Chinertown
Other Resources => Component Deals & Selection => Topic started by: BrianO on February 14, 2021, 05:51:42 AM
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A converstion started about the Zrace brakes in the bike frame section.
We can continue here.
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As mentioned in the other post, I ordered mine. I guess it will probably take a month or so to arrive to me. (Chinese holidays + 3-4 weeks shipping) I will keep you updated when they arrive.
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Just a note for anyone planning to use these. You need fully COMPRESSIONLESS brake housing, the stock pads could be ass so go for a decent set of sintered pads and 160mm rotors. I also have a set ordered so I will leave my review aswell. It would also be good to know what shifters everyone is using because different shifters will have different length cable pull which will impact braking power.
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Just a note for anyone planning to use these. You need fully COMPRESSIONLESS brake housing, the stock pads could be ass so go for a decent set of sintered pads and 160mm rotors. I also have a set ordered so I will leave my review aswell. It would also be good to know what shifters everyone is using because different shifters will have different length cable pull which will impact braking power.
Would you recommend a supplier of sintered pads.
Do the Zrace brakes work for 140mm and 160mm.
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Would you recommend a supplier of sintered pads.
Do the Zrace brakes work for 140mm and 160mm.
I will use shimano 105 rotors and pads, you can order the brakes with the converter to get them to work with 160 rotors. (that's what I will do) I ordered via "discount bike store" without the rotors but with the converters.
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ZTTO also sells these brakes, and they also offer the adapters separately.
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Would you recommend a supplier of sintered pads.
Do the Zrace brakes work for 140mm and 160mm.
If you are in Europe, you can try https://www.mtb-brakepads.nl/
The brand they sell is https://www.cyclotech-components.com/
Another option is to buy pads from Aliexpress.
This shop has good ones: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1230228
Here are the sintered: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000622330062.html
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I have a summary here: http://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,2985.0.html
Bought cable from ali, KEB-SL: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000345448780.html about half the price of local suppliers.
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Does anyone have any experience with the Tektro C550 brakes?
http://tektro.com/products.php?p=261
These seem to be the go-to choice for OEM cable actuated disc brakes. I'm considering getting these instead of the ZRace/ZTTO brakes for a Sensah SRX setup.
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I believe these Tektro brakes are the same as TRP Spyre brakes. I just set up a pair of these for my girlfriend's bike. Test riding the bike for her I found them really good and I could lock up the wheels with a good grab of the brakes. For her though they don't perform nearly as well because she doesn't have the hand size/grip strength to get the same power in the brakes. I believe the guy who runs the china cycling YouTube channel said the same thing, he is pretty small weighing only 55kg so he couldn't get the power to stop sharply. So if you have decent grip strength you will get good performance
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...So if you have decent grip strength you will get good performance
High strength is needed even with compressionless housing ?
How much time before the folks at Sensah release a hydro version ? :)
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High strength is needed even with compressionless housing ?
How much time before the folks at Sensah release a hydro version ? :)
Yes unfortunately. I used brand new compresionless housing and the bike is not internally routed so there were not any really tight turns in the cable either. I would be more than happy to run them on my own road bike but if my girlfriend has to do an emergency stop in city traffic i don't think it will end well. I am considering putting my hydro set up on her bike and I can use the cable brakes... That will be a full days work though ::)
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Does anyone have any experience with the Tektro C550 brakes?
http://tektro.com/products.php?p=261
These seem to be the go-to choice for OEM cable actuated disc brakes. I'm considering getting these instead of the ZRace/ZTTO brakes for a Sensah SRX setup.
The spyre and C550 look to be the same design from what I can see?
China cycling tried some Spyres and said they blew the Zrace away: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChinaCycling/community
Only thing I didn't find out is if he had ever used compressionless housing.
I'm not surprised though, you do still need good grip strength for these. Maybe TRP has managed to tweak the ratios for a better mechanical advantage? That or the zrace are just poor. I would go with either juin tech or TRP/tektro unless you have no budget at all.
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Yes, I went for the Tektro brakes, with compressionless housing. I've also ordered two different types of brake pad. Fingers crossed that gives me good braking performance.
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Hi!
I finally got my bike ready. I mounted these brakes and they actually work very well, only about 15min of work to place them and get them to work perfect! I wouldn't say they work as well as my full hydraulic set up but they come very close (I guess around 90% of the braking power)! I used Shimano disc rotors and pads and fully internal cables (jagwire compressionles housing). The brakes are very responsive and they work very well. Especially for the price!
I was kind of worried because of the bad reviews they are getting lately but as long as you set them up right they are brilliant!
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Hi!
I finally got my bike ready. I mounted these brakes and they actually work very well, only about 15min of work to place them and get them to work perfect! I wouldn't say they work as well as my full hydraulic set up but they come very close (I guess around 90% of the braking power)! I used Shimano disc rotors and pads and fully internal cables (jagwire compressionles housing). The brakes are very responsive and they work very well. Especially for the price!
I was kind of worried because of the bad reviews they are getting lately but as long as you set them up right they are brilliant!
What shifters are you using?
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I used the sensah 12sp shifters. Those are also working great (shifting is perfect on al gears except 1, but I guess that problem will be gone after I reinstall the cassette) ! I will post a review of my build later this week ont the vbr 168-thread
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Regarding the zrace brakes,
is it worth upgrading to Juin Tech R1?
