Formula RX Disc Brake Specifications

From Formulabrakeusa.com:

The RX is a brand new offering for 2010 from Formula featuring a radial master cylinder combined with a 1 pcs caliper which houses 22mm diameter pistons. This translates into lots of power and modulation while keeping the weight at a category leading 351g. the RX is the perfect brake for any XC or AM/Enduro application.

Master Cylinder

• Radial master cylinder (M/C)
• Patent-pending high capacity, integrated reservoir
• Removable handlebar clamp
• Flip-flop master cylinder assembly
• Laser etched logos

Caliper

• 1-piece caliper body with 22 mm pistons
• Post mount style w/adapter
• Top and bottom vented caliper body
• Laser etched logo.
• Top loading pads simplify pad changes

This review set is the black caliper with blue piston cap, but these brakes are also available in white as you can see on the Formula website.

Initial Thoughts On The Formula RX Disc Brakes

As you would expect out of any Formula disc brake for mountain bikes, the build quality is excellent. As you hold the brakes in your hand, you can tell their Italian birth was handled with the same care as their top of the line stoppers. As with any “budget” brake, there are some features that will be missing that you pick up as you move up the line. With the RX, you do not get a carbon lever, tool free adjust or pad contact adjust, but you do get a high quality brake for the price.

Personally, I prefer black brakes on my rigs, so the color choice that Formula sent over fits my needs perfectly, but the white does look pretty good for those of you that want the brakes to pop off the frame.

I am looking forward to getting these bolted up and see how they stack up against the competition and the previous generation K18′s. Stay tuned for more…

Where To Buy

FORMULA RX DISC BRAKE

Pre-Bled Brake Kit Includes:
Master cylinder/lever x 2
Kevlar hose
Caliper including brake pads x 2
7” brake rotor x 2
Bleed kit w/ 2 bottles of DOT 4 Fluid
Mounting hardware
Kit did not include any mounting brackets/adapters

Hayes has been making hydraulic disc brakes for mountain bikes since 1997. Surprisingly, it took Hayes over ten years to release a 4-piston caliper. Finally, they put all those years of brake design to work and produced the four piston “Ace”; filling the gravity/DH/big mountain niche within the Stroker line-up.

The Hayes “Stroker” line of brakes includes 5 different models targeting a wide spectrum of uses from cross country to downhill. The similarity between each model lies in the Stroker’s radial master cylinder lever body design. The calipers among each model vary in materials, design and number of pistons.

Stroker Ace Spec Highlights:

Master Cylinder: Radial, Symmetrical, Aluminum
Caliper: 4-Piston, Forged Mono-Bloc, Aluminum
Lever Blade: XL (compared to rest of Stroker line-up), Aluminum, Tool-free reach adjustment
Lever Body features 2-piece clamp assembly allowing installation/removal without taking the grips off the handle bars

Hayes Stroker Ace Installation

Conveniently, the Aces arrived pre-bled so installing them was a breeze, no bleeding required. Mounting adapters are not included so I was unable to use the 7” (180mm) rotors that came with the brakes; I stuck with my existing 8” (203mm) rotors instead. Hayes uses their two-piece handlebar clamp design on the Stroker levers letting you leave the grips on during installation/removal and for you moto-types, they are symmetrical so you can flip flop ‘em. Sure, the fact that the brakes are pre-bled is great but bear in mind, the hose length is pretty long. If you don’t ride an extra large bike you’ll need a hose trim and a re-bleed if you want to loose the excess length (parts for this procedure are included with the brakes). Out of convenience, I chose to leave the hoses long.

The brake pads are easy to install and remove and do not use any bolts, pins or screws; they simply slide in and a spring loaded clip on the back of pad holds them to the pistons.
Mounting and aligning the calipers was very easy due to the post mount configuration and elliptical holes in the caliper body. No spacers/washers are required for alignment.

