TuffRider Posted October 1, 2022 Report Share Posted October 1, 2022 (edited) Hi all, I am quite new to trials. At 41 years old, I got my very first trials bike, and I love it. I ride in Halifax... no, not the UK one. The one in Canada. Which means I'm really the only one around here that rides trials. I'm hoping you guys can give me some advice, as there really aren't any local riders. I have an Echo czar ion pro (https://www.hbtrials.com/echo-czar-ion-24-pro-blue-.html), and when I ordered it they couldn't source the usual brakes (due to the pandemic), so it came with some avid BB-5's (single piston, cable actuated, 180mm rotors). As a result, it was less expensive than normal. But, I really feel these brakes are holding me back. They have no bite whatsoever. I'm thinking it is time to upgrade them, and I'm wondering if anyone has some suggestions. I have heard that "properly adjusted" cable actuated brakes "can" be pretty powerful. While I'm reasonably good at fixing/adjusting my bikes, I'm by no means a trained mechanic. I found these brakes really hard to dial in, and so they really aren't that powerful. I did take them to a shop, and they got them setup okay. Still, I think I need better brakes. But, since this is very much an entry level trials bike, I'm looking for hydraulic brakes that won't... brake my budget. Any thoughts? If it helps, I've been mostly riding trails for the past few decades. I splurged on a carbon trail bike a few years ago, and it's fantastic. And it still has only simple shimano deore brakes. And they're miles better than the avids on my trials bike. I don't need top of the line, I'm just hoping to find something a bit better. Let me know if you guys have any suggestions for brakes. And maybe a good place to source them from (remember, would need to be shipped to Canada). Thanks! Edited October 1, 2022 by TuffRider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DYAKOV Posted October 1, 2022 Report Share Posted October 1, 2022 As far as I’ve heard magura have some decent hydraulic disc brakes, just don’t go with the cheapest ones. I bought a second hand bike to sell on a few months back and it came with some low level magura brakes (mt sport or something like that, all plastic levers, plastic pistons etc). I must say that the levers felt very firm and comfortable on the finger as well - much better feeling than the hope trial zone I have on my bike - but they weren’t holding well at all. I assume that the mt4-5-7 would have a better bite and they’re worth a try. On a side note, I’ve had bb5’s on one of my old bikes and I was struggling with them at first. It wasn’t until I got new ebc red compound pads and I set them perfectly parallel when I could feel them very firm, super responsive and holding great! Tuning wise, I’d recommend using playing cards - grab a king of spades and a king of hearts and place them on either side of the rotor as the brake calliper is loose on the frame/forks mount. Then squeeze the lever, so it locks the calliper in place (just make sure that the calliper isn’t too far off where it should sit on the mount) and further tighten the bolts. From my experience, the ebc pads didn’t take longer than 10-15min riding to bed in and the bite was amazing! It’s a general rule with any type of a brake - pads make the bite, so if you’re using some generic stuff you won’t achieve great results no matter how well your brake has been set. Worth trying out some good pads before you invest in a new set of brakes. Nas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marg26 Posted October 1, 2022 Report Share Posted October 1, 2022 I thought of suggesting EBC Red pads too. Give them a try and maybe save some cash for decent hydraulics later down the line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swoofty Posted October 1, 2022 Report Share Posted October 1, 2022 Brakes can become a very impassioned discussion in most all cycling disciplines these days. For trials, yes, pads can make a night and day difference. I'll cast my vote for Magura MT5s, but MT4s and the base MT brakes all work very well for trials too. Maguras definitely win the price/performance ratio. No matter which brakes you get, make sure they are set up properly and check the alignment fairly often. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Bourde Posted October 1, 2022 Report Share Posted October 1, 2022 Hi, I have some BB7s on one of my bike and I am really happy with. The difference with the BB5 is quite small afaik, one can adjust both pads position on the BB7 but not on the 5. They require more forces to actuate the lever than hydraulic brakes, but they are powerful enough. I have standard brakepads on them. I have really good cables though: BMX Odyssey linear cables. It makes a huge difference in the feel. Be careful also with the rotors. Some take a long time to get bet in and some combinations of rotor/brakepads suck. I would not recommend Magura brakes due to their fragile levers. Shimano Zee are good enough with good brakepads like the trickstuff. But to be honest, in your case I will stick to the BB5, put some nice cables and brake pads. And if the power is not enough go for bigger rotors. What levers and what rotors do you use? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaderaMark Posted October 19, 2022 Report Share Posted October 19, 2022 i am still with my good aged shigura (deore levers/MT4 calipers) with generic metallic pads plus China made 180mm centerline rotors. still holds my now 77kg fluffy body. Sometimes, cheap isn't always waste of $$$... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackblazer Posted October 24, 2022 Report Share Posted October 24, 2022 Hello everyone. I am black. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DYAKOV Posted October 24, 2022 Report Share Posted October 24, 2022 32 minutes ago, blackblazer said: Hello everyone. I am black. Hey! You’ve got nothing on us - we have black people, white people, yellow people, basalt green people, orange people, gays, trannies, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, people with split personality etc Joke aside - the trials community is very friendly and welcoming, you’ll have a good time on this forum. That’s in case you actually meant *black* and your phone didn’t autocorrect from *back* 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dark Knight Posted December 3, 2022 Report Share Posted December 3, 2022 I'm away to get back into street trials, just waiting on my new TMS Silex 24" to arrive from FXN. I had started collecting a few parts as was wanting to build an Alias 20.2 but after being messed about trying to buy a used frame, I was offered the TMS I picked up a set of Avid BB7 180mm with some linear bmx cables and Flipp recommended these organic pads: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/192691578886 Really looking forward to getting back into it, my bike should be arriving next week all being well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Bourde Posted December 3, 2022 Report Share Posted December 3, 2022 It is somehow funny that one of the best brakeless rider (if not not the best) recommends some brake pads (Don't get me wrong, I know he gives a lot of good advice. ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dark Knight Posted December 5, 2022 Report Share Posted December 5, 2022 On 12/3/2022 at 12:01 PM, La Bourde said: It is somehow funny that one of the best brakeless rider (if not not the best) recommends some brake pads (Don't get me wrong, I know he gives a lot of good advice. ) haha I never thought about that to be honest, I just know he's a well respected rider and not always rode brakeless. I used to ride bmx brakeless but I personally don't see the attraction to brakeless trials, hats off to riders like Flipp that make it work though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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