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Regarding the zrace brakes,
is it worth upgrading to Juin Tech R1?
trace velo recently did a comparison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrD1Ln7H8H8
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trace velo recently did a comparison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrD1Ln7H8H8
Yes thanks I've seen the video.
He makes it clear the juin tech brakes are better.
They are also nearly triple the price of the zrace brakes.
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We have one set of the older Zerace brakes on a gravel bike and the piston actuation is not equal from both sides and this both in the front and the rear...
Braking is OK but certainly not ideal. Make sure to use a compassionless housing, we missed that when building the bike initially...
I have a set of Juin Tech F1's on the way and was happy to be confirmed by the Tracevelo review. ;-)
It seems he always tests the items I have en route from China.
regards
Chris
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After about a year with the ZTTO brakes, I must say they are really bad. I have changed the pads to metal a long time ago and that did give some improvement, but nowadays the brakes are simply dangerous. Yesterday there were 2 times during a ride I was afraid I would miss a corner because the brakes were so bad...
I am fed up with the ZTTO brakes and have now ordered the Onirii BR-05 brakes. These should be an improvement over the old BR-02 brakes. Will keep you updated when they get here...
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After about a year with the ZTTO brakes, I must say they are really bad. I have changed the pads to metal a long time ago and that did give some improvement, but nowadays the brakes are simply dangerous. Yesterday there were 2 times during a ride I was afraid I would miss a corner because the brakes were so bad...
I am fed up with the ZTTO brakes and have now ordered the Onirii BR-05 brakes. These should be an improvement over the old BR-02 brakes. Will keep you updated when they get here...
Thanks for the update. This is the type of long term performance info we need!
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I have also ordered a bleeding kit because I wanted to first try bleeding the old brakes. But the BR-05 only costs 57€, so it is not worth the risk of still having sub-par brakes after the bleeding (if successful...).
To summarise: The old brakes were never really good. Only after switching to the metal pads they performed a little better for a few weeks. I am now fed up with them and am going to replace them...
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After about a year with the ZTTO brakes, I must say they are really bad. I have changed the pads to metal a long time ago and that did give some improvement, but nowadays the brakes are simply dangerous. Yesterday there were 2 times during a ride I was afraid I would miss a corner because the brakes were so bad...
I am fed up with the ZTTO brakes and have now ordered the Onirii BR-05 brakes. These should be an improvement over the old BR-02 brakes. Will keep you updated when they get here...
I can confirm your observation the BR-002 that we had in operation were not activating both pistons simultaneously and I found no way to fix it.
I even made a short video of the issue.
Here the link to the Youtube video since embedding seems not to work (Youtube code: rgyoI1MuSGI):
https://youtu.be/rgyoI1MuSGI
The BR-005 are certainly better but the original brake pads did not give great performance and were wearing out fast.
So I got some Cooma replacement pads on Ali which seem to work well.
BR
Chris
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So yesterday the BR-05 brakes arrived and they look like indeed a step up from the old ones. The "lever" is longer, so i guess there is more force on the cilinder. Another great thing is the construction and setup is different which make for a better fitting of the calliper in my small size 52 rear triangle. I was fearing the slightly bigger new calliper would not fit, since the ZTTo once only barely fit, but the lever of the new calliper falls on the inside of the frame so the small angle of the rear triangle is no longer a problem.
I only tried the brakes on my driveway and the front one already seems a lot better than the ZTTO one...
I managed to f*ck up the rear brake by contaminating it with oil so I can't comment on that one. I was trying to get some (...a lot) of oil in the cable housing of the rear brake because the movement between cable and housing seemed rough and I guess it must have gotten on the calliper and pads... Turns out my rear brake cable was also worn where it enters the frame in the front, so I immediately ordered a compression-less Jagwire brake-cable set (the old was not compression-less) I am going to install in the next days. I will keep you updated...
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So yesterday the BR-05 brakes arrived and they look like indeed a step up from the old ones. The "lever" is longer, so i guess there is more force on the cilinder. Another great thing is the construction and setup is different which make for a better fitting of the calliper in my small size 52 rear triangle. I was fearing the slightly bigger new calliper would not fit, since the ZTTo once only barely fit, but the lever of the new calliper falls on the inside of the frame so the small angle of the rear triangle is no longer a problem.
I only tried the brakes on my driveway and the front one already seems a lot better than the ZTTO one...
I managed to f*ck up the rear brake by contaminating it with oil so I can't comment on that one. I was trying to get some (...a lot) of oil in the cable housing of the rear brake because the movement between cable and housing seemed rough and I guess it must have gotten on the calliper and pads... Turns out my rear brake cable was also worn where it enters the frame in the front, so I immediately ordered a compression-less Jagwire brake-cable set (the old was not compression-less) I am going to install in the next days. I will keep you updated...
Would you say these new Z-Race brakes to be a viable option versus the Juin Tech calipers? I also have another question, is a hex wrench required to adjust pad spacing? The one thing I like about the Juin Tech calipers is they utilize a screw knob to adjust the pads. It's really handy to adjust Juin Tech brakes while on the road to fix any minor rotor rub.
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The Z-Race calipers require a hex key to readjust the pads.
But the advantage is, it is more compact. In my Titan Gravel frame the Juintech F-1 adjustment knobs touch the frame...
For me the Juintech F-1 is a step above the Z-Race BR-005, but with alternative pads the BR-005 comes close.
BR
Chris
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The Z-Race calipers require a hex key to readjust the pads.
But the advantage is, it is more compact. In my Titan Gravel frame the Juintech F-1 adjustment knobs touch the frame...
