Not happy with my Oro's, in the search for new brakes.

[Damitletsride!]

Hi, after a few races of my Oro brake leaver coming out during a crash in races, i've decided to ditch them. I'm by no means a bad descender, these just happened during silly mistakes.
However, when i had hope discs, the leaver never came out during crashes, and the Formula set up does'nt seem very durable to me .

SO....i would like some recommendations for a new disc brake setup, for mostly marathon racing with some XC riding and racing. I was thinking of going Hope again (X2 or V2), but most of the people in the review section seem to be using them for FR and DH??!!

Any other suggestions for a RELIABLE brake?

Thanks for any responses!!

[PissedOffCil]

So you crashed and broke your lever and then think it's Formula's fault and that they're not reliable?

[Damitletsride!]

Well yes, i am a mountain biker, not a wanna be mountain biker that rides like a roadie, and crashes are inevitable.
I'm sure if Downhillers had this happen with this brake, there would be public outrage. But because it's an XC brake, is it supposed to be my fault, are XC riders not supposed to crash??
I want a reliable product, i train hard for races and i don't want my equipment letting me down. This silver rod popping out is a bit of a joke.

So, can anyone suggest some other good brakes?

[scoutcat]

my oros are superb and havent been damaged when i wreck. they are vastly superior to the totl avids.

[Damitletsride!]

Originally Posted by scoutcat

my oros are superb and havent been damaged when i wreck. they are vastly superior to the totl avids.

I heard the leavers changed with the 09 ones, when are yours from?

[symbology]

Not every crash is the same. Some relatively minor spills can cause costly damage, while some nasty crashes may cause no more than a scratch. Unless you get into specifics, it sounds to me like you are overreacting.

[Damitletsride!]

Originally Posted by symbology

Not every crash is the same. Some relatively minor spills can cause costly damage, while some nasty crashes may cause no more than a scratch. Unless you get into specifics, it sounds to me like you are overreacting.

The first time it happened was where my front wheel slid out on a steep downhill lefthand muddy turn. I was going pretty slow but there was a huge root that cought me out and washed the front wheel out causing the bike to slam to the the ground, i check if everything was ok and the leaver that hit the ground was sticking out, the little silver rod was out and i was'nt able to get it back in, race over.

The second time it happend was when i was trying to pass out a slower rider in front of me down a rooty, wet rocky downhill. I was'nt going very fast but i chose a bad line passing him out and crashed down on the same leaver as before, i was'nt able to get the silver rod in again, so that was the end of that race.

Not very happy.............

[XSL_WiLL]

Avid's hyperextending lever can help prevent or isolate damage in a crash.

Either way... you could just be unlucky.

[AzSpeedfreek]

The V2 is a DH FR brake, the X2 is an XC brake. I would reccomend going with a set of X2s. What kind of bike are they going on? You say that you ride agressivly, how much do you weigh? Do you encounter a lot of long descents in your training or races?

[Renovatio]

Originally Posted by XSL_WiLL

Avid's hyperextending lever can help prevent or isolate damage in a crash.

Either way... you could just be unlucky.

I think older Magura Martas have a similar hyperextending thing...or my friends brake a broken

Seriously, to avoid some problems do not torque done Lever handlebar clamp bolts tight. If have them just loose enough the lever body can move a bit during a crash and avoid some damage. Don't want it too loose though...

[hurf de durf]

if i remember correctly, the Oro's lever hyperextends in a similar fashion to Avid's lever in order to minimize damage to the MC.

I think it's hilarious that you're calling the brakes unreliable when you've crashed them twice, especially given that they still work. What you may try doing is torquing the MC clamp so that the levers will rotate when the sustain an impact.

Also, Downhillers do crash the Megas/Ones/Oros. While some people may have issues with their reliability, lever feel, etc., the engineered breaking point on the lever seems to be like a good idea.

In order to keep this on-topic, the X2s or Mono Minis (which I believe they're discontinuing in favor of their new race brake) would be most suited for XC racing in terms of what Hope has to offer.

[Damitletsride!]

