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Upgrading Trek 8500 Brakes to Hydro Discs

2K views 8 replies 2 participants last post by  Rex32 
#1 ·
Hello All,

Well I'm in the process of doing a complete overhaul to a 2001 Trek 8500 LT bike my buddy gave me. I just ordered a new chain and tubes, as well as some fresh grips. The bike currently has Hayes Cable Disc brakes, and from what I have read, it is a great upgrade to move over to hydro disc brakes.

Could anyone recomend a good model to look at? I don't want to spend crazy amounts of money, but I want a high quality setup. I was looking at the Hayes carbon or Hayes Trail setup, but a few reviews said they aren't really a set it and forget it type of brake.

I plan on riding this bike primarily in the city to get back into shape right now, and then get back into trail riding in a few months. I'd like to slowly beef up the components after riding the bike some more, but I am 100% certain that I want to make some serious brake upgrades. That said, I would prefer something that I can take the time to setup once and not have to fiddle with all the time. Finally, I'm open to a used set of brakes as well - the bike is 8 or 9 years old after all.

Ohh, how do I know what size rotor I can fit on my wheels?


Thanks and sorry for the long post,

Mike
 
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#4 ·
Avid, Hayes, and Shimano all make good brakes, opinions will vary as to which is better or best. One way to get a feel for each brake's pros and cons is to go to the mtbr brake reviews and peruse for a while.

Just curious, the other brakes you found for $150, was that for front or rear only? The XT brakes I linked to are $165 for a complete set F & R.
 
#5 ·
The brakes I was looking at, were in fact just fronts. I could watch Ebay and try to grab a pair of Hayes or Avids on Ebay.

Is the XT set that you linked a pretty good, set it and forget it, setup?

As I said in my first post, I really want to spend a week revamping this Trek 8500 and then have it be good for a long period of time without much tuning down the road.


-Mike
 
#8 ·
Yup, it's a prebled set, so it's a matter of bolting on to the bike. You will need post mount adapters (or a post mount fork), but if your original brakes were PM then you already have them. If the hoses turn out to be too long for your bike, it's no big deal, you can shorten them later.
 
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