Hydraulic rim brake recommendations?
10-25-22, 03:10 AM
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Hydraulic rim brake recommendations?
I would like some hydraulic rim brakes for my old 1995 Trek Mountain Track 850. Something that would be good for wheelies, and generally better braking power. All i have found is the Magura hydraulic rim brakes. They are expensive! I like the look of the HS33 but alas... very expensive. I'm not a fan of the lower Magura models because to the brake lever. i'm looking for front and rear. Any good suggestions? My budget is around $200 AUD.
10-25-22, 05:54 AM
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Can’t help you with a hydraulic rim brake suggestion other than Magura, but some good quality linear pull (V-) brakes and levers should give you all the stopping power you need, even for wheelies. Good pads and cable setup are also important to consider.
10-25-22, 06:39 AM
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Magura is the only game in town for hydraulic rim brakes that I am aware of.
A set of higher end Shimano, Avid or Tektro linear pull brakes will perform very well at a fraction of the price.
A set of higher end Shimano, Avid or Tektro linear pull brakes will perform very well at a fraction of the price.
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10-25-22, 08:06 AM
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Yeah, Magura' s pretty much the only game in town.
The HS33 is the only one that got the radial master cylinder, the others all have the old-style lever.
On a budget? Maybe watch ebay for a used set?
Hydro rim brakes are a pretty low -demand item, so you may be on a bit of a unicorn hunt
The HS33 is the only one that got the radial master cylinder, the others all have the old-style lever.
On a budget? Maybe watch ebay for a used set?
Hydro rim brakes are a pretty low -demand item, so you may be on a bit of a unicorn hunt
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10-25-22, 11:42 AM
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Magura is the way to go for Hydraulic rim brakes. I don't think anyone else is making them these days and they weren't super popular outside of Magura. Keep in mind you will want a very good rim that will handle a brake like that. Old worn out rims or thin lightweight stuff ain't gonna cut it. They called them "rim crushers" for a reason. If I was doing hydro rims HS33 all the way.
What I would do personally is get a set of Kool Stop or Swiss Stop Linear Pull brake pads and some good stiff shoes to put those pads in (which you would get with KS or SS listed) then I would put on new cables and housing such as the Jagwire Elite Link kit or Pro Polished kit and if I wanted to upgrade levers and calipers I would do AVID Speed Dial 7s and Shimano XT BR-T780s (if you can find them, Deore V-brakes if not) or I would upgrade all the way to Paul MotoLites or I guess for a little more premium than the Shimano but not as nice as the Pauls, the Box One V-Brake is pretty nice and comes in some anodized colors.
Keep in mind the value of the bike, if it has a lot of sentimental value it might be worth the parts upgrades but if not it was a lower end bike back in the day from what I recall.
What I would do personally is get a set of Kool Stop or Swiss Stop Linear Pull brake pads and some good stiff shoes to put those pads in (which you would get with KS or SS listed) then I would put on new cables and housing such as the Jagwire Elite Link kit or Pro Polished kit and if I wanted to upgrade levers and calipers I would do AVID Speed Dial 7s and Shimano XT BR-T780s (if you can find them, Deore V-brakes if not) or I would upgrade all the way to Paul MotoLites or I guess for a little more premium than the Shimano but not as nice as the Pauls, the Box One V-Brake is pretty nice and comes in some anodized colors.
Keep in mind the value of the bike, if it has a lot of sentimental value it might be worth the parts upgrades but if not it was a lower end bike back in the day from what I recall.
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10-25-22, 11:54 AM
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I had Magura once, about 15 years ago. Hopefully they have improved since then. I would not recommend them. A high quality conventional dual pivot rim brake is quite a bit better.
Hydraulic disc brakes are a vast improvement. It is as good a reason as any to upgrade the bike.
Hydraulic disc brakes are a vast improvement. It is as good a reason as any to upgrade the bike.
10-25-22, 11:58 AM
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I'll admit that I haven't been into popping wheelies since I was about twelve years old, but I'm not really sure how hydraulic brakes would help with that.
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10-25-22, 11:59 AM
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I had Magura's a long time ago. They were immensely powerful stoppers, but eventually developed fluid leaks that I could not fix. It was impressive watching the rear brake clamping on the rear rim and bending the frame stays outwards. I had to install a 'brake booster' to limit this. As indicated above, you'll need strong rims. I later installed XTR V-brakes that were really good, or good enough for me not to need discs.
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10-25-22, 12:07 PM
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I seriously stopped for a second and thought 'have I been doing it incorrectly this whole time?'.
...but then that second was over.
10-26-22, 04:37 PM
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Cobbling together a used set of HS33s isn't that expensive. If you want to see expensive, look out for HS66s. I rode a set of HS33s from 1996 - 2013. Took that bike around the world twice (on an aircraft carrier) and rode it in nearly every port we stopped in. They are getting long in the tooth these days, but they are still the best brakes I've ever used, in my opinion.