Originally Posted by AzSpeedfreek

The V2 is a DH FR brake, the X2 is an XC brake. I would reccomend going with a set of X2s. What kind of bike are they going on? You say that you ride agressivly, how much do you weigh? Do you encounter a lot of long descents in your training or races?

To reply to some other people first, i heard the new Oro leavers have the hyper-extending thing, but mine are from 07 or 08, so they don't have them. Maybe not tightening them so much would be good though.
And yes to me this is not a reliable brake, if i can't start a race and RELY on them still working after a crash.

I only weigh 62 kgs, about 128 pounds i think, so not a heavy rider. My bike setup is a Commencal Meta 4.. four inches front and rear, rock shox rebas, etc. The descents in our races are often long and technical, and usually muddy, so it's hard to not crash the od time.

[PissedOffCil]

Originally Posted by XSL_WiLL

Avid's hyperextending lever can help prevent or isolate damage in a crash.

Either way... you could just be unlucky.

This is pretty much my point, don't blame the brakes, you crashed and htey broke. This happens and it's not Formula's fault. You can crash and break any brake on the market, this has nothing to do with reliability.

And I have no clue what the "silver rod popping out" you're talking about is... What brake are we talking about anyways? Oro is a lineup, not a model.

And it's not your fault and nobody said so. Neither is it Formula's fault. A crash is a crash, get over it. Now if you want to change your brake and rather not buy Formula, fine.

I used to run X9 rear derailleurs. I broke 3 in a single season then decided to go with Shimano as I use the same Shimano RD for multiple years on another bike and it's still going strong. Now I don't go around saying it's SRAMs fault, two of those broken RD we're my fault (stuck stick & hard rock hit). The 3rd breaking left me with a sour taste because it broke while I was walking the bike in a tight section and hit a rock at around 2 km/h. This shouldn't damage a RD if you ask me so I changed to Shimano. Surprisingly I didn't break any RD this year, so I feel I have enough reasons to blame SRAM for having weak products. Had I broken the 3rd in a crash or another hard hit, I might still have changed but I wouldn't be blaming SRAM... After all, I also broke a Shimano RD on it's first ride. Keep this in mind before accusing Formula!

[PissedOffCil]

Originally Posted by Damitletsride!

And yes to me this is not a reliable brake, if i can't start a race and RELY on them still working after a crash.

Just asking,t how many times have you crashed and the brake was fine?

I can't really help you if you want more info on Hope BTW, I have no XP with their products.

[Damitletsride!]

I've crashed a few times when they've been fine, i don't mountain bike very regularly these days because most of my riding is on the road and i mainly race the mtb, but i have a big background of mountain biking.
I know what your trying to say, it's the bad crashes that get stuck in your head though.

[PissedOffCil]

Originally Posted by Damitletsride!

I've crashed a few times when they've been fine, i don't mountain bike very regularly these days because most of my riding is on the road and i mainly race the mtb, but i have a big background of mountain biking.
I know what your trying to say, it's the bad crashes that get stuck in your head though.

Absolutely! Have you checked out Maguras? I'd check them more that Hope if it was for my XC bike. I'm not really sure why though! I think their awful website makes me look elsewhere!

The Louise BAT seems to have nice adjustability but are way heavy. The Marta SL and SL Mag are the lightweight XC brakes. Apart from a parking lot test on a friends bike, I don't have any XP with them either. I can say that she had a reccurent problem of air getting in her rear hose. Since I looked at it it seems under control, it was a loose fitting. Since then it's stable!

[Damitletsride!]

Nah i hav'nt tried any of the Magura disc's, maybe i should?? On a bike a few years ago i had the Magura hydrolic rim brakes, the HS 33's i think, they were pretty nice, alot better than v-brakes anyway.

The old hope mini's were a nice brake, the price has gone up though.

[Ausable]

There's quite a lot of difference between the hyperextending feature of the Oro and Juicy (I didin't use the R1 or Elixir yet).
If the lever "hyperextends" on the Avids, the lever can be re-set very easily (just swinging it back and applying some presure i.e. braking hard) ;
If the Oro lever will hyperextend, then a small push rod comes out of a socket, and the entire assembly is covered by a dust-boot.
Putting the lever back into operations (while relatively easy on the garage floor) is far from a race-friendly operation
fab

[PissedOffCil]

Originally Posted by Damitletsride!