First Impressions – Hayes Stroker Ace MTB Brake

The Stroker Ace brake calipers are pretty big, almost chunky looking, using the largest pads Hayes has ever made. Plenty of pad, fluid, and power are evident in the Ace’s one-piece calipers. The red anodized piston caps look good with the silver colored calipers. These things look much cleaner and more refined than my first set of 2003 HFX Mags. Right on, Hayes, a good looking brake. The radial master cylinder brake lever design gives the Strokers a strong presence in the handlebar region, slightly bulkier than other lever body designs out there. Gone are the days of having to keep digging out the 2mm allen key to bring your levers back away from the bar, now Hayes is incorporating a tool-free reach adjust with spring loaded indexing. Being the power-child of the Stroker line up, the Aces even have beefier lever blades.

On the Trail with the Stroker Ace’s

Aces have power written all over them so of course I tested them on my gravity sled. I was hoping that they’d work as well as they look good. And they do. I put a serious pounding on these brakes. I did epic mountain rides on them, nasty downhilling in muddy and wet conditions and even got to use them in Moab. Two extra pistons and additional caliper volume add substantial power to the Aces compared to other models. I was pleased with the modulation capabilities of the Aces; they do not have that ‘on/off’ feel that some power hungry brakes have. The power and modulation of the brakes remained consistent during sustained sections of downhilling. Descending from Burrow Pass in The La Sal Mountains all the way to Moab has some brake demanding sections and the Aces held in there. I also noticed that my hands didn’t seem to get as tired. Hayes designed the Aces with heat dissipation in mind using a large volume, one piece forged caliper body which must add to that consistent and fade free feel on the long descents. Additionally, the larger lever that the Ace’s have provides a greater mechanical advantage.

Hayes Stroker Ace Conclusions

The Aces deliver. They have the power and performance you’d expect from a brake that looks that good. Aces look a lot like some of the more expensive brands out there. After a substantial amount of full-on, aggressive use, the brakes pretty much remained consistent the entire time. I was honestly a bit surprised. Let’s hope they can hold up for the long haul. Although I’ve put them through a lot, it’s only been over the course of a few months. I never had to go about bleeding these brakes due to their reliability thus far so I can not speculate on the ease of bleeding the Aces.

Buy Hayes Ace MTB Disc Brakes

HAYES STROKER ACE DISC BRAKE

Final Review of the Hope Tech M4 Hydraulic Brakes for Mountain Bikes can be found by clicking here.

Hope Tech just sent in the all new for 2009 Hope Tech M4′s in for review. So what is new for these brakes in 2009?

From Hopetechusa.com

M4 Levers

New! Ambidextrous ‘flip flop’ design, CNC machined from a solid billet of 2014 T6 aircraft spec aluminum alloy – with a split clamp to allow easy set up and choice of positioning.

New! Redesigned piston, lever and pivot assembly with external ‘on the fly’ reach and bite point adjustment dials. The new lever linkage eliminates free play in the lever giving a consistent and reliable feel to the brake. Further developments include bearing lever pivots for smooth, rock free use and increased lever ergonomics with a perforated lever for extra grip and feel. Also, a double sided reservoir lid makes for easy bleeding. The master cylinder assembly is completed with our durable anodized finish to withstand weather, cleaning and general trail use and a choice of either hi tensile polyester reinforced or Goodridge stainless steel braided hose to give a sharp, solid feel to the system.

M4 Caliper

NEW! Revised one piece caliper, CNC machined from a solid billet of 2014 T6 aircraft spec aluminum alloy. The M4 caliper has been developed for 09’, primarily the two piston sizes have now become the same 16mm diameter (as opposed to a small and a large) which gives more usable power to the brake. A drip free bleed nipple and wide angel orientation of the fluid inlet connector have also been added, allowing for neater hose routing and cleaner servicing.The unit is completed with our durable anodized finish to withstand weather, cleaning and general trail use and laser etched graphics. A hi-tensile polyester reinforced hydraulic hose is used to give a sharp, solid feel to the system. (Goodridge braided hose option also available)

MEDIA: The M4 caliper has been used by Team MBUK/Bike Radar’s Marc Beaumont to win World Cup DH rounds, as well as ‘Joe Average’ on his weekend thrash in the woods – making this one of the most versatile brakes in the range.]

MTB by 198 Test Hope Tech M4 Brakes

The specific model brakes that Hope Tech sent over uses the 183mm floating rotor and hi-tensile polyester reinforced hydraulic hose. The 183mm diameter makes them more adaptable to different bike configurations and the floating rotor (aluminum inner spider) cuts down on the rotor weight.