For me the Juintech F-1 is a step above the Z-Race BR-005, but with alternative pads the BR-005 comes close.
BR
Chris
I'll be curious how the new Z-Race calipers perform with compressionless housing. Price-wise that would put it close to Juin-Tech calipers, though with the possibility of better brake feel/handling.
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I run both the BR-005 and the F-1 with Jagwire compressionless housings, so there is no difference.
But I would strongly recommend to do so... my first attempt with the old BR-002 breaks were with standard housings, which was part of the sub-par performance.
BR
Chris
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So, I did my first ride with the new Onirii BR-05 brakes. 100km on asphalt... The front one is still with the standard housing and pads. For the rear one I used the compressionless housing and metal pads. They are a HUGE improvement over the old BR-02 brakes. In the past I was never able to lock up the rear wheel not even on gravel. With the new brakes, I have to modulate braking to NOT lock up the rear wheel.
The front brake is not as strong, so I guess this will be because of the pads and/or housing. But they still work nicely.
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Did my first offroad MTB-tour yesterday. 40km offroad and afterwards 30km road to get home. Still no complaints about the new brakes...
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I ended up ordering the rebranded ONIRII BR-005 calipers. ONIRII has a sale right now with 12 day guaranteed shipping the US. For the price, it was too good to pass up, plus I need them for a 1x road bike build I'm working on!
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803891651369.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.0.0.21ef1802n8fk9G&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa&_randl_shipto=US (https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803891651369.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.0.0.21ef1802n8fk9G&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa&_randl_shipto=US)
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I ended up ordering the rebranded ONIRII BR-005 calipers. ONIRII has a sale right now with 12 day guaranteed shipping the US. For the price, it was too good to pass up, plus I need them for a 1x road bike build I'm working on!
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803891651369.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.0.0.21ef1802n8fk9G&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa&_randl_shipto=US (https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803891651369.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.0.0.21ef1802n8fk9G&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa&_randl_shipto=US)
I too am currently looking at this or Zrace pair and interestingly only the black pair of Onirii has free shipping every other color and combination has paid shipping while everything from Zrace has paid shipping. I like the Zrace logo over Onirii but Zrace doesn't have silver/chrome option. Decisions decisions!
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Another update after a 50km MTB ride and a 130km road ride with 1500HM...
I changed the pads in the front to metal and this also has made a very big difference. Still very happy with the BR-05 brakes :)
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I too am currently looking at this or Zrace pair and interestingly only the black pair of Onirii has free shipping every other color and combination has paid shipping while everything from Zrace has paid shipping. I like the Zrace logo over Onirii but Zrace doesn't have silver/chrome option. Decisions decisions!
My Onirii brakes were (finally) delivered on Friday after spending 10 days in California. First impressions are good. The machining looks good, no obvious sharp edges or oil leaks. Interestingly, they are marked IIIPro on the inner side of the calipers. So may be these two are the same companies? Have installed them on my build but only rode the bike in our little cul-de-sac. I will report how they work, soon!
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My Onirii brakes were (finally) delivered on Friday after spending 10 days in California. First impressions are good. The machining looks good, no obvious sharp edges or oil leaks. Interestingly, they are marked IIIPro on the inner side of the calipers. So may be these two are the same companies? Have installed them on my build but only rode the bike in our little cul-de-sac. I will report how they work, soon!
I also received my Onirii brakes as well. To be honest, this will be my last time I order from Onirii's store using "guaranteed" 12 day shipping. It actually arrived later to California than my other AliEx orders w/regular shipping which I made after the Onirii calipers.
Also I'm still trying to dial mine in on this particular bike build, they still don't have the same braking "bite" as my Juin Tech F1 calipers on my other road bike. I would have just paid extra and bought another pair of F1 calipers, but this particular frame won't accommodate 160mm calipers on the rear. The Juin Techs don't do 140mm rotors.
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I also received my Onirii brakes as well. To be honest, this will be my last time I order from Onirii's store using "guaranteed" 12 day shipping. It actually arrived later to California than my other AliEx orders w/regular shipping which I made after the Onirii calipers.
Also I'm still trying to dial mine in on this particular bike build, they still don't have the same braking "bite" as my Juin Tech F1 calipers on my other road bike. I would have just paid extra and bought another pair of F1 calipers, but this particular frame won't accommodate 160mm calipers on the rear. The Juin Techs don't do 140mm rotors.
For best break power make sure to try alternative break pads, that improved braking power on mine... close to my Juintech F1's.
BR Chris
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For best break power make sure to try alternative break pads, that improved braking power on mine... close to my Juintech F1's.
BR Chris
I have ordered semi metallic ones. Any other suggestions?
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For best break power make sure to try alternative break pads, that improved braking power on mine... close to my Juintech F1's.
BR Chris
I'm thinking it might be an issue with my Ltwoo GR9 gravel shifters I'm using. They don't seem to play nice internal drop bar cable routing. There's no way to modulate brake pull on the shifters either. I'm going to try swapping the GR9 shifters for a pair of Sensah shifters and see if that helps. If not, I might have to just buy a pair of Shimano shifters, which I'm thinking I should have done in the first place.