Nah i hav'nt tried any of the Magura disc's, maybe i should?? On a bike a few years ago i had the Magura hydrolic rim brakes, the HS 33's i think, they were pretty nice, alot better than v-brakes anyway.

The old hope mini's were a nice brake, the price has gone up though.

I also have experience with the HS33 on my trials bike. Hey they're powerful... maybe too much for an XC bike!

[Diggidy]

The Hope M4s are the middle ground. But if you want an analogous model to an oro, it's the Tech X2. The Hope Tech brakes are far and away the best looking brakes you will ever find. I don't know if you want the bling factor, but they're almost to nice looking to ride. Performance? Well, they're Hope so you know they're good, my Tech M4s are so far (Limited riding time) the best brakes I have ever felt/ridden/used.

[G.G.]

Too lazy to fully read this thread...

But perhaps you should back off on torquing down your brake lever so it moves on impact reducing the chances of breaking or leaving you with a mechanical...

[ziscwg]

Although, it can be done. I have done it by feel and a little luck. That ball socket had a pretty big mouth to guide it to the right place. If you are not familiar with the inside of the brake, it can seem hard to do.

I love my oro K18's. I have upgraded them with the FCS and are totally happy with getting the same feel in the brake all the way throught the pad life.

Originally Posted by Ausable

There's quite a lot of difference between the hyperextending feature of the Oro and Juicy (I didin't use the R1 or Elixir yet).
If the lever "hyperextends" on the Avids, the lever can be re-set very easily (just swinging it back and applying some presure i.e. braking hard) ;
If the Oro lever will hyperextend, then a small push rod comes out of a socket, and the entire assembly is covered by a dust-boot.
Putting the lever back into operations (while relatively easy on the garage floor) is far from a race-friendly operation
fab

[ziscwg]

You can get that rod back in and going. I have done it on the trail. It takes a little luck and at feel for it. You might try doing it once in the garage to get the feel.

Originally Posted by Damitletsride!

The first time it happened was where my front wheel slid out on a steep downhill lefthand muddy turn. I was going pretty slow but there was a huge root that cought me out and washed the front wheel out causing the bike to slam to the the ground, i check if everything was ok and the leaver that hit the ground was sticking out, the little silver rod was out and i was'nt able to get it back in, race over.

The second time it happend was when i was trying to pass out a slower rider in front of me down a rooty, wet rocky downhill. I was'nt going very fast but i chose a bad line passing him out and crashed down on the same leaver as before, i was'nt able to get the silver rod in again, so that was the end of that race.

Not very happy.............

[catfoodeater]

Other than the Oros I'm currently using, I've had favorable experiences with both Magura Martas (pre-2009 and 2009 models) & the Avid Elixir CRs. Depending on your budget, I'd recommend the Elixir Rs - I never really used the pad contact adjust on the CRs as it is pretty poorly implemented compared to the Juicys and the Rs are a lot cheaper. The Martas are nice, especially the 2009+ models, but they don't modulate as well as the CRs. Can't really compare power as I'm using different size rotors, but the Martas were dead silent compared to the Elixirs which made a little noise.

If it matters, I've had great customer service from both Magura. Never had an issue with the Avids, so can't comment there.

[Damitletsride!]

Originally Posted by catfoodeater

Other than the Oros I'm currently using, I've had favorable experiences with both Magura Martas (pre-2009 and 2009 models) & the Avid Elixir CRs. Depending on your budget, I'd recommend the Elixir Rs - I never really used the pad contact adjust on the CRs as it is pretty poorly implemented compared to the Juicys and the Rs are a lot cheaper. The Martas are nice, especially the 2009+ models, but they don't modulate as well as the CRs. Can't really compare power as I'm using different size rotors, but the Martas were dead silent compared to the Elixirs which made a little noise.

If it matters, I've had great customer service from both Magura. Never had an issue with the Avids, so can't comment there.

Have you crashed hard on these brakes?? I have to say it's only a small thing, but i don't really like the look of the Avid brakes. The Magura brakes look good though i think, especially the BAT's.