Captain Scarlet Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 Hi guys, I'm looking at buying the Echo Lite full build (seen here) as a cheap way of replacing my frame, brakes, wheels and other components in desperate need of upgrading on my current Mod. My question is, how reliable are the Echo TR discs? I can't see them for sale on their own? Can they be serviced easily? What kinds of parts do they take? How well do they perform etc? I'm really tempted to take the punt, but I'm very sceptical of the quality of the brakes at this price. Many thanks, Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark W Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 The latest generation Echo brakes seem to be fine. The pads are pretty much equivalent to the standard Hope ones so aren't as good as the Jitsie/Trialtech ones, and the Echo rotors are made out of some pretty hard material so don't work to the same level of Hopes (until they've fully bedded in at least which, because of their material, can take a while longer), but the brakes are much more leak-proof now than they used to be. That bike is worth a lot more than it actually costs (if you total up the price of the aftermarket parts you can tell - they're the same as the aftermarket bits too, they're not a cheapo version just to build up those bikes), but a change in the way the order was shipped to us meant that the overall cost of that order was much reduced compared to previous bike orders, so that saving got passed on in the form of a reduced RRP. Similarly, the price was dropped a bit more as it also means that a whole new area of the market gets opened up to people who are getting into trials for the first time. Although the 20" market is reasonably well covered, the 24" and 26" bikes don't really have much in the way of completes at that £500-600 