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Ride
Archive
August 2009
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| If you ain't braking properly you ain't nuthin' |
| Shopping
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Aztec_Cartridge_Pads
Dia_Compe_V-brakes
Koolstop_Pads
Hope_M4_brakes
Hope_M4_disc pads
Shimano_Deore_V_brakes
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Koolstop Pads Price Paid: £9-99
Length of use: March – July 2002
Overall Score: 
Comments:
Great pads that are long lasting and really stop you. A special bit on the leading
edge helps you to toe-in the pads easily. Despite what I have read elsewhere,
these pads were really long lasting, even in the gritty soil of the North_Downs
which can wear a set of pads away in one afternoon.
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Aztec Cartridge Pads Price Paid: £9-99
Length of use: Up to 2 months
Overall Score:
Comments:
The XTR-type cartridge holder is good but the cartridge pads don’t last and weren’t
as effective as the Koolstops. The gritty soil
of the North_Downs can wear a set of these
pads away in one afternoon.
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Dia Compe
V-brakes Price Paid: £50-00 including levers
Length of use: 3 months
Overall Score:
Comments:
A dramatic improvement over canti-brakes on the Apollo.
I then used these to replace the Deore V-brakes, which had
worn out on the Enduro, and they continued to give a good performance.
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Shimano Deore V-brakes Price Paid: Fitted as standard
Length of use: 11 months
Overall Score:
Comments:
Reasonable stopping power when properly adjusted. Part of the tensioning spring
wore away eventually but these brakes had seen a lot of use and abuse.
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Hope M4 disc brakes Price Paid: £129.99 (per brake)
Purchased from: Chain_Reaction_Cycles
Length of use: Since October 2002
Overall Score:
Length
of use: continuous (rear since October 2002 and front since March 2003)
Comments:
The ultimate in disc brakes. Four pot power that gives you
eyeball-popping,
reliable, constant braking. Once you get these babies on
and your old vees
off you will be amazed at how much wheel clearance you
have. Simple
to set up, , they are provided with the cable and fluid already in
place,
you just need to spend a few minutes centering the pads by using the
spacers
provided. A little care is needed to choose the right number and thickness of
shims to ensure the pads don't drag on the discs. I am using the 165mm rotors. The
rear brake has taken a while to reach full power but this was mostly
because
I inadvertently sprayed lube on the disc. Once bitten, twice shy and
the front
has bedded in much quicker. I sent the rear brake back to Hope in the summer of
2003 as I started to lose power. They were returned within a week with all seals
replaced, fully serviced and in perfect working order - all for nothing. Buy them
- you won't need another set of brakes!
 
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Hope M4 disc pads Price Paid: £supplied with M4_disc_brake
Purchased from: Chain_Reaction_Cycles
Length of use: Since October 2002
Overall Score:
Length
of use: continuous (rear since October 2002 and front since March 2003)
Comments: These pads are awesome. I have been using the pads for over a year
now, riding every weekend in varied terrain including the destructive sandy grit
of the North_Downs and they still work as
superbly as the day I fitted them.
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Untitled Document
all
photos and content copyright of Richard Sear 1999 to 2010
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