cdot123

Hi there! im very new to forums so hope this was put together well. here's my situation:

I started doing uber eats deliveries on my bike and found the pay good enough to get an e bike. it was my first bike purchase since I was a child and I looked into all the motor and battery specs, but didn't pay attention to the bike parts. Gears are some shimano tourneys so they will do, but my brakes are incredibly cheap no name 2 piston hydraulics with no bottom bleed port, only able to funnel oil through the top.I have had the bike about a month, I've gone about 1200km. I have already had them serviced once costing almost $200 and worked on them a ton myself. They always are spongy and make enough noise for anyone in the area to turn around, no matter how I clean or sand or bleed them. How worth it is an upgrade to a nicer brake system such as the shimano ZEE or SLX, or better. How often do these need servicing (I can do simple pad replacement and cleaning myself).

TL;DR How worth it is an upgrade in hydraulic brakes, how often do mid level to high end brakes need bigger servicing (brake bleeding, change of rotor).

Thanks!

veganbikes

It sounds like the bike is a good candidate to upgrade the bike rather than putting money towards small parts. If you have a bike with no-name brakes and tourney parts everything else on it is likely to be rather no-name and low end and is not worth sinking good money towards it. I would save your money towards something with quality parts already.

If you are desperate to upgrade these brakes find some cheap Tektro or Shimano hydraulics just to get it functional and save the rest of that money towards that new bike with the quality parts. However keep in mind if you are desperate to upgrade know you might need cutoffs so make sure the brakes you buy have the cutoffs.

Look for something with Bosch, Brose, Shimano, Fazua or Specialized motors (granted Specialized is using Brose and Mahle but in their own configuration they support really well) and likely the parts on it will be of much better quality suitable for an e-bike. It will cost a bit more initially but long term will be high quality and worth upgrading as needed but may not need as much depending on what you get and to that end. Plus in the long term they will be less expensive to run and more shops are likely to be willing to work on them.

scottatl

i disagree with saving up for a high-priced ebike. if you are happy with everything except the brakes just upgrade with the lowest cost, reasonable quality. You are better off putting the money you make into something else. when you have plenty of money, than buy a luxury bike.

2old

I agree 100% with scottati, and am a big fan of Shimano 200 hydraulic brakes (or any variety of Shimano hydraulic). They cost about $120 a set (ready to install) AFAIK, and work great for me on my Giant off road bike providing strong, controllable power. I'm not a big fan of motor-cancelling brakes, but that's up to you.

cat0020

Trying to make money using ebikes is not easy.
You lose profit margin the more you need to invest into your ebike.

Ask yourself if you really need hydraulic brakes?

Are your brakes fading because of over usage for extended amount of time or abrupt quick stops?

Are you constantly on the brake for long descents?

If you're not looking for super braking power or trying to slow down while traveling down hills, maybe mechanical disc brake could offer better reliability and less maintenance.

I've been commuting in NYC with mechanical disc brake equipped cargo ebike, carrying up to 80 lb. of food items.
I don't need constant braking for long downhills,
I don't brake super hard while riding in the streets,
and I have yet to experience situation when I wish that I had more braking power to avoid impact or hazard.

To me, mechanical disc brakes are just fine, low maintenance, easy to adjust and just overall lower cost.
Less down time, lower cost means more profit to you.

veganbikes

A quality bike does not have to be a "luxury bike" there are plenty of decent quality bikes in the 3k mark which is not a luxury bike in any sense unless talking about a fixed gear and even then you could go a lot higher especially for proper track bikes.

I know for some anything above Tourney and no-name whatever is a 24k gold Rolex but in the real world something like Deore and say a base level Performance line Bosch motor is pretty basic stuff, works really well, generally reliable and not super expensive especially long term which is where people don't always look into cost. Yes initial cost can sometimes be important but I would rather spend the little extra at the foreground and pay less long term and have a more reliable bike that is easier to service more places. Especially if I am using it to make money and need to rely on it for work.

Yes one could just replace the brakes like I said but you have to keep some stuff in mind with that which people seem to be forgetting

MarcusT

$200 to service brakes?? Sounds a bit off
I would replace them. I have Shimano and Tektro basic models. I prefer the Tektro

Then go to Youtube and learn to DIY

cdot123

Really appreciate how much feed back I got it’s awesome, thanks so much for taking the time!!!

I_like_e_bike

There will be friction noise in the process of mechanical disc brakes using cables, and because hydraulic disc brakes use compressed fluid to transmit force, there will be no noise in this process and when the same force is applied Lower brakes, hydraulic brakes work better, produce more and more stopping force, faster/more reliable and predictable brake pad retraction when the brakes are released. The mechanical disc brake of the cable requires an accurate length. When the cable is too long, the cable length needs to be adjusted to obtain a better braking effect.
In terms of maintenance, hydraulic disc brakes can be safer and less maintenance than disc brakes. Since the hydraulics are sealed, grit and dirt can't get into the moving parts, making them virtually maintenance-free (replacing worn brake pads is all that needs to be done), and the hydraulics are also easier to set up and adjust (using the correct tools, almost impossible without tools). Mechanical disc brakes can easily stretch the cable due to prolonged pulling of the cable, so the length of the cable needs to be adjusted frequently. However, once the hydraulic disc brake leaks oil or is damaged, it is more complicated to maintain, and generally needs to be repaired at a specialized bicycle shop, while the mechanical disc brake is simpler and more convenient to repair, and only needs to be adjusted with simple tools at home. The length of the cable is sufficient. without having to take it to the bike shop.

Doc_Wui

$200 to service brakes? This is something a mechanically adept high school kid can do. In fact, I have bought/installed a full hydraulic Shimano MT200 system, levers, hoses, and calipers for under $75. It doesn't have the e-brake wiring, but I added those myself. Done it twice.

I could also buy a no full hydraulic system name system, with the electrical switches built into the levers, probably the same as what's on your bike already for under $100 on amazon. I fear these may spring leaks though as they age.

There's no reason not to have hydraulic brakes these days if one is able to turn a couple of allen wrenches, and able to remove handlebar grips. I know bike shops serve their purpose for customers who want someone else to do the work, but the work is pretty basic.