How you have found pad wear on the Moto V2 brakes? I have them on a bike and found that with either organic or sintered pads the pad wear seems rather excessive compared to the Mono M4 particularly if it’s wet.
I’ve also found that as the pad wears beyond halfway the pistons don’t seem to self-adjust as easily as the Mono M4 as they seem to retract to their original position, resulting in having to pump the levers. This has resulted in me pulling the levers back to the bars on more than one occasion which is pretty frightening when you’re flying down one of Glentress’s finest!
What would you recommend to overcome this? I have spoken to Hope and they could only suggest silicone lubing the pistons, which I have tried, but it hasn’t worked.
At the moment I am going to return them to the shop I purchased them from as they are not yet six months old.
Tim Lawrence, Peak District
While it is not unreasonable to expect pads to wear slightly quicker on a ‘heavy duty’ brake such as Hope’s Moto V2 the difference should be minimal, especially when you consider all Hope’s pads come from the same manufacturer. If you fit new pads just before embarking on a wet ride, make sure you spend a little time bedding in the new pads prior to venturing off road, If you don’t do this the uncured pads will indeed wear out in double-quick time. Pistons failing to self adjust correctly can be attributed to a number of causes, one of which is sticky seals, which is why Hope will have suggested cleaning and lubing the pistons.
You should also check that the system has been filled and bled correctly. If the brake has been under-filled, then as the pads wear there will be insufficient fluid available at the reservoir to allow full piston travel.
Has the little breather groove on the reservoir cap become blocked? If it has it will prevent the diaphragm under the cap from extending and contracting correctly, which will directly effect piston movement.
Check the bite point adjuster. If your bite point is set fully in and paired with the lever reach adjust being set close, this would limit your piston movement. Fixing it is easy, just move the bite point adjuster out and see if this allows the pistons more movement.
Although the Moto V2’s are a relatively new brake from Hope there are plenty of them in use and we’ve not seen or been hearing about problems with them.
If you’re uneasy about altering or checking any of these items on your brake I suggest returning them to Hope. I’ve spoken to Nick, their race support technician, and he’d be glad to give your brakes a check over.
Boss loss
Hi Guys, I am in the process of converting my Hardrock Sport over to disc brakes but I am now left with unsightly V-brake bosses on the frame. I’ve read about various methods of removal on the internet but would appreciate some expert advice on how to go about this.
Ray Burr, email
The aluminium boss itself is welded to your frame and I would not recommend trying to remove it by hacksawing or grinding it off as we have seen more than one frame damaged over the years by riders attempting to perform such a task.
You can however remove the V-brake studs that protrude from the frame bosses. The studs are usually made of steel and are threaded into the frame boss’s standard right hand thread. The stud will feature two flats at its base to facilitate a spanner fitting, normally 9mm.
Before attempting to unwind the stud make sure your chosen spanner is a good fit, as it’s likely the studs will have originally been installed with a high strength locking compound, meaning they will require some force to turn and extract. If it feels like the studs don’t want to move at all, try heating the stud/boss area with a hot air gun. This will help break the hold the locking compound has on the steel stud due to frame and stud expanding at different rates. Once removed, the hole left in the frame boss can be nicely finished off by fitting some after market caps/inserts. DMR make some called Little Blankers in various colours and two sizes — 8mm and 10mm — at a cost of £1.95 per pair.
Save my marriage!
I’m hoping you can help me with a little problem and save my marriage in the process.
Some months ago I swapped my freeride rig for a much lighter Azonic Propulsion so I could do longer rides.
The Azonic is awesome and my confidence hasn’t suffered as a result of having less travel. The final test will come when I get to Stainburn where the Norco was in its element. However I need to resolve one problem first. The Azonic has been fitted with a Fox RP3 shock with an eye-to-eye of 165mm and a stroke of 40mm. I’ve had to put some worn out 2.25 tyres on because at full compression anything with tread on catches the cable boss on the back of the seat tube.
I’ve done as much homework as I can, on Azonic’s website, mtbr.com and even emailed TFTuned who serviced the shock. I even trawled eBay for a Romic shock to put it back to standard.
I need to get to the bottom of this as it drives me mad if my bike doesn’t function flawlessly.
I’m now thinking of parting with two grand for an Enduro or Ransom which won’t bottom out under normal riding. That’s how you could save my marriage.
Could you also give me your expert opinion on weather I should stick with an air shock or go back to coil? Also does anyone make rocker arms to fit this bike to increase the travel?
