• This topic has 21 replies, 16 voices, and was last updated 15 years ago by Olly.
Viewing 22 posts - 1 through 22 (of 22 total)
  • Hydraulic rim brakes?
  • grumm
    Free Member

    Seen this on a trials bike, just wondered what the advantages/disadvantages are over disc brakes, and why they aren’t more common? Is it to do with mud clearance etc not being so much of an issue with discs?

    thepodge
    Free Member

    they are probably Magura and probably pre date discs

    GNARGNAR
    Free Member

    HS 33’s? Probably chosen for more modulation or control.

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    clubber
    Free Member

    They’re popular in trials because they clamp directly at the rim so there’s next to no movement of the wheel when you have them on whereas with discs (so I’m told) trials riders may notice the slight amount of movement.

    Hydraulic rim brakes predate discs (well most of them) and having tried them, they’re awful for mud clogging…

    thepodge
    Free Member

    the movement you speak of is probably the rim rotating around the hub due to flex in the spokes, i suppose rim brakes would cure this but i doubt you’d notice any real difference, especially considering you are more likely to get movement from a squidgy tyre

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    HS33’s are far better than V brakes for modulation control, consistency etc.

    downsides;

    they can bend your frame quite alarmingly even with the supplied braces
    they’re better than v’s in the wet ime but worse than discs.
    they’re fairly expensive.
    the older style braces were mud magnets but the new ones are better.

    GNARGNAR
    Free Member

    Disk brakes might not provide the on/off response neccessary when making small adjustments either….tis mere specualtion for I have not done any trials riding. I did have HS 33s though and was quite impressed by them. Never needed servicing. Ever.

    grumm
    Free Member

    OK cheers folks. Not really thinking about getting any but just interested.

    sockpuppet
    Full Member

    33s are a great trials brake, good modulation, LOADS of power if needed.

    as wwaswas says, even uberstif trails frames flex alarmingly if you overdo it.

    richc
    Free Member

    and you forgot to mention they are a **** to setup correctly.

    thomthumb
    Free Member

    as a reformed trials rider; i really can feel the torsional deflection in the spokes when using discs. yes the tyre is squidgy but in a very different way.

    HS33s are the best for modulation but not as powerful as a disc; power is important on the rear of a trials bike; that’s why we grind, tar etc the rear rim (that’s what the squeek is) but modulation is important on the front.

    Lots of trials riders are now running discs on the front however.

    heard lots of storys of them wearing through rims quickly in the mud; hence the nickname rim crushers.

    nickc
    Full Member

    Like GNARGNAR, I was always impressed by the HS33 I used for a short time. Great brakes, pretty cheap as well.

    gingerflash
    Full Member

    “them wearing through rims quickly in the mud”

    Most Magura users used ceramic rims, otherwise the rims would last no time at all.

    ajantom
    Full Member

    “them wearing through rims quickly in the mud”

    Most Magura users used ceramic rims, otherwise the rims would last no time at all.

    That’s a bit of a fallacy IMO – had them on all of my pre-disc bikes and never went through a single rim in about 15 years (I had the original yellow HS33s back in the early 90’s)

    Still have a set of the 25th Anniversary ones on my SS. Best rim brakes ever, and even better than discs when it’s dry – well I think so 😉

    gingerflash
    Full Member

    It’s not a fallacy. It used to happen a lot. I’m surprised your rims have lasted so long. Rims used to last me less than 2 years with ordinary cantilevers. Maguras would get through them much faster. At the shop (Biketreks), magura customers got through rims pretty damn quick.

    ajantom
    Full Member

    Could be down to bad braking technique (if there is such a thing?!) I learnt pretty quickly that as maguras were so powerful you didn’t need to squeeze like your life depended on it. All about the modulation, innit?

    Funny though, I remember back in the day a few of my mates killing rims, but it’s never happened to me, and I lived and rode on the Berkshire Downs for many years – mud so gritty it’ll take the paint off your chainstays in one ride.

    I can imagine trials geezers killing their rims mind, as they’ll be pulling on em pretty hard.

    Onzadog
    Free Member

    Anyone got any HS66 brakes they don’t want?

    DezB
    Free Member

    My riding mate (singletrackmind on here) is in the process of ‘disc braking’ his bike after running Maguras for a few years. Needs to add a custom mount to the swingarm, so it’ll be a fair bit of hassle which he wouldn’t be going through if the Maguras were even better than discs.

    ajantom
    Full Member

    Sounds like a right hassle! For full sus I can see the point – I’ve got Hope discs on my Stumpy FSR.

    BUT when it comes to feel at the lever, control of the bike, modulation, ease of maintenance, fit and forgetness, etc. I’ll always prefer Maguras. This is a personal preference mind, and I’m not saying that it would be the case for everyone. Just what I happen to like after years of use.

    woffle
    Free Member

    I’ve been running HS33’s on and off a variety of bikes since the 1990’s.

    I’ve got an anniversary set on my Airnimal commuter and I’d rate them above every other pair of rim brakes I’ve tried. Don’t have Disk mounts so they’re the best I can get. As it’s a folding bike I also get the advantage of no cable stretch – just have to be careful I don’t pinch the cables anywhere.

    Recommended (but if you can run disks you’re probably better off doing so)

    alpin
    Free Member

    they’re very popular on all sorts of bikes over here in germany. from ‘full on’ mtb to old lady shopping bikes with a coaster brake on the back.

    germans are wierd. stimmt, oder?

    Olly
    Free Member

    i ran HS33s on my street bike for ages, they were incredibly powerful in the dry, scarily powerful, but the flex in the frame and fork was worrying, and they were as good as non existant in the wet.
    pointless offroad.

    still the best thing for trials
    (disks are a bad idea on trials bikes, the pros use them because when they rip thier mounts off they get given a new frame, and they are fairly confident they have the skill to avoid ripping the mounts off, a dangerously rubbish idea for anyone other than trials gods)

    ….IMO

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