Hayes Is Primed
There was no decision to make when I bought disc brakes for the first time; Hayes was the only one worth considering. They were tough, consistent and they lasted forever. They were also incredibly easy to bleed. They’d be crude by today’s standards but they’d likely still be working after all these years.
And then things began to get a little rocky. Hayes introduced their HFX-9 brakes as a lower priced alternative to their mags – their first to be produced in Taiwan I believe – and they were not up to the standard of previous products. They tended to stop working without warning, the reach adjust creeped inward during the ride and they lacked power and consistency.
As you can see part of the lever has been pixelated to obscure some design element.
More recently the El Caminos garnered some positive reviews but then Hayes got into a legal battle with their Taiwanese partner Muchachos – who had registered the Hayes name for themselves in Taiwan. Nasty business indeed. During the dispute Muchachos stopped manufacturing product for Hayes and orders for El Caminos went unfilled.
All of this messiness came about after the management team bought the bicycle brake portion of the company in 2005.
Then came the Strokers which didn’t have the Hayes name on them at all because of the dispute with Muchachos.
Now Hayes is part of the Hayes Bicycle Group which includes Answer/Manitou, Wheelsmith and Sun Ringlé. With SRAM and Shimano controlling so much of the market, having another company in the race can only be good for consumers.
The Primes look great on the web. While they bear some resemblance to the Strokers, it’s clear this product is new from caliper to master cylinder. The reach and stroke adjusments are tool free, a new two piece rotor is described as stiffer and lighter than previous versions and there is a brand new pad compound as well. It seems that every detail has been examined and re-engineered for better performance. Hayes is still concealing the ‘poppet cam stroke adjustment’ for some reason but you can otherwise view everything on the new Prime Web site here.
Here’s hoping this is the first step back to their former glory.
Is this the brake we’ve all been waiting for? Eager to try it? Any performance or other predictions? Tell us about it here…
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