Out of the box, the Hope Tech M4‘s are impressive. The aluminum machining and finish on this set is unlike anything else on the market right now. I am going to throw these brakes on several different sleds to really get a feel how they perform in different trail conditions. They are going to hit the Niner Jet 9 first and then it is time for the heavy bikes! Stay tuned to see the results…

Actual Weights Using an Ultimate Digital Alpine Scale

• Front Brake Caliper/Lever/Line – 270g
• Rear Brake Caliper/Lever/Line – 280g
• 183mm Hope Floating Rotor – 140g

The Avid Elixir brakes replace the Avid Juicy Ultimates and become the top of the line, multipurpose brake set for Avid/SRAM. Braking power with the new Avid Elixir’s are claimed to be somewhere in-between the Juicy and Code lineups. With new technologies like Taperbore, tool free adjustment, new G3 rotor and banjo fittings, the Elixir brake lineup brings something completely new to the table for Avid.

Avid Elixir CR Hydraulic Disc Brake Review

SRAM sent me a set of the Avid Elixir CR hydraulic disc brakes to review. The Elixir CR’s are available in two lever configurations (OEM only alloy and carbon fiber) and 3 different rotor combinations (160mm, 185mm and 203mm). The test set was sent with the carbon lever and two sets of rotors…the 185mm and 160mm.

For the exact weights of the rotors and brakes, check out this preview post on the Elixir CR’s. Due to the minimal weight difference between the 160mm and 185mm rotors (40g), the 185mm rotors were installed and that is what stayed on the bikes. For the purposes of this review, the brakes were tested on a Ventana El Terremoto 6.0 and a Rocky Mountain Slayer. Both of these rides are 6″ travel bikes that are taken on everything from shuttle runs to cross country epics. This provided a vast amount of contrast in different riding conditions, and made perfect test mules for this new do-it-all brake from Avid.

Installation – Avid Elixir CR

The install for the Elixir CR’s was quick and painless. The two bolt lever mount (now standard on most brakes) makes install and adjustment a breeze without having to remove any other parts off the bars. Straight out of the box, the lines were the perfect length for my large Ventana, so no cutting was required. Avid’s tri-align caliper positioning system makes caliper alignment easy and for the first time ever with Avid brakes, I was able to use the adjustable banjo fitting to properly align the brake line with the frame. This was a very welcomed change from Avid.

The lever adjustment on the Elixir CR’s is completely new for Avid. These two, tool free adjustments control the pad contact point and reach. A small black dial on the lever body brings the reach of the lever inboard and out. Once you have the reach fitted to your hands and preference, you adjust the pad contact point via the red barrel at the end of the lever body. With the pad contact adjustment, you are able to dial in exactly how much throw it takes to fully engage the pads. If you like to have a lot of throw for increased modulation and feel…that is now possible with the Elixirs (the Juicy 7′s, Carbons and Ultimates used a top mounted dial). You can still adjust the pad contact point close to the rotor and get a minimal throw point for full lockup. These two, tool free adjustments also make trailside changes depending on trail conditions extremely easy. It has a tendency to move under vibration if there is resistance against the brake line. To insure that this does not happen, hold the brake line independently of the pad contact adjustment barrel. This will keep the brake line from moving with adjuster.

Now that I had the Avid Elixir CR brakes mounted and adjusted to my liking…it was time to hit the trail and see if they really were everything that Avid claimed they were.

On The Trail – Avid Elixir CR

Like I mentioned before, I put these brakes on bikes that I knew I was going to take anywhere and everywhere. In the past, I have not been a fan of the Juicy lineup due to their on/off feel (not much modulation), noise and overall lever feel. I normally run brakes from Hope and Formula on my personal rides due to their incredible modulation and feel. This is what the Avid Elixir CR’s were going to have to compare to.

Braking Noise

On the first ride with the Elixir CR’s, I could tell right away that this was going to be a different brake than I was used to out of Avid. The first thing I noticed right off the bat…the Elixir CR’s were quite. I wasn’t getting any howling or the infamous Avid turkey gobble…they were just working. This was a very nice change from the typical Juicy noise. I noticed that the new Avid G3 rotor was also more stable under breaking with no high speed lever chatter. The newly designed rotor cut down on many of the complaints Avid users have had in the past.

