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SRAM Stops Selling Road Hydro Brakes

2K views 15 replies 7 participants last post by  Enduramil 
#1 ·
SRAM stops sale of Hydro Road brakes - BikeRadar

SRAM has asked frame manufacturers to stop selling bikes fitted with recent models of RED22 and S700 Hydro Road brakes over a safety issue.

According to a technical bulletin issued by the American company, which BikeRadar has seen, the stop sell applies to both versions of the brakes with serial numbers between 36T30000000 and 42T39999999 shipped to bike assembly points and after-market distribution channels after 5 September 2013. Product shipped before this date is not affected.

The serial number is found on the brake caliper (rim or disc) and on the outside of the box containing the product.

SRAM's technical bulletin on the issue says affected brake systems already in the market will be handled via the normal warranty process.
 
#4 ·
So things just went from bad to worse...

SRAM.com said:
It has recently come to our attention that during last weekend's Cyclocross racing in the US, in sub freezing temperatures, several failures were reported. In these conditions the master cylinder seals failed to hold pressure resulting in abrupt loss of brake power, and an inability to stop the bike. These failures are related to product that is outside the originally stated date code range and unrelated to the original failure mode. No injuries have been reported to date.

As a result of this new finding, SRAM requests that anyone who has a bike equipped with SRAM Hydraulic Disc or Hydraulic Rim Brakes stop using the bike immediately. All products shipped to date, and currently in the market or in inventory will be recalled.

Further, we are asking our Bike Brand customers, OE factories, Distributors and Dealers to cease all sales and shipments of SRAM RED 22 and S-700 Hydraulic Road Brakes. A total of approximately 19,000 brake systems have been shipped to date into the global market.
I gotta say that I have no idea how they managed to mess this up. I've been using hydraulic brakes since 2001. That's 12 winters worth. Including two sets of Avids.

They've all worked just fine. It's a mature, proven, all-weather, user-serviceable technology.

What is it about putting the things on a drop bar that is so friggen difficult?
 
#5 ·
I gotta say that I have no idea how they managed to mess this up. I've been using hydraulic brakes since 2001. That's 12 winters worth. Including two sets of Avids.

They've all worked just fine. It's a mature, proven, all-weather, user-serviceable technology.

What is it about putting the things on a drop bar that is so friggen difficult?
It is the master cylinder (partly the o-ring seal) in the levers that failed. Much less room in the road levers with the shifter guts in there, too.
 
#6 ·
I thought they gave themselves a cubic mile of room in the top of the hood.

But I'm out of the loop, maybe they reduced the form factor since then?

I'll reserve comment, since I don't want to do armchair engineering and I don't want to appear to hate on SRAM, since apparently I have the only working pair of Elixer CR's ever made and don't want to jinx it.

Admitted though, I've been keen to get hydros on my CX bike for years, and the delays, first from the UCI and now from technological gremlins, seem endless.
 
#10 ·
A friend of mine is a mechanic in a shop and the big concern he mentioned on Sunday is that even though the brakes are being recalled, there is no timeline for the fix and it doesn't include a warranty replacement option to change brifter levers on the bike over to mechanical brakes. So all the people with high end bikes with that hydro build kit are stopped in limbo.
 
#11 ·
No one's suggesting brifters aren't indeed more complicated, but shimano made hydraulic MTB brifters for 5 or 6 years.

Different form factor obviously, but I dare suggest it's otherwise a pretty similar product.

Nobody (other than me) bought them, so they were discontinued.... but they worked just fine, and in all temperature ranges. I still have them on my winter bike, and I have no plans to change them.
 
#12 ·
From this website FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions | SRAM Road Hydraulic Brake Recall

Q: How long before I can get a replacement?

A: We are forming a complete plan and will release more information on this site weekly. In the meantime, we are requesting contact information of anyone with a bike that is equipped with these components.

Q: I want to wait for a full hydraulic replacement, how long will that be?

A: At this time, we do not have a start production date for the new system.
 
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