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I'm thinking it might be an issue with my Ltwoo GR9 gravel shifters I'm using. They don't seem to play nice internal drop bar cable routing. There's no way to modulate brake pull on the shifters either. I'm going to try swapping the GR9 shifters for a pair of Sensah shifters and see if that helps. If not, I might have to just buy a pair of Shimano shifters, which I'm thinking I should have done in the first place.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Chinese groupsets... I must say the sensah SRX Pro groupset and those hybrid brake callipers looked good in the beginning, but I too am now questioning my decision... I think it would have been better if I went for Sram or Shimano in the first place... Especially if you buy used, you can do good deals... You can get second hand 11 speed ultegra shifters and combine them with a GRX rear derailleur for example...
After a few weeks with my new BR-05 brakes and Jagwire compressionless housing I am beginning to feel deterioration in the rear brake, and I think I might know why... The open end of the brake cable housing is pointing upward where it is connected to the brake calliper. This means water and dirt can get inside and create extra resistance for the cable... I have ordered these rubber dust covers to put on there, but I don't know if it's not already too late :(
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000154839195.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.0.0.38381802HfMcOW
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Welcome to the wonderful world of Chinese groupsets... I must say the sensah SRX Pro groupset and those hybrid brake callipers looked good in the beginning, but I too am now questioning my decision... I think it would have been better if I went for Sram or Shimano in the first place... Especially if you buy used, you can do good deals... You can get second hand 11 speed ultegra shifters and combine them with a GRX rear derailleur for example...
After a few weeks with my new BR-05 brakes and Jagwire compressionless housing I am beginning to feel deterioration in the rear brake, and I think I might know why... The open end of the brake cable housing is pointing upward where it is connected to the brake calliper. This means water and dirt can get inside and create extra resistance for the cable... I have ordered these rubber dust covers to put on there, but I don't know if it's not already too late :(
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000154839195.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.0.0.38381802HfMcOW
I'm currently using a GRX drivetrain on my 1x bike build (RD + crank), but my original thought was to try the Chinese shifters as opposed to using Shimano 11 speed shifters and save on money. If I can't get either the shifters or brakes to work properly, I'll probably stomach the cost and get 105/Ultegra shifters and TRP spyre brakes.
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I'm currently using a GRX drivetrain on my 1x bike build (RD + crank), but my original thought was to try the Chinese shifters as opposed to using Shimano 11 speed shifters and save on money. If I can't get either the shifters or brakes to work properly, I'll probably stomach the cost and get 105/Ultegra shifters and TRP spyre brakes.
Don't give up yet...
1) I use 105 / Juintech F1 on my Ti Gravel bike with great results, no need to go full hydraulic
2) On my second Gravel I use the Sensah SRX Pro Brifters in combination with BR-005 breaks and Cooma Ex Plus break pads. This combines with Jagwire compressionless housings gets it close to my other bike at a fraction of the cost.
Good note regarding the dust cover for the back break. I am considering this upgrade also....
Ti Gravel with Juintech F1's:
(https://i.ibb.co/fFWp3Tj/Break-Juintech.jpg) (https://ibb.co/NCqj0Gc)
Gavel Blues with BR-005's:
(https://i.ibb.co/c2x2kW0/Gravel-blues-rear-break.jpg) (https://ibb.co/BTwTchb)
BR Chris
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Yeah, I don't get whey they don't include dust covers. Mine arrived today and I am going to install them asap...
I use a lot of water on my bike when washing (just normal garden hose, no pressure washer) and sometimes spray the callipers for quite some time to get all the dirt off. So it is no surprise some water/dirt will get into the outer housing.
But I know it is the cable and not a problem with the calliper because they worked great in the beginning (and the front one still does.
But you absolutely have to swap the pads. The original pads are crap. I use these: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32786421682.html?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_groupList.8148356.5.46eb7bb8CwkWEq&pdp_npi=2%40dis%21EUR%21%E2%82%AC%206%2C61%21%E2%82%AC%203%2C57%21%21%21%21%21%402101d68d16697213937682386eacfd%2163395555738%21sh
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Don't give up yet...
1) I use 105 / Juintech F1 on my Ti Gravel bike with great results, no need to go full hydraulic
2) On my second Gravel I use the Sensah SRX Pro Brifters in combination with BR-005 breaks and Cooma Ex Plus break pads. This combines with Jagwire compressionless housings gets it close to my other bike at a fraction of the cost.
BR Chris
I also have 105 (5800) shifters paired to F1 calipers on my road bike. Braking is so good, I don't even feel the need for compressionless housing. I also have a GRX gravel bike with full hydraulic braking and the Juin Techs with standard brake housing compare really well. I was hoping the Onirii/Zrace BR-005 calipers would be similar, but so far I've been underwhelmed. Like I said it could be the fact that the Ltwoo GR9 shifters I'm using just don't work well with internal drop bar cabling, despite using the same exact bars as my road bike w/F1 calipers. Plus there's no adjustment for brake modulation like my 105 shifters.
The thing is, the LTwoo GR9 shifters have spot-on shift indexing (I really like the campy style shifting) and weigh less compared to the Sensah Team Pro 2x shifters I've tried. Also I'm not fond of the shared Sensah shift/brake lever setup. Though the Sensah shifters allow for brake adjustments via a hex screw which makes it easier to dial in braking. LTwoo shifters have no such adjustment.
So I'm considering:
- swapping out the shifters back to Sensah for better brake modulation (still own, was planning on using them on another bike build)
- swapping out the calipers for Juin Tech $$ or TRP Spyres $ (FYI - Spyres come with gasket covers)
I could go compressionless on the BR-005, but my road bike uses standard brake housing and they brake great as-is compared to my full hydraulic setup.
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What do you mean with brake modulation?
