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Had any experience with Shimano BR-M445/M446 Hydraulic Disc Brakes Set ?
Looking to replace brakes on tight budget, anyone had any exp with them, I ride the normal places in sydney Dam, Red Hill etc with a slow but steady style, so not to many death defying antics.....none that are planned anyway
cheers Sam
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Hi, I have them on a reign - simple and effective - only downside is when the bike has been sitting for a few days it seems, there is a lot of lever travel before they bite - takes a few uses for them to warm up and then you can one finger brake again . So u start a ride 2 finger braking and no gap between the lever and bar but after a few good stops the sponginess goes and they modulate beautifully.
Apart from that they are reliable, quiet and good give modulation - bettr than my elixir 9s
Pharmaboy - It sounds like your brakes could do with bleeding.
Did they come stock standard on the Reign or is it an aftermarket edition ? which year/model if it is stock
ta
Got 'em on two of my bikes (XTC and Trance). Like lots of Shimano 'entry level' stuff, not light or fancy, but no nonsense just work! Shimano say only to use resin pads with them, but I think this is more to do with the cheapo rotors they're usually matched with (RT-51/53) being non-hardened, so will wear quickly with sintered/metallic pads.
Agree pharmaboy's problem is classic symptoms of air in the system and the need for a bleed. Do you store/transport your bike upside down by any chance - that would explain how the air migrates from the reservoir to the master cylinder when you're not using it. Pumping the levers a few times pushes the air back into the reservoir and is a temporary solution, but a proper bleed should solve it ...
Stock Std FOB - 2011 reign2.
Yeah, one of these days, Pete - i am loath to play with stuff that works well though - its only the front, and as posted, sorts itself out in no time on a ride. Put it this way the elixir 9's have cost me at least 3 or 4 hours, and a $80 to get the bastard of things working and working quietly - i wouldnt wish avids on my worst enemy - anyone taking delivery of a bike with avids should do themselves a favour and move them onto some other unsuspecting sod and put XT's on
edit - mamil - interesting - i hang it on a wall! come to think of it, the problem is only a very recent one (since i installed the hooks - maybe only `1/2 a dozen rides since then) - another service job i'll have to learn to do ....... ;(
I hang it up on the wall as well, but it's leaking sqealing and won't to stop save itself or me , original brakes on 2008 trance, I've bled, replaced, sanded and cleaned and still no joy so I'm thinking it's just time to replace,
I have them fitted on my Anthem. I've had them almost 2 years. They have reduced performance because I've done absolutley nothing to them. Only changed brake pads when required. Mine need a serious bleed I think. I recently rode a comuter fitted with the same brakes. Thats the only reason I know why performance is down. In those 2 years. I recon I've ridden 8-10K km......while everything else on the bike has had maintenance. The brakes have been ignored.
Bakes are for pussies right? LOL
Joke.
i'm very proud of myself. Just bled the rear brake.....massive difference.
When I opened the reservoir, I was greeted by a green/ brn subsance. LOL. Its supposed to be light red. ooops.
Ohh well thats all sorted now.
I used 2 seringes. 1x10ml & 1x60ml. which I purchased from the local chemist for $4.00
I went & got a few centimeters of 4mm Nylon tube. $2.00 from an automotive shop.
LBS sold me some Mineral oil & threw in the brake block for $25
found some Glad zipper bags to put the old oil into.....and I'm away.
so what do I do with the old oil?
Next time I'll get 1L of Mineral oil from wiggles for $35 & start selling it here. LOL.
How often should you bleed the brakes? once every 12 mths?
I have the BR-M445 as OEM on my 2011 Trance X3.
They have been trouble free in a year of riding and seem to work really well. Hydraulic discs are the shiz. These ones seem really smooth to me with plenty of stopping power.
However, my previous bike had wire centrepulls, so I guess I my opinion is a little bit uninformed.
Thanks for the feedback, looks like these will get me out of trouble for a while