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1. Coyote - Member

   Finally admitted that I had failed and off to the shop.

   They got a full bleed and piston replaced on one. When I fitted them the front brake lever pulled to the bar and there was very little grip. Back to the shop with them. Rebled as apparently there was some air in. Guy told me that if they still didn't work properly, try taking out the wheel and pushing out the pistons slightly, effectively resetting them closer to the disk. If that doesn't work then there's nothing else that can be done.

   Am I being given facts or is this a crock?

   Posted 6 months ago #
2. DrRSwank - Member

   Find a big hill and ride down dragging the brake. Getting heat into them has helped a similar problem with Hayes that I've had before.

   Posted 6 months ago #
3. thepodge - Member

   Hayes nine are rubbish but not as rubbish as that advice

   Posted 6 months ago #
4. joeegg - Member

   If theres no fluid leak then its still air in the system.
   Have you got a Hayes bleed kit?
   They are bled from the caliper pushing the fluid through the bleed nipple and up to the reservoir.I've got 9's on both my bikes and never had a problem bleeding them with the kit.Air pockets can stick around the pistons so giving the calipers a tap while forcing the fluid through usually dislodges them and you can see them appear in the pipe from the reservoir.
   Hayes 9's are great,reliable brakes.

   Posted 6 months ago #
5. amedias - Member

   Hayes 9's are great,reliable brakes.

   for an alterntaive viewpoint:

   Hayes 9's are awful, bitey, grabby, an arse to get air out of, sticky-pistoned, and possibly the most unreliable brakes I've ever had the misfortune to use and work on. (my experience only of course)

   Having said all that, sounds like you still have air in there. If you can't get them sorted yourself then take the back to the shop. The Shop should check them after a bleed, not just push some fluid through and hand them back saying 'done!'

   Posted 6 months ago #
6. DrRSwank - Member

   Hayes nine are rubbish but not as rubbish as that advice

   Thanks Podge

   Posted 6 months ago #
7. Coyote - Member

   Thanks guys. So from the above Hayes 9 are fantastic, awful brakes that are totally unreliable and will never let you down. STW at it's best.

   OK, I'll try the home bleed route again and not bother using that shop again.

   Posted 6 months ago #
8. vorlich - Member

   You need bigger rotors. I've got a 203mm for sale.

   Posted 6 months ago #
9. z1ppy - Member

   I have a set and after doing a piston replacement in the front, they stopped working the same way.. I haven't found a fix yet but also haven't touched them since either, so would be interested in anything you can come up with. Again mine don't seemingly leak any fluid but I do wonder if they need caliper splitting again and sealing with some fluid gasket to confirm no air can enter the system. A friend had to do the same with his. Though it may be worth removing them from there mounts (to get as vertical a run on the hose) and re-bleeding, as above some air may still yet be trapped.

   As for there performance and reliability, mine are 7 years old and though sticky pistons meant I rebuilt one end the other is still working fine. When I jumped back onto the bike (it was laid up) lately the brake was very wooden, but after a couple of weeks use, there working fine again. They were a very cheap but powerful brake, nowt wrong with that.

   Posted 6 months ago #
10. willjones - Member

    Had the same trouble with mine. Left over night with the lever off the bars hanging, with the hose straight, directly above the caliper, then bled in the morning and it all worked. They just take while to bleed.

    Posted 6 months ago #
11. joeegg - Member

    Been using them for roughly 7 years and never had one problem,and they have had some heavy use as i lived in Southern Spain with very long technical descents.I did keep on top of them with maintenance though.

    Posted 6 months ago #
12. Garry_Lager - Member

    I like the nine - it's a bit of an off and on switch but powerful as fk with a 203. Had a lot of problems with sticky pistons over the years though, they seem to corrode more than other brakes.

    Clearly there's air in the line if the brake is totally soft. The bike shop failing to sort that is an embarrassment - it's the simplest of jobs, you'd only ask them to do it in the first place if afflicted with serious case of cannae-be-arsed. Seems like they can't be arsed either.

    Posted 6 months ago #
13. thepodge - Member

    sorry dr swank, we must have posted at the same time, I meant the lbs advice

    Posted 6 months ago #
14. Coyote - Member

    Thanks thepodge. It did seem a bit odd to me too. I'll have another go at them myself and if it works I'll be bloody well naming and shaming Big Bill's Bikes in Ellesmere Port.

    Posted 6 months ago #
15. peachos - Member

    easy to bleed, just get the caliper as low as possible and the lever as high as possible and tap the whole system to try and dislodge any pockets of air. then send as much fluid through the system as your syringe allows (big syringe helps). effectively you want to replace all of the fluid in one go (recycling what comes out at the top as it will be fresh from the recent work).

    they are a good, solid & dependable brake btw - really don't get all the negativity about them. i remember taking mine to a shop once before i had learned how to bleed them and they told me they wouldn't touch them because they're such an PITA to bleed. seriously...they're about 10x easier than to bleed than any hope brake!

    Posted 6 months ago #
16. thisisnotaspoon - Member

    They can't have been that bad, they were pretty much the only brake anyone from DHers to XCers (I had a set of of the carbon/magnesium ones ) used apart from Hope for what seemed like decades!

    Posted 6 months ago #
17. vorlich - Member

    I had problems with my pistons seizing, so replaced them - The caliper bolts corroded and couldn't be moved. But then I never maintained them properly other than new pads, so only have myself to blame. Was always happy with performance though.

    Posted 6 months ago #
18. stevomcd - Member

    Great wee brakes, got a set that are 7 years old and still going strong - even after being used for 3 seasons of Alps guiding!

    As above, sounds like they just haven't been bled properly. No excuse for that, as they're a piece of p*ss to bleed.

    If you really can't get them firm, there may be some internal leakage somewhere. You can get full internals for the levers and new pistons/seals from CRC for not much money. Easy job to do.

    Might be getting harder to get parts now as they've long-since been dropped from the Hayes line, but I bought some back in the Spring.

    Posted 6 months ago #
19. bland - Member

    for what you can get new brakes for that are better (long term) its just not worth the hassle of fixing them. The levers wind in all the time, pistons stick and they feel wooden.

    Cut your losses before you waste £30 on a rebuild at a shop

    Posted 6 months ago #
20. stevomcd - Member

    The levers do wind-in right enough! That does get annoying!

    Never had hassles with pistons sticking. Feel is whatever you're used to!

    Posted 6 months ago #

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