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The open end of the brake cable housing is pointing upward where it is connected to the brake calliper. This means water and dirt can get inside and create extra resistance for the cable... I have ordered these rubber dust covers to put on there, but I don't know if it's not already too late :(
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000154839195.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.0.0.38381802HfMcOW
Thanks for the idea. I didn't realize that design could result issues but makes perfect sense. I'll probably look for these in LBS though. Can't wait a month to get these from Aliex. Shipping speeds are all over the place - some items reach here in 2 weeks with free shipping, sometimes even less and some with paid shipping take more than 3 weeks.
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Yeah, cheap stuff gets here in a week sometimes... Meanwhile after a month I am still waiting for a wheelset I paid extra for DPD shipping... Doesn't seem to be in the country even...
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What do you mean with brake modulation?
Cycling definition:
Brake modulation is the ability to precisely and accurately control the amount of clamp force on a rotor (or rim, which in some ways is just a big rotor, anyway) with a given amount of lever input.
I guess it also applies to brake pull as well. I barely have to squeeze my Juin Tech calipers for them to lock the brakes. My GRX hydraulic calipers have even more bite on the rotors.
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Yeah, cheap stuff gets here in a week sometimes... Meanwhile after a month I am still waiting for a wheelset I paid extra for DPD shipping... Doesn't seem to be in the country even...
I am in the same boat. I ordered 9 items on Nov 3rd. 6 or the 9 items have arrived. I am waiting on a pair of carbon rims. (Still no tracking information on Aliexpress, but store swears they shipped right away. A rear 148 MS hub, and Fat tire carbon front fork are also lagging way behind the rest of the items.)
The set of IIIPRO E4 Mountain Bike Brakes I ordered arrived in less than 10 days.
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I am in the same boat. I ordered 9 items on Nov 3rd. 6 or the 9 items have arrived. I am waiting on a pair of carbon rims. (Still no tracking information on Aliexpress, but store swears they shipped right away. A rear 148 MS hub, and Fat tire carbon front fork are also lagging way behind the rest of the items.)
The set of IIIPRO E4 Mountain Bike Brakes I ordered arrived in less than 10 days.
We should compile a list of sellers who ship items fast. I've received items from Ali that come faster than items I purchase domestically from Ebay.
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I think it has to do with the method of shipping. Big items with DPD shipping I guess first take a slow route (boat, train, truck??) to Europe and are than handed to DPD. I today received a frame I ordered on 10 november... 2+ weeks of no tracking and than at once yesterday it was in the DPD system in my country and delivered today...
Ordered the wheelset on 01/11. Also with DPD but the tracking says it is only registered with dpd but not received.
The small stuff gets put in a bag, put on a plain and flown to the country of the receiver...
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We should compile a list of sellers who ship items fast. I've received items from Ali that come faster than items I purchase domestically from Ebay.
You are lucky! The only overseas item that came to me faster than domestic shipping are ones sent by Japanese camera equipment sellers on eBay (MAP camera for example). But yes, a list like that would be helpful.
On Aliex, the fastest shipping I had was from Zrace for rotors. I wish I had ordered the whole caliper, rotor, pad package from them in one go instead of Onirii.
On second position, Rockbros and IIIPro.
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I swapped out my LTwoo GR9 shifters for my other pair of Sensah Team Pro shifters and the brake pull feels much better on the Sensah setup with the Onirii/ZRace BR-005 brake calipers. It feels almost as good as my 105/Juin Tech F1 combo on my other bike and Sensah shifters allow brake pull adjustments from the hoods via a hex screw which allowed me to dial the brake feel directly. Even using the barrel adjustment on the BR-005 calipers and pad space adjuster, I just couldn't get the LTwoo brakes dialed in correctly. It's unfortunate as well, because the index shifting on the LTwoo calipers are a bit more precise than Sensah's shifting implementation.
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I think it has to do with the method of shipping. Big items with DPD shipping I guess first take a slow route (boat, train, truck??) to Europe and are than handed to DPD. I today received a frame I ordered on 10 november... 2+ weeks of no tracking and than at once yesterday it was in the DPD system in my country and delivered today...
Ordered the wheelset on 01/11. Also with DPD but the tracking says it is only registered with dpd but not received.
The small stuff gets put in a bag, put on a plain and flown to the country of the receiver...
The Fiberin 280 gram carbon mtb. rims I ordered on Nov. 3rd arrived this morning. They are sweet and appear to be high quality and great finish. Now, ASAP, I have to build another pair of boost wheels.
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The Fiberin 280 gram carbon mtb. rims I ordered on Nov. 3rd arrived this morning. They are sweet and appear to be high quality and great finish. Now, ASAP, I have to build another pair of boost wheels.
My fiberin wheels arrived today after exactly 1 month. :)
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Back to BR-05 brakes, have ridden the bike in snow+rain for about 100 miles since installation and brakes are getting better. Definitely needed longer than expected for them to settle in but good bite and reasonable modulation control.
I’m on default pads they came in. The rear squeals when wet but front doesn’t. All in all, pretty good performance. I’m sure in dry, summery conditions they would be even better. Rear is 140mm rotor, have ordered 160mm (Zrace) to match the front.
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I was finally able to test ride my latest build with Onirii/ZRace BR-05 calipers running stock pads and regular brake cable housing. I also have a full GRX hydraulic bike and a Juin Tech F1 equipped bike to compare with. I'd rate the BR-05 calipers in 3rd place regarding brake performance compared to my other brakes, but in the context of sub-$50 USD brake they're quite good. The stock pads don't have as much bite as the Juin Tech pads, but they still work well. Also it probably helps to have shift/brake levers that allow brake pull adjustments.
