ScottM

So this will do it 😆 The one was not even really glued at all anymore and the other pulled right out of the backing. I can't believe it took me so long to figure this out but after re-gluing the pads in the backings the difference is night and day. I did also touch up the grind and starting to get more comfortable with that, thanks to all for the advice and videos!

Quite helpful though! I didn’t see that one when I looked.

It is a solid disc, made for cutting I think. Edit to say I probably need more practice, I’ll try again and be sure to take my time.

I tried refreshing my grind yesterday and I think I made it worse, I killed the bite! I found myself kind of letting the disc bounce lightly off the rim but I'm realizing that's maybe not what you meant by "tickle". I had assumed a fresh disc would give the sharpest grind and the best results but sounds like not? What I have are 40 grit "Masonry" discs, less than 2mm thick, maybe there is a better choice? I have watched several of the youtube videos on this but just haven't really figured out how to get a good result.

I use the EBC red pads on my MTB as well as my Hex but I see they only come in the MT7 style so I skipped those for now. Nice to know the seperate pads might not be a problem if I need to go that route. For now I ordered up some of the BBB pads Swoofty mentioned so I'll give those a go. I do have Trialtech pads on the front BB7 on my old comp style bike and they do seem to lack power sometimes. I tried the trick of re-bedding them with water and that does seem to help.

One detail is that this will be for a mountain bike I’m setting up to be capable of some small trials maneuvers. Anyone know if the Jitsie trial pads would glaze under mtb trail use? Edit- I see right on Tartybikes that trials performance might decline after using at high speed which might cause me problems. I know pads like the EBC reds would do the job but I only see them in the 4 separate pad style. It’s looking like Trickstuff or those BBB pads might be the best choices for the MTB and maybe sometime switch my Hex to the MT5 with Jitsie pads.

Got it, thanks Mark. Don’t know why I didn’t think to look at the Jitsie brand. I actually have not tried this caliper yet but I’ll go with these pads first.

Sorry to revive an old thread but the discussion seems relevant. Has anyone tried the Trickstuff Power pads for MT5? I can’t seem to find the Trialtech pads anymore.

Adam, I do have a grind although I'm sure my technique could use improvement. Good to know the bite point won't move. With the TPA adjuster wheel threaded in (clockwise) so that that piston is further out, there is indeed some free play of the lever before the pads move. Is this what you mean by the TPA off or do you mean threaded the other way? With it threaded where the lever is further from the bar the pads do move pretty much right away. Unfortunately I don't see that Trialtech fluid available anywhere now. Maybe I'll try the Putoline if I need to bleed it.

Hey thanks for that response. I don't think it is spongy but I do plan on bleeding it soon just because I haven't done it since I installed the brake and I do think I get a tiny bit of wandering bite point. I'm wondering now if Magura fluid or some Putoline 2.5wt I have used in my Shimano brakes would be better. I am editing above to say that the pads wear more on the leading edge than the trailing edge which makes more sense.

Like the title says, I am looking more confidence and predictability in my rear brake setup. I know practice and skill is everything and the brake does work somewhat good but I do feel a little held back because of my lack of confidence in it. It doesn't help that last year it slipped out causing me to sprain my ankle (I should have known better, got it a little damp and I use tar). Setup is as follows, mid 2000s ZOO Pitbull? 26" long frame, modern Raceline hydraulic brake with stock green pads (I believe they are the TNN LGM pad material), ground Hashtagg rim, TNN shimless clamps, and beefy Tensile 4 bolt booster. I've tried violin rosin, a trials branded rim rosin, and plain black tar to try and increase the bite. My experience level is fairly novice, I'm a busy 40 year old and been riding trials bikes off and on for 7 or 8 years. I also have a Hex with rear Saint disc and EBC red pads and while this doesn't have that rim brake instant feedback that brake is always predictable to me. I have played a little on a buddies more modern Echo (Mark V or something) which doesn't even have a brake booster but feels amazing. This frame does have the machined brake yoke section which I suspect has something to do with the issue. He has a ground rim that he doesn't re-grind often at all and the same pads. What I am noticing on my ZOO is that even though I set the brake bosses up flat with each other etc, the pads are wearing such that they have a greater gap at the leading edge with respect to the rim than they do at the trailing edge of the pad. Am I primarily dealing with frame flex here or is there something else that could be causing this? Does that sound normal for these older frames? I can't find any cracks or anything. One thing I just noticed looking at Tartybikes is that the pad backing doesn't have the ridges machined in that the TNN backings have. Could this make that much difference? Also I used to ride with the ADM black pads on a V brake on a different frame when I was more of a beginner and I always thought it was good enough.... Maybe what I am dealing with is normal on a frame like this or maybe there is more I can do to perfect the setup? Maybe the frame has nothing to do with it? I know plenty of people did high level riding on these frames years back so maybe this is just how it is? Can I get more predictable performance out of this thing? If this is a frame flex issue would a new frame like the Ozonys Skill be any better or likely the same? A big thanks for any input and I can try to get some pictures if it will help.

Does anyknow what the geo might have been on this supposed 26” Czar frame? All I can find any information on are 24” bikes. This is probably from the timeframe of 2008 - 2012 give or take as best I can tell.

I have wondered if the Trialtech Carthy front rim might work well for a Hex? 31mm wide with 32 spoke holes. Weight is on par with the Spank rims so maybe not too light to serve as a rear?

New pads so plenty of meat. It looks like I only needed standard clamps after all? I held the cyclinders in place with the rim installed just now and it looks like it would work with standard clamps, at least until the pads wear down. My understanding is that I’ll have to move the cylinders in as the pads wear? I have only dealt with hydraulic disc brakes to this point.