Lewis brakes on the Intense race team bikes

Pinkbike said the Mavens’ lever action is a bit stiff too:

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/review-sram-maven-the-big-brake.html

When it comes to Shimano, they would make some of the best brakes around if they improved their quality control

100%

I still stick with them as a known quantity, and they seem to have improved on the wandering bite point – but if they could just get the oil to stay in the brakes consistently they’d be such an easy choice.

I’m not against these in anyway but for me it would be an easy choice between saving a bit and getting whatever Shimano 4 pots I could get on offer from the MT500 up or spending a bit more and get a set of Hope Tech4 V4s.

How are we still talking about them?
A quick summary:

– They’re brakes that work fine.
– People on social media like the free ones they got.
– They ripped off Trick Stuff and then changed it a bit in typical Chinese style. Which some people don’t care about.
– They’re much cheaper than Trick Stuff.
– They’re a little cheaper than Hope.
– They’re not that much cheaper than Hope.
– They’re more expensive than Shimano, SRAM and Magura.
– They have unknown longevity and support unlike more established brands, nor do we know what their warranty is like.
– They’re Intense DH team are sponsored by them and use them racing, except when they run something else during a race.

but overall they seem to get a lot of shilling from people on the internet who are die-hard fans of something that’s only been out a few months

(Edit – No idea why my txt formatted differently and can’t be bothered to fix it)

– They have unknown longevity and support unlike more established brands, nor do we know what their warranty is like.

Of all the points raised most can be overlooked or justified one way or another except this.  Shimano brakes can be a bit shit with leaks and wandering bite point but you get a 2 year warranty (3 with XTR) that is pretty much always honoured.  SRAM brakes can be a bit shit (or used to be) with sticking pistons and you get a warranty that’s honoured.  Hope have had issues with the pistons on the Tech 4 master cylinder and warranty honoured, and all parts available as spares.

Until someone has to go through all that with Lewis, no one knows.  And their shills haven’t told us.

SRAM brakes can be a bit shit (or used to be) with sticking pistons and you get a warranty that’s honoured.

The best I got out of them was a bleed and a denial that there was anything wrong.

So un-ironically for this thread I bought the metal pistons from China to fix them myself.

Of all the points raised most can be overlooked or justified one way or another except this.  Shimano brakes can be a bit shit with leaks and wandering bite point but you get a 2 year warranty (3 with XTR) that is pretty much always honoured.  SRAM brakes can be a bit shit (or used to be) with sticking pistons and you get a warranty that’s honoured.  Hope have had issues with the pistons on the Tech 4 master cylinder and warranty honoured, and all parts available as spares.

And magura levers crack because they’re made from plastic.

So in summary established MTB brands all make crap* brakes, but it’s a gamble whether the newcomers are as bad as everything else.

*Hope can maybe have a point back in their favor for seemingly fixing the problem quickly rather than ignoring it and telling everyone there isn’t an issue.

I’d just rather support the UK economy and run something I know will be repairable basically forever. In my opinion as a country we buy far too much shite from China that ends up in landfill. Yes I’m aware a lot of branded stuff is made there but if it’s branded it’ll have dealers and warranties and parts backup. Lewis are not there yet by a long stretch, which is why I choose to put my money into Hope.

Until someone has to go through all that with Lewis, no one knows.

Magura are 5 years too, and European made.

chakapingFull Member
Pinkbike said the Mavens’ lever action is a bit stiff too:

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/review-sram-maven-the-big-brake.html

They talk about it here, early brakes with stiff seals, and the “massage” process to set the pistons

https://nsmb.com/articles/maven-ultimate-brake-update-plus-panzer-insert-update/

So in summary established MTB brands all make crap* brakes

This is one thing I’ve been saying for years.

This is one thing I’ve been saying for years.

It does surprise me how apparently blasé the bike industry is about this sort of thing.  Can you imagine if T6’s had a plastic brake pedal that saved a few grammes but cracked regularly, or Octavia’s had a known fault where the plastic piston in the master cylinder would just seize leaving you with no brakes suddenly.  Or Berlingo calipers leaked just enough fluid to contaminate the pads.

Those weren’t maintenance or durability* issues.  They were just really poorly designed brakes.

*in a crash surviving sense

Magura are 5 years too, and European made.

I don’t really want to rely on a warranty or 1970’s nostalgia for DIN and TUV standards when it comes to brakes, I want the lever to remain attached to the bars when I grab it in a panic.

Formula Curas are powerful and completely reliable IME and about £200 a pair on eBay new. I don’t really know why I don’t see more of them – I’ve had the same problems as everyone else with Shimano (leaky pistons), Sram (couldn’t pull the skin off a rice pudding, then just die after 5 years) and Magura (absolutely useless) but my two pairs of Formulas have been faultless, as have those of the other people I know who run them.

They talk about it here, early brakes with stiff seals, and the “massage” process to set the pistons

OMG the comments on that are tragic.

We might be a miserable, argumentative bunch of bike nerds here – but at least we have a sense of humour about it.

And the people who write NSMB really need to get over themselves.