Unfortunately I could not get these brakes to work well with LTwoo GR9 levers, which doesn't allow brake pull adjustments while using internal cable routed drop bars. I'm bummed because the LTwoo shifting has a very solid shift engagement. I almost thought the BR-05 calipers themselves were faulty until I swapped them out for Sensah Team Pro levers that allow brake pull adjustments and I was able to dial them in. Basically I tightened up cable slack at both ends of the caliper and shift levers.
I'd definitely recommend these brakes if you're on a budget or you're building a winter/backup bike. If you're building a primary bike, I'd consider paying extra for Juin Tech calipers or going full hydraulic if budget allows it.
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but in the context of sub-$50 USD brake they're quite good.
That’s the thing, $49 all in (for black color) is pretty good anyway you cut it. The Juin Techs are $150. Not sure of they are three times better than BR-05s?
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That’s the thing, $49 all in (for black color) is pretty good anyway you cut it. The Juin Techs are $150. Not sure of they are three times better than BR-05s?
I just realized I had my BR-05 calipers setup wrong after watching Trace Velo's latest video! He's also running the same calipers. I redid mine in 5 minutes and the brake pull is ridiculously tight. They're almost on par with my Juin Tech F1 calipers on my 105 bike, but it might even come down to the shifters being different. Now I'm thoroughly impressed. For the price, I might even say they're the better value brake calipers, but I'll have to go on several rides before giving a long term endorsement. The Juin Tech's have worked well on 45+ mph descents, so I'll have to put the BR-05 through the same type of braking.
Ugh, now I'm wondering if I should give the LTwoo GR9 shifters a try again, but I already put the bar tape on the drop bars with the Sensah shifters! Lol
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Dang! Link please? Or rather timestamp if you remember. He talks a LOT!
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Dang! Link please? Or rather timestamp if you remember. He talks a LOT!
Here's the time stamp talking about the ZRace/Onirii calipers:
https://youtu.be/odBUtlLUzC8?t=477 (https://youtu.be/odBUtlLUzC8?t=477)
One thing he mentioned is that his calipers came with two different brake pads. I'm pretty sure mine are running the same pad size.
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I checked mine. They are same. Basically there is no distinction between front and rear, so when he says front caliper came with larger pads I'm baffled.
Then he switched pads to semi metallic ones which resulted in better performance, but we already know that.
Apart from that what else is there? Watched the whole thing and there is nothing related to setup as such.
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Here's the time stamp talking about the ZRace/Onirii calipers:
https://youtu.be/odBUtlLUzC8?t=477 (https://youtu.be/odBUtlLUzC8?t=477)
One thing he mentioned is that his calipers came with two different brake pads. I'm pretty sure mine are running the same pad size.
Yep, I left a comment that mine are using both the smaller type brake pads.
I first bought the wrong ones because what I read online regarding the size...
The ones that fit my calipers are Shimano GRX L05 - K04S types without cooling finns.
See my comment with pictures here:
http://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,3333.msg38122.html#msg38122
BR Chris
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I checked mine. They are same. Basically there is no distinction between front and rear, so when he says front caliper came with larger pads I'm baffled.
Then he switched pads to semi metallic ones which resulted in better performance, but we already know that.
Apart from that what else is there? Watched the whole thing and there is nothing related to setup as such.
There was nothing in his video that really showed how to set them up, but I noticed I had them installed wrong. The correct way was to have the pad adjuster screwed out with the pin sticking out, route the brake cable and tighten with the bolt, then screw in the pad adjuster back in to pull the cable tighter. Also any micro adjustments can be done using the barrel adjuster on the calipers. Plus with my Sensah shifters, I was able to dial in the brake pull even more from the hoods with a hex wrench (similar with Shimano shifters). Now when I pull the brake levers, they lock up almost immediately without much effort.
Also a few comparison notes between the F1s and BR-05 calipers, I find the cable routing much better with the BR-05 lining up with rotor. On my F1s, the fork cable bends outward, while the rear actually rubs up against the seat stays (put protection tape on) since the cable alignment is on the outer side. Though I found the Juin Techs a bit more intuitive to setup and I prefer the tool free approach to the barrel adjuster on the F1s. The BR-05 can do 140mm rotors, while the F1s can only do 160mm smallest.
I tend to prefer the Juin Tech F1s, but you can practically buy 2 or maybe 3 BR-05 calipers for the same price.
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I have been running Juin Tech GT-P 4s on my gravel bike for over a year. I love their stopping power, but have had problems with the caliper overheating and dragging heavily on the rotors. It has been difficult finding a good balance of clearance of the pads to the rotors, versus how far I have to pull the levers to get them to grip.
I also run Juin Tech GT-P 4s on my Waltley TI 29er hard tail with dropper bars. Not quite as bad of brake overheating because I can go so much faster on descents having a front suspension fork, much ;arger tires, and use the brakes a lot less overall.
I have a Juin Tech F1 on the front of my old Merlin road bike where I purchased a disc brake road fork and built a front road wheel with a 160 rotor. The bike slows much better on long wet descents, versus the weight weenie side pull I used to use.
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I have been running Juin Tech GT-P 4s on my gravel bike for over a year. I love their stopping power, but have had problems with the caliper overheating and dragging heavily on the rotors. It has been difficult finding a good balance of clearance of the pads to the rotors, versus how far I have to pull the levers to get them to grip.
