I need to know I am using 8" rotors, I have Avid and Hayes rotors, will they work? Also mount wise I have avid and hayes rear mounts will either work with the saints? My fork is a 66 RC3X with 8" direct post mounts so the front should be fine, am I right? Lastly mineral oil, do I have to use Shimano's or can I use Magura Blood or Finish Line mineral oil? And do I need any special bleed kits?
Thanks everyone for the help!
Thanks everyone for the help!
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My opinion, Elixers are just powerful XC brakes. If your like me and drag your brakes at all you might want to avoid them as the heat up pretty damn quick and start losing power not long after. If on the other hand your only doing short runs or you can actually ride your bike without dragging your brake they are pretty good as they have bags of power when they are cold. Codes are the daddies when they are working, and are damn near impossible to overheat IMO, they have stupid amounts of power and excellent modulation. I hate the Code lever tho so swap it with a juicy carbon or ultimate and you will have code power and a nice light setup.
Unfortunately I've never used the new Saints so can't comment but if they are anything like the older model they will be uber reliable excellent brakes.
Unfortunately I've never used the new Saints so can't comment but if they are anything like the older model they will be uber reliable excellent brakes.
Make sure the rotors are 203mm, not 205 or some other slightly different size. They should work, but sometimes the braking surface from one rotor to another is just enough wider or narrower that it won't contact the pads as designed. If the pads extend beyond the braking surface, eventually the pads will come together once they have worn far enough, resulting in less braking pressure on the rotor itself. Any standard "tab" mount to "post" mount rear adapter should work fine. Sounds like the front should be cool. I haven't read through all of the fine print from Shimano, but I would feel comfortable putting mineral oil from any reputable brand in my Saints. No special bleed kit necessary. If you bought your brakes new in the box, they will have bleeding instructions included.
One more plus on the whole mineral oil thing. It's not hydrophylic, which means it doesn't absorb water like DOT brake fluids. That leads to contamination and breakdown of the fluid. DOT fluids are actually designed to absorb water for safety purposes in everyday motor vehicles. A lot of race vehicles don't use DOT fluids for this and other reasons.
If the water isn't absorbed like with DOT fluid, isn't it going to boil and turn into steam?
That would be REALLY bad.
If water gets in there, you want it to be absorbed. It may change the boiling point some, but it's better than having water in the system by itself. If water doesn't get in there, there's nothing to talk about anyway.
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It happened when they were new too. Also I have heard others having this problem as well... But your right, they shouldn't leak.
Hayes 9's=VERY good brake for the money. I am also very light-135lbs. But the whole time I have used them they were reliable. I did bend the levers several times, also they had 0 modulation compared to codes (they were either "on or off"), but they are half the price. The bleeding of those brakes though... It's like pulling teeth! ~ and I had the specific bleed kit for them, which is super cheap compared to an avid bleed kit.
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