Zoom mechanical disc brake question

pedelecvirgin

Pedelecer
Jun 15, 2013
38
3
So does any one know of a good quality direct hydraulic replacement, for the zoom mechanical disc brakes.

Thanks.

pedelecvirgin.
 
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
I've been thinking. There may not be enough room for one of those because the reservoir runs parallel to the handlebars. It'll probably be OK, but If you can show a picture of your handlebars, we can advise the best brake. Some of the Shimano ones go more at right-angles to the bars, so don't get in the way of changers, throttles, etc.
This is the Avid one:

 

trex

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 15, 2011
7,703
2,671
it's not a problem for John F's santana because he has index shift but I can see you have revoshift and thumb throttle already on the right grip. If it's too crowded there, what if you swap side (hydraulic to the left) in case you have only one hydraulic?
 

dmsims

Pedelecer
Mar 10, 2010
67
14
South Devon
I was never satisfied with the performance of the Zoom and on both bikes (Freego and Woosh) they were replaced by a Shimano M615 (from Chainrecation)
 

cwah

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 3, 2011
3,048
179
www.whatonlondon.co.uk

cwah

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 3, 2011
3,048
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www.whatonlondon.co.uk

cwah

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 3, 2011
3,048
179
www.whatonlondon.co.uk
purchased. Just pray it's going to work.

I think I wasted like £100 with the zoom hydraulic disc brake with the replacement one and the few mineral oil kit I purchased.

I was just plain wrong to buy this brake kit as there is no way to buy any part, no instruction, no warranty, no support.
 

John F

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 3, 2013
435
55
purchased. Just pray it's going to work.

I think I wasted like £100 with the zoom hydraulic disc brake with the replacement one and the few mineral oil kit I purchased.

I was just plain wrong to buy this brake kit as there is no way to buy any part, no instruction, no warranty, no support.
This is why I don't fancy hydrauli brakess. There are so many stories on this forum of various ebike components failing, that I wouldn't trust a brake that is more complex than it need be.

A cable is simple, long lasting, easily checked and will not put any worries in my mind about leaking.
 
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Deleted member 4366

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This is why I don't fancy hydrauli brakess. There are so many stories on this forum of various ebike components failing, that I wouldn't trust a brake that is more complex than it need be.

A cable is simple, long lasting, easily checked and will not put any worries in my mind about leaking.
Hold on John!. Are you sure about that? I've been reading this forum for four years and I don't recall people reporting problems with hydraulic brakes apart from Cwah. He bought his from Ebay. It's possible that it was a cheap imitation of an already low end brand.

Hydraulic brakes are not at all complex. From my experience and understanding, they require much less maintenance than any other type, and they give much more reliable and predictable performance.
 

John F

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 3, 2013
435
55
Hold on John!. Are you sure about that? I've been reading this forum for four years and I don't recall people reporting problems with hydraulic brakes apart from Cwah. He bought his from Ebay. It's possible that it was a cheap imitation of an already low end brand.

Hydraulic brakes are not at all complex. From my experience and understanding, they require much less maintenance than any other type, and they give much more reliable and predictable performance.
I take your point. My negative attitude is down to reading too much negative stuff here! There again I've never had a single problem with my car disc brakes.

My point is that they should be able to make a perfectly good mechanica brake. So are my pads:
1) too small for the task?
2) Not made of the right stuff?

I learnt on another thread that there were 3 types of pads and mine were the worse. Just need to figure out where to buy the better ones
 
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Deleted member 4366

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Too many people post second-hand information on forums. I bet most of the people that say bad things about hydraulic discs have never even tried them.

A few years back, there was a small clique of people on this forum that used to spread the myth that it was hard work to pedal a hub-motored bike because you get too much drag from the motor. The myth was probably spread from one guy who's brakes were binding and another who had a stuck clutch. There were massive threads discussing it, which of course led to some people avoiding hub-motors because they feared there might be some truth in it. Some passed the myth on so that it became general knowledge. When was the last time you heard someone complain that there was too much drag from a cheap hub-motor that was working properly? The common ones haven't changed since then. If you want a laugh, do a search for hub-motor drag. It should give you hours of entertainment.

Cwahs Zoom hydraulic brake is a new product from Zoom (if it's genuine). The recognised brands like Juicy, Shimano, Tektro Avid have been making hydraulic brakes for years. They're a safety critical product, so they'll be subject to a lot of quality controls and testing to make sure that they don't give up on you. They don't cost much, so give them a try. I guarantee that you won't go back to cable brakes.
 

benjy_a

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jul 25, 2009
417
26
I had zoom mechanical on a bike and they are crap....need constant adjusting, they are not precisely adjustable enough, the pads are TINY so not enough contact with the disc....utter rubbish.

Ditch them and go hydraulic for sure...self adjusting, absolutely no maintenance required after they are set up. As Dave said...it's not about the power...it's about complete control with a single finger on the lever. There is no comparison with mechanical. I also have some avid BB5 (expensive) mechanical and they are light years behind hydraulic.

One of my bikes has Giant MPH hydraulic...pretty damn good....my other bike has Shimano...totally excellent.
 

John F

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 3, 2013
435
55
I had zoom mechanical on a bike and they are crap....need constant adjusting, they are not precisely adjustable enough, the pads are TINY so not enough contact with the disc....utter rubbish.

Ditch them and go hydraulic for sure...self adjusting, absolutely no maintenance required after they are set up. As Dave said...it's not about the power...it's about complete control with a single finger on the lever. There is no comparison with mechanical. I also have some avid BB5 (expensive) mechanical and they are light years behind hydraulic.

One of my bikes has Giant MPH hydraulic...pretty damn good....my other bike has Shimano...totally excellent.
Ok I'm getting the message. Didn't realise they were self adjusting too, that's good.

My last throw of the dice - can anyone source some better pads ? No one has helped me here.