I also run Juin Tech GT-P 4s on my Waltley TI 29er hard tail with dropper bars. Not quite as bad of brake overheating because I can go so much faster on descents having a front suspension fork, much larger tires, and therefore use the brakes a lot less overall.
I have a Juin Tech F1 on the front of my old Merlin road bike where I purchased a disc brake road fork and built a front road wheel with a 160 rotor. The bike slows much better on long wet descents, versus the weight weenie side pull I used to use.
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Today I rode the Onirii BR-05 calipers out on some flats, hill climbing and fast descents. I'm thoroughly impressed now. I did both steep downhills and rough paved fire roads. The calipers braked extremely well and they handled near if not equal to my Juin Tech F1s. I'll see how they hold up in the next few weeks. I also picked up some spare brake pads once the stock ones wear out.
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I'm intrigued by the adapter used for rear caliper mount. What frame is it? Is that plate custom made?
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I'm intrigued by the adapter used for rear caliper mount. What frame is it? Is that plate custom made?
It's a post to flat adapter. I picked it up awhile ago, because initially I was planning to make this particular post mount frame into my GRX groupset build, but ended up using a different frame instead. I used an FM fork to convert the entire bike. I'm currently running it as a 1x road bike with an 11-32t cassette and 28c tubeless slicks, but I have an 11-50t and some Gravelking tires if I decide to go full gravel.
This is the person who makes them:
https://www.assolutions.ca/product-category/adapters/ (https://www.assolutions.ca/product-category/adapters/)
ZRace recently started making one similar, but based on the post mount frame (ex: 160mm), requires you to upsize your rotor:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804752872846.html (https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804752872846.html)
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Hello,
I bought the ZRace BR-005 to mount on my wife's future Velobuild GF-002 gravel bike. I have read that for the best braking performance I need the brakes with Jagwire cables and housings. Can someone tell me exactly which product I need there? I find many different options.
In addition, I have ordered the Cooma brake pads.
Chris B.:
I measured the break pads installed in my Zrace BR-005 with following values: Height 29.5mm / Width 26.5mm / Pad only height 16.5mm
Result: Should be K04S compatible so ordered some Cooma BP944ExPlus-RS805 to try:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000220934631.html
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Jagwire Road pro I think. Just look for Compressionless in the description. Should be 25-30 eur for the set
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Hello,
I have read that for the best braking performance I need the brakes with Jagwire cables and housings. Can someone tell me exactly which product I need there? I find many different options.
I bought these for my GF002 build https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00A4D1PUM
It says compression-free which I assume is same as compression-less.
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Search for Jagwire keb-sl.
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One thing to note regarding the BR-05 calipers. My rear caliper clamp kept slipping the brake cable after some really hard downhill descents. It required me to tightening the cable more than I normally would. I'll see how it holds, but if it keeps slipping I'll probably have to apply Loctite to the screw.
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Search for Jagwire keb-sl.
I second that statement... you want break housings without metal coils.
BR Chris
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How are everyone's BR-05 callipers holding up? I am really regretting buying mine... They have been performing worse and worse as time goes by.
They actually only performed good the first few weeks.
On yesterday's ride i had almost no braking in the back and the front brake was really pulsating. The front fork was vibrating a lot...
I have taken them off yesterday evening, bled them and replaced the pads even though they were not worn out. I am regretting spending the money on them and am contemplating just getting GRX800 shifters/brakes/derailleur.
Edit: Well I decided it is time to stop being frustrated with these dangerous Chinese brakes and started to order the GRX 800 parts... Should be around 400eur for the GRX 800 brifters 812 derailleur and I found some unused cheap 105 calipers to go with that...
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Mine are not terrible, but not too good either. I too switched pads even though the factory pads were hardly worn and that seemed to make difference. The biggest change came with I replaced ZRACE rotors with Shimano. The performance with Shimano rotors is just way better. I'm yet to experience pulsating feedback like you and few others. I have had that happen with Giant Conduct system and it's an unsettling feeling.
In between I did put TRP Spyres on there and I couldn't tell the difference.
All in all, next time I will go for something else.
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My Onirii BR-05 calipers are holding up fine, but the rear tends to make a creaking sound every so often. Mine seem to have really good bite, but I have my brake cables dialed-in tightly with the screw pad adjuster, the caliper barrel adjuster, plus I also installed a rear brake cable adjuster and I also have the brake pull dialed in from the Sensah Team Pro shifters I'm using. Saying that, my Juin Tech F1s on my other bike are so much EASIER to dial in.
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I bought the BR-005. Either I lost the mounting screws and 160mm adapters or they were not supplied. Can I just order any other adapters and use them or must it be the adapters from ZRace?
I would like to order them not through Aliexpress because it takes me too long. Has someone a tip where I get these quickly?
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Amazon. I always run into issues like this at the build time and then scramble things on Amazon at prices that can only be described as highway robbery but can't help it :
https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Bicycle-Brake-Mount-Adapter/dp/B016PKWVDW
https://www.amazon.com/SwishTi-Cyclocross-Flat-Mount-Post-Mount-Calipers/dp/B097ZWFKDH
That being said, my BR-005 came with one 160mm adapter and all the bolts which I ordered from Oniiri. And to answer your question, the mount adapters are universal. Just make sure front and rear are different spacing on most frames so the adapters are sold in same manner.