Modulation

Overall modulation feel was very progressive throughout the levers stroke. The typical on/off feel that I was used to from the Juicy lineup was gone, and progressive braking took it’s place. Avid’s new Taperbore master cylinder provided a much better overall lever feel than previous Avid brakes. When you combine this modulation with the strong feel of the wide carbon lever, it made for a great feeling brake on the trail. As mentioned before, I was able to dial in exactly how much lever throw there was until lockup on the side of the trail. On most rides, this would not be necessary…but on longer, diverse rides…this was an added benefit.

Note: Action shot by Laurie @ Life On A Bike

Power

Avid claims that the Elixir brake lineup falls in-between the Juicy and Code brakes. This is accomplished by larger pistons in the caliper body, so I would expect them to deliver enough power for shuttle/dh runs without being overpowering for the weekend warrior or xc racer. Avid delivered just that with the Elixir’s and I give all of that credit to the increased modulation with this line. I did not experience any brake fade or overheating…even during several mile long, technical descents. The brakes were just there every time I needed them and they provided adequate power…that was controllable…under all conditions.

Maintenance

Bleeding on the Avid Elixir’s is pretty straight forward by using the Avid bleed system you might already be used to. They are not as easy as the comparable models out of Hope. I would like to see more brake manufacturers adopt a conventional bleeder system (automotive style), but in the meantime…the Avid system isn’t too difficult. If you feel uncomfortable working on brakes, have your local bike shop do the bleeding for you. Just remember that these brakes specify DOT 5.1 fluid.

The new top loading pads on the Avid Elixirs make pad change outs much easier than it was in the past. Now, you don’t even have to remove the caliper! Spread the pistons back out using the supplied red pad spacer, remove the pads and reinstall the new pads all through the top of the caliper. It doesn’t get much more user friendly than that.

It’s Not All Good News…

Pad Contact Adjustment - As mentioned before, the pad contact adjustment barrel can move under heavy riding vibrations if there is resistance from the brake line. You get a coiling effect if you do not move the barrel independently of the brake line. Mine might have been a little bit stiffer than some others, but this issue is easily remedied by insuring there is no resistance between the pad contact adjust barrel and the brake line.

Replacement Pads – The replacement pads will be available through online retailers and your local bike shop, but they aren’t as readily available now as they will be in the future. Your Juicy and Code replacement pads will not work in these calipers.

Bleeding – While the bleeding process is straight forward with the Avid kit…it does have to be purchased separately and it still isn’t as simple as a conventional bleeder system.

Price – MSRP is just over 200 dollars US (204.00) each for the 160mm rotor version. You are paying for the performance, but it is well worth it.

Alloy Lever – The alloy lever is only available to Avid’s OEM customers and not the public. Those of you that don’t want the carbon lever can step down to the R version, but you lose the pad contact adjust.

Avid Elixir CR Disc Brake Review Summary

Finally, an Avid brake that I can really get on board with. It seems that all of my previous complaints have been answered. You now get a noise-free brake that modulates, has plenty of power and looks good on your bike. If you are looking for a do-it-all brake…this just may be the one you are looking for. From what I hear…pro dh riders are using these along side pro xc racers on their rigs. That says a lot for a set of brakes.

Note: Action shot by Laurie @ Life On A Bike

Good Avid Elixir CR

• Adjustable banjo fitting on the caliper for easy brake line alignment
• Progressive modulation throughout the lever/piston stroke
• Plenty of power for all applications
• Lightweight
• No more Avid turkey gobble!
• Easy, tool-free reach adjust

Bad Avid Elixir CR

• Brake line moves with pad contact adjustment barrel (move line and barrel independently)
• Avid Bleed System required for bleeding brakes
• Price
• No alloy lever available retail

Where To Buy The Avid Elixirs…

AVID ELIXIR CR DISC BRAKE

AVID ELIXIR DISC BRAKE PADS

AVID ELIXIR CR MAG DISC BRAKE ’10