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Avid Juicy 5's or Hayes Stroker Trail

4K views 30 replies 13 participants last post by  CRed 
#1 ·
I bought a new 575 about 2 months and it came stock with juicy 5's. I was disappointed in the braking power and constant squeaks that came from both the front and rear end, but my bike shop said to give it some time and let the brakes wear in.. I gave it until last week and then decided to buy the Hayes Stroker Trail because I've heard good things and I got a great price for the set.

My problem is - I had a race today and the 5's seem to have finally broken in a bit more.

So should I stick with the 5's or install the Strokers???

Thanks for the help.
 
#2 ·
Reading all the threads on this forum about problems with Juicys, I think I would swap to the Hayes if I had already bought them. I have been considering the same move.

I am going to give my Juicy 5s a bit longer to see how they go, but I am already tempted to change them. They seem quite inconsistent. When they work they are good and then they go off again.
 
#4 ·
to a.masonbrick - my vote would be to keep the J5's if they are finally working for you (especially if they worked well in race conditions)... i've heard the issue with strokers is the the plunger rod can easily snap if you go down the wrong way and the brake lever get tweaked... whether it's a huge problem i don't know...

admittedly i have J5's and find they work amazingly well... and the tiny amount of squeaking seems to finally be going away on mine as well - i've got about 50-60 miles on them now if that...

good luck
 
#7 ·
been reading a lot of great reviews of the Stroker Trails.

Is there any clear advantage over the Juicy 7s? Or is it a personal preference deal? Running the 7s now with no problems, never rode Hayes, but just won a set of Hayes Stroker Trails at a raffle and thinking about swapping em out after reading such good reviews :p
 
#8 ·
Encierros said:
been reading a lot of great reviews of the Stroker Trails.

Is there any clear advantage over the Juicy 7s? Or is it a personal preference deal? Running the 7s now with no problems, never rode Hayes, but just won a set of Hayes Stroker Trails at a raffle and thinking about swapping em out after reading such good reviews :p
It's all personal preference. For me the J7's are either on or off very vague feedback. Stroker Trails have excellent feed back so you have full control over the amount of brake you want to apply.

On the J7's I replaced the pads with Galfer reds which helped allot then replaced the levers with DangerBoy and that was helpful also but the feel just couldnt match the feel that Hayes offer. :cornut::cornut:

 
#10 ·
I'm going to have to agree with everyone above...I took the advice and swapped out the Avids for the Stroker trail and it was AMAZING. I rode Apex this morning and the Strokers performed superbly! I can't believe the difference it made..

If anyone is interested in my old J 5's LET ME KNOW!
 
#11 ·
Well,I hope you guys are right because I just bought a set of these.I was happy with my LX V's,but I wanted to bring my bike into the 21st century and they're bling.That said,if they're not as good as advertised I will switch back to my V's and save the couple hundred grams or so that I will be giving up with the Stroker trails.
 
#12 ·
CRed said:
Well,I hope you guys are right because I just bought a set of these.I was happy with my LX V's,but I wanted to bring my bike into the 21st century and they're bling.That said,if they're not as good as advertised I will switch back to my V's and save the couple hundred grams or so that I will be giving up with the Stroker trails.
If they are set up properly you will not be disappointed, Trails have the best feel and feed back of any brake on the market. :thumbsup:
 
#13 ·
dogonfr said:
If they are set up properly you will not be disappointed, Trails have the best feel and feed back of any brake on the market. :thumbsup:
O.K. dogonfr I'm holding you to this recommendation because I respect your opinions as they seem to be honest and unbiased.Don't worry though,I know the difference between a good product not installed or being used properly and a crappy product.:thumbsup:

Chris
 
#19 ·
d.n.s said:
does the hayes strokers' pads move parallel to each other or like in avids?
On all hydros the pistons should move at the same time but there are cases where one piston is lazy and needs some attention. Sometimes a piston is lazy because of the banjo location if it is located closer to one piston it can cause that piston to react sooner. The Stroker does have a very controllable feel which is something I look for in a brake. If a brake has a ton of power when you touch the lever it makes it more difficult to control the amount of brake you really need. :rockon:
 
#20 ·
I received my brakes today and they seem very nice if not a little heavy.I haven't installed them yet,but I think I'm going to let my LBS do that for me.I'm pretty new at this stuff so I don't want to mess up with something as important as the brakes.I'll get back with my impressions after I've used them for a while.
 
#21 ·
CRed said:
I received my brakes today and they seem very nice if not a little heavy.I haven't installed them yet,but I think I'm going to let my LBS do that for me.I'm pretty new at this stuff so I don't want to mess up with something as important as the brakes.I'll get back with my impressions after I've used them for a while.
Congratz :thumbsup: if you have any questions you know where to find me. :cornut: But you are going to be the happiest camper in town. :rockon:
 
#22 ·
dogonfr said:
Congratz :thumbsup: if you have any questions you know where to find me. :cornut: But you are going to be the happiest camper in town. :rockon:
Thanks!

I won't be able to try them out for awhile yet,I had to buy a new frame because mine wasn't disc ready in the rear.The good news is I'm going FS,especially good news for my old and brittle bones!Anyways,I'm sure I'll like them,the guys at my LBS were very impressed by them and said there's no way I won't love them.

Chris
 
#23 ·
CRed said:
Thanks!

I won't be able to try them out for awhile yet,I had to buy a new frame because mine wasn't disc ready in the rear.The good news is I'm going FS,especially good news for my old and brittle bones!Anyways,I'm sure I'll like them,the guys at my LBS were very impressed by them and said there's no way I won't love them.

Chris
Whats your new frame??:confused:
 
#24 ·
dogonfr said:
Whats your new frame??:confused:
I bought a 2008 Mongoose Canaan Team frame w/Fox RP23 rear shock and FSA IS2 headset.It cost me only $500 so I thought it was a good deal.And yes I did look at the Asta Pro Frame,but I just couldn't afford the extra $200.

I really liked my HT,but damn if I didn't start getting uncomfortable after riding awhile so I decided I'd get an FS frame this time to help with my comfort level.

Chris
 
#25 ·
CRed said:
I bought a 2008 Mongoose Canaan Team frame w/Fox RP23 rear shock and FSA IS2 headset.It cost me only $500 so I thought it was a good deal.And yes I did look at the Asta Pro Frame,but I just couldn't afford the extra $200.

I really liked my HT,but damn if I didn't start getting uncomfortable after riding awhile so I decided I'd get an FS frame this time to help with my comfort level.

Chris
Awesome bike be sure to post some porn, ya FS has a way of pampering a person especially as you get older. :D
 
#26 ·
dogonfr said:
Awesome bike be sure to post some porn, ya FS has a way of pampering a person especially as you get older. :D
I will for sure!

I just got done checking out your profile..and I thought I was old;) !Just kidding of course,but yeah,I'm looking forward to having some rear suspension.

I bought my first real bike last year(My first bike since I outgrew bikes when I was 16) and I'm already on my third one,But I think this will be my last one for awhile.

Chris
 
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