nicola.bazzoni

Hello,

My boyfriend had parts of his bike stolen including his Tektro Auriga hydraulic disc brakes I am buying him new parts for Xmas, but I can only afford the Tektro Aquilla Brakes which are mechanical, will this be ok? And if so do I need new wires or something to go with it?

This is the link to the bike he had: https://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/s...Id_165499#dtab

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

BoxCarPhoto

see if you can afford Avid BB7's, they're going to be closer in feel to hydraulics. the brakes will require new levers and new cables, as well. avid's FR-5 mechanical levers, which are compatible, are about 16 US dollars for the pair, the BB7s are going to be around 75 US dollars per caliper/rotor for the 185mm size.

bikefix

True. Avid BB7's are widely acceptd as the best mechanicals overall.
BUT, technically, no mechanical can offer the power n feel of any hydraulic. Or the more skilled maintenance!
Hopefully he'll be grateful for you giving him a set of Avid BB7's - u may need to "sell" it to him! They are lighter, less maintenance and still offer all the advantages of discs over rim brakes (power, modulation regardless of ambient conditions, not rim dependent, longer pad life etc.).
Godspeed Nicola!

frankenmike 

Technically lighter out of the box than say,Juicys, but that weight doesn't include:levers, housing, cables, ferrules, and end caps. In the end Hydros are lighter.

BoxCarPhoto

bb7s - 329g per rotor/caliper
FR-5's - 155g per pair, so 77.5g per lever
and, figure about... 30grams for front cable and housing, or 50 for rear..

that comes to a total of 437g for a front setup. Juicy 5's are 395, without hose or fluid. they're pretty close.

i prefer cable, because it's easier to repair on the fly if something happens..

tonka.toy

Hey Nicola,

If it's a Helfruads bike then I'm gussing that you might be over here in the UK? In which case check out suppliers like chainreactioncycles.com or wiggle. Have a scan through ebay for some online bike shops that might have something that suits.

CRC often sell what they call OEM brake sets. Essentially a branded product like Hayes or Avid minus the packaging, for use by the small bike builders but also a cheaper way to buy.

I guess that if the brakes were pinched then they would have taken calipers, hoses and levers. did they also take the discs? many of the brake kits include all the fittings adaptors and cables / hoses.

hope some of that helps.

frankenmike 

How do you get a juicy 5 without hose or fluid? They come out of the box with the whole system connected.

bikefix

Good point! THANK YOU frankenmike! Lets compare the 2 fairly shall we??: The whole Hydro outfit vs. the whole Mech. outfit as one would need it to operate. Even if mech. is heavier by 30g (1 oz.), for an average flatland, Canadian, daily city cyclist, BB5/7s are still- for atleast 90% of us - the wiser, more sensible, more economical choice. Hydros were developed for downhilling; overkill for the avg. cyclist. The sooner one accepts this, the wiser they become!

Pls. prdn this slightly off-topic post.