In 12 years of riding and racing this is one of the best all-round bikes I’ve ever ridden, I desperately need to solve this one little niggling fault.
Mark, email
There are various bikes on the market that have similar problems with tyres touching seats, seat posts or seat tubes before full travel has been achieved. The designed clearance tolerances on many frames are very small and once you deviate from the intended shock or tyre choice you run the risk of some part or other interfering with the function of the frame. You must also take into account that it is not that unusual for frames of the same make and model to show subtle differences in structural detail. While 2.25 tyres are not regarded as particularly big by current standards, the 4in travel Propulsion will have been designed around a 1.95in or 2.1in tyre so a change of tyre choice is probably all that is required to attain full travel.
If you do want to stick with the bigger tyre but prevent it touching the frame then the solution is to get the RP3 shock modified. Mojo can replace part of the shock to give you a slightly longer eye-to-eye length but keep the stroke at 40mm. This should ensure the shock reaches full travel and bottoms out before the wheel interferes with the seat tube.
Unfortunately it will raise the bottom bracket, steepen the head angle and is not cheap. A better option would be to get them to fit a 2-3mm neoprene insert into the shock, creating a bigger bump stop which should come into play before the tyre touches the frame. This is cheap and easy to do especially if done as part of a shock service.
With regard to the air verses coil issue, there really isn’t a definitive answer on this one. The simplistic view is lightweight and easy adjustment V suppleness and reliability. But with coil shocks getting lighter and air shocks becoming better for hardcore riding this argument is becoming more complicated. My own rule of thumb is XC/trail=air, all mountain/freeride=coil.
I have been unable to find any info about anybody making longer rocker arms for this frame. This is probably a good thing as my own view is longer rocker plates would screw up the handling and put undue stress on the frame. Rather than try and make the frame into something it’s not, sell it on and buy something fresh.
Modulation tribulation
Ages ago you reviewed the Avid Juicy 5’s and gave them excellent marks — citing the only flaw as not being able to adjust the modulation. A few months back my brother decided to upgrade his mechanical disc brakes and I recommended the juicy 5’s. Now call me daft but I didn’t really realise that modulation meant how much you have to squeeze the brake lever to get the pads to touch!
I am astounded that you gave a brake which doesn’t start working until about halfway through the lever travel such high marks. My V-brakes — sitting fractions of mil from the rim — can still outbrake him any day.
Maybe I didn’t do my research properly but is this common on disc brakes?
Blaise Kelly, email
I think there is some confusion here between modulation and bite/contact point adjustment. There are now many brakes on the market with pad contact point adjustment. All allow you to dial in the amount of lever travel and corresponding pad clearance to suit individual taste. Virtually all levers on the market also feature a reach adjustment.
The term modulation is only relevant to brake feel once the pads have made contact with the disc (or rim). From the point of contact, good modulation is when a gradual increase in lever pressure corresponds to an increase in stopping power, allowing the rider to meter or modulate the stopping force rather than get an on-off feel.
Despite all the other adjustments on offer no one has been able to offer a true modulation adjuster on a disc brake, although both Shimano and Avid have had V-brake levers featuring such adjustments.
Now that we are clear on the range of adjustments and what the terminology means I think we can agree that what the Juicy 5 lacks is pad contact adjustment. Your view is that because the pads don’t contact the disc until the lever is pulled halfway in, unlike your V-brake set up which I assume is set up to engage the brake almost instantly, means the disc set up in your opinion is bad!
Well I, like the majority of people would disagree. Allowing a reasonable degree of free play in any brake lever prior to it operating the brake ensures the brake is not pulled or dragged unintentionally when wheelying or hopping the bike when covering the brake lever. The truth is that most of us ride while covering the brake lever with a finger or two.
Having the brake working when the lever is closer to the handlebar grip also helps cut down on arm and hand fatigue by ensuring the hand is applying pressure at a point were the rider’s grip is maximised. This is as opposed to a point where maximum pressure is being exerted with an outstretched hand and opened grip.
Levers with less travel will not provide quicker or better braking. Human reaction time is such that the small difference in distance provides no performance increase and if anything will lead to riders snatching at the brakes rather than feathering them. Ultimately, individual rider size, style and preference dictates the optimum set up, which is why most manufacturers do offer brakes that feature reach and contact point adjustments for a small additional charge.
Final comment, a correctly set up disc brake will outbreak a V-brake any day. Physics and experience proves this!