Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

Surprised by juicy carbons

642 views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  Pedalphile 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi all,
Just picked up a trek fuel ex8 2009. It comes with avid juicy brakes. I know theyre new brakes and the pads arent fully burned in yet, but Im really surprised how little power they seem to have.
I have to pull really hard to stop the bike. The front and the rear are as bad as each other.
They dont feel spongy so Im not sure if they really need bled. I do imagine the bike has been in the warehouse for a while, so Im not sure if that could necessitate a bleed.

Or have i been spoiled by my other two bikes which have XTR brakes on one, and Avid elixir CR on the other??
 
#5 ·
Take the time to break them in properly, there is a big difference.

Was the bike bought new? Are the pads new? Are they stock Avid pads or a cheapo ebay brand? You may want to pull the pads out, give it a quick sand in a figure 8 pattern, wipe them down with alcohol. Wipe down the rotor with alcohol. Check that the caliper is centered correctly. Then go out and break them in.

Build some heat into the system, get moving pretty rapidly, pull the brakes hard without skidding or coming to a complete stop. Build your speed back up. Repeat. Do this probably 50 or so times.
 
#6 ·
I've had Juicy Carbons and Ultimates. Both felt like the rotors were greased until I got them broken in, and it takes a lot of stops before they develop their full power.

Do inspect them and make sure the pads don't look contaminated (if there is any oil or grease in the area, be suspicious of pad contamination). A light sanding of the pads with rubbing alcohol cleanup won't hurt and may be necessary. Don't forget to clean the rotors with alcohol or brake parts cleaner after re-installing the sanded/cleaned pads.

Don't touch the braking surface of the pad with bare fingers - the oils in your skin can foul the pads and prevent them from grabbing properly.

Also, if your pads are contaminated or appear to be, I and some others have had good luck burning the contamination off. I put a set of pads in my toaster oven on 325 for about ten minutes, and that was able to burn off the shock oil that had leaked onto them. This is obviously a last resort - the more common advice is to simply replace contaminated pads.

-Pete
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top