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Anyone still using their Zrace/Onirii BR-005 calipers? I don't particularly love them, mainly because they require way more tweaking/fiddling to dial them. Though I have them setup to the point that they are performing quite well. I had to do quite a bit of pad adjustments, dial in the barrel adjuster, tweak the lever reach and even adjust the brake cable line. I still find Juin Tech F1s to be much more easier to use, but I'm confident my BR-005 calipers are now on par if not braking better than my Juin Techs on my other bike.
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Nah, replaced them with 105 calipers paired to my new GRX shifters and I will never look back. Should have done this from the start, that would have been way cheaper than experimenting with Sensah/zrace/onirii.
Buy cheap, pay twice... Learned the hard way.
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Anyone still using their Zrace/Onirii BR-005 calipers? I don't particularly love them, mainly because they require way more tweaking/fiddling to dial them. Though I have them setup to the point that they are performing quite well. I had to do quite a bit of pad adjustments, dial in the barrel adjuster, tweak the lever reach and even adjust the brake cable line. I still find Juin Tech F1s to be much more easier to use, but I'm confident my BR-005 calipers are now on par if not braking better than my Juin Techs on my other bike.
I have them (Onirii) still. They got better. I was planning to get the Juin tech to see if they make a difference but pad and rotor change worked for me. Tuning then is rather painful though compared to any other mechanical disc brakes.
So for now, I don't have plans to change them. I do have 105 and Ultegra hydro calipers sitting on the shelf but keeping the upgrade for later future.
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I still use them on 2 bikes. My 168 frame and one gravel frame. I'm happy trust them to work for me. Yes like you say they do take time to adjust even as the pads wear. I have upgraded pads I need to install. Just been using my free time messing with the hydro stuff lately.
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I have them (Onirii) still. They got better. I was planning to get the Juin tech to see if they make a difference but pad and rotor change worked for me. Tuning then is rather painful though compared to any other mechanical disc brakes.
So for now, I don't have plans to change them. I do have 105 and Ultegra hydro calipers sitting on the shelf but keeping the upgrade for later future.
Juin Techs are way easier to setup out the box, but once you get the BR-005 tuned they are pretty close. The one nice thing about Juin Tech's is the knob on the pad adjuster screw. I can tweak the calipers on the fly. For my gravel bike though and the terrain I ride in, hydraulic brakes are a must. I ride on some pretty narrow single track where people have fallen off cliff sides.
I'm beginning to think I'm becoming a better bike mechanic, because I'm always trying to figure out how to fix issues with cheap AliExpress parts! Lol
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I have been using mine for about 30 days now, and honestly love them. They can lock up my tires at almost any speed! I am using them on a gravel bike so a bit different use than some.
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I have been using mine for a while on a GR029 connect to Empire Pro brifters.
They took me a while to dial them in. I had BR02 first. These are piece of garbage and I wouldn't even use these as a paper weight. I changed the cable housing for Keb-SL (rear brake only) to try to improve things and it did not change much,
Then I got the BR05. First I had a very stiff control, I played with the cable hosing line and got something a little bit easier to pull but not better breaking. So i changed the pads for Tektro resin pads. Here I gat a way better performance.
Then I started feeling worsening performance when using a second wheelset. With a different set of disc, the brake path is not exactly lining up, so i ended up finding similar disc to the one I was using on the first wheelset, which are Juicy G2 160mm, I got cheap copies from mec.ca (in Canada) and now both wheelset brake fine.
TBH, I can't wait for Sensah to come up with the HRD empire brifter so I can upgrade to hydraulics. While the BR05 now work ok, it's still a workout for my hand when going down long descent and when comparing with Shimano, I feel it's day and night on how much effort is required to lock the wheel. This is probably due to the full length cable housing required for the rear brake.
In the end with buying to set of brakes, re-inforced cable housing, changing brake pads, sets of rotor (I tried 3 other set before coming on to these Juicy G2), I'm pretty sure I paid more then Juin Tech to get them to that level...
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I have been using mine for a while on a GR029 connect to Empire Pro brifters.
They took me a while to dial them in. I had BR02 first. These are piece of garbage and I wouldn't even use these as a paper weight. I changed the cable housing for Keb-SL (rear brake only) to try to improve things and it did not change much,
Then I got the BR05. First I had a very stiff control, I played with the cable hosing line and got something a little bit easier to pull but not better breaking. So i changed the pads for Tektro resin pads. Here I gat a way better performance.
Then I started feeling worsening performance when using a second wheelset. With a different set of disc, the brake path is not exactly lining up, so i ended up finding similar disc to the one I was using on the first wheelset, which are Juicy G2 160mm, I got cheap copies from mec.ca (in Canada) and now both wheelset brake fine.
TBH, I can't wait for Sensah to come up with the HRD empire brifter so I can upgrade to hydraulics. While the BR05 now work ok, it's still a workout for my hand when going down long descent and when comparing with Shimano, I feel it's day and night on how much effort is required to lock the wheel. This is probably due to the full length cable housing required for the rear brake.
In the end with buying to set of brakes, re-inforced cable housing, changing brake pads, sets of rotor (I tried 3 other set before coming on to these Juicy G2), I'm pretty sure I paid more then Juin Tech to get them to that level...
They're already out:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805775443558.html? (https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805775443558.html?)
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Which brake pads is everyone using with their BR-05? I’m currently using the green Soocent ceramic ones which have been good when dry but sometimes a bit noisy when wet. I need to change the pads soon and was thinking if there are better options available.