Formula Curas are powerful and completely reliable IME and about £200 a pair on eBay new. I don’t really know why I don’t see more of them – I’ve had the same problems as everyone else with Shimano (leaky pistons), Sram (couldn’t pull the skin off a rice pudding, then just die after 5 years) and Magura (absolutely useless) but my two pairs of Formulas have been faultless, as have those of the other people I know who run them.

2 pots on all my bikes, no issues at all, want a bit more power, fit a bigger rotor. Our riding group has a fair few sets, and no issues, ever.

munrobiker

Formula Curas are powerful and completely reliable IME and about £200 a pair on eBay new. I don’t really know why I don’t see more of them – I’ve had the same problems as everyone else with Shimano (leaky pistons), Sram (couldn’t pull the skin off a rice pudding, then just die after 5 years) and Magura (absolutely useless) but my two pairs of Formulas have been faultless, as have those of the other people I know who run them.

Yeah, I would thoroughly recommend them also, they’re brakes that just work, and work really well

Anyone that’s been round bikes for a while knows why you don’t see more formulas about.

Spares have always been a ****.

Lack of spares even if they are reliable puts me off anything.

Had no issues getting spares for mine

Historically formula importer has been poor.

Much like Mavic wheels spares.

Folk who have had to tell enough customers you’ve been let down by them again tend to remember.

Historically formula importer has been poor.

How long ago was that? Pre their switch to Geometron or did it continue?

Current Formula importer (fella who used to work at Geometron IIRC) did a fine job of warranty servicing my Mod coil shock.

Not needed spares for it though, fortunately.

I might try their brakes if I weren’t locked in a mildly toxic, co-dependent relationship with Shimano.

Anyhoo, back to the topic of the post, Lewis brakes wasn’t it.

I do see that Lewis have another brake set out, and by some crazy coincidence it has ended up looking exactly like Trickstuff’s other model, the Piccola

https://lewistech.store/cdn/shop/files/C8B193AD-1709-4501-8FB8-5D398B8326B6.jpg

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRD2cNa3A2nkSpyiJ2rSFYBOaef-dgpcXjZrg&s

trail_ratFree Member
Historically formula importer has been poor.

Formula were generally terrible, I swore I’d never use their products again after some early experiences, but they have very much turned me around

I’ve only needed Formula spares once – I bent a lever in a huge crash. It was about £8 posted from Italy and they had every spare available. And if you’re willing to pay way over the odds, the new UK importer now they’re not with Windwave seems to be able to supply everything.

A quick summary:

– They’re brakes that work fine.

– People on social media like the free ones they got.

– They ripped off Trick Stuff and then changed it a bit in typical Chinese style. Which some people don’t care about.

– They’re much cheaper than Trick Stuff.

– They’re a little cheaper than Hope.

– They’re not that much cheaper than Hope.

– They’re more expensive than Shimano, SRAM and Magura.

– They have unknown longevity and support unlike more established brands, nor do we know what their warranty is like.

– They’re Intense DH team are sponsored by them and use them racing, except when they run something else during a race.

And the OP was touched here and here by the internet.

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A post shared by GMBN Tech (@gmbntech)

Lol… Trickstuff will love that

I do see that Lewis have another brake set out, and by some crazy coincidence it has ended up looking exactly like Trickstuff’s other model, the Piccola

Covered on the original thread months ago.  They also offer it with the 4-pot trail caliper.

Hang on………..

Shimano XTR

Formula Cura

It’s almost like there’s actually very few novel ways of arranging a lever and a piston that don’t look like each other.

Except those two levers and pistons aren’t the same… and aren’t trading off the look and design of the other… at all.

You are SUPPOSED to look at the Lewis… and think… ooo… bargain Trickstuff knockoff. That’s their MO. It’s blatant and undeniable by anyone without a vested interest.

What Kelvin says. Those levers are nothing like the same.

There’s only so many ways you can change the look of a bike brake. There will only be so many ways you can push a fluid down a hose. I’m sure all designers of brake company XX will look at the brakes of YY ZZ & AA to see where they can improve their products, blatant copying the design is poor form. 

It’s a no from me.

Your ethics and mileage may vary.

Your ethics and mileage stopping distance may vary.

Ftfy

[munrobiker]

munrobiker

Free Member

Formula Curas are powerful and completely reliable IME and about £200 a pair on eBay new. I don’t really know why I don’t see more of them – I’ve had the same problems as everyone else with Shimano (leaky pistons), Sram (couldn’t pull the skin off a rice pudding, then just die after 5 years) and Magura (absolutely useless) but my two pairs of Formulas have been faultless, as have those of the other people who run them

I would broadly agree, though it’s taken the best part of 10 complete bleeds to get the rear working the same as the front, but are now sublime

Formula Curas are powerful and completely reliable IME and about £200 a pair on eBay new. I don’t really know why I don’t see more of them – I’ve had the same problems as everyone else with Shimano (leaky pistons), Sram (couldn’t pull the skin off a rice pudding, then just die after 5 years) and Magura (absolutely useless) but my two pairs of Formulas have been faultless, as have those of the other people who run them

I would broadly agree, though it’s taken the best part of 10 complete bleeds to get the rear working the same as the front, but are now sublime

I have hope tech 3e4s and a set of tech4e4s. The new tech 4s light actioned and like a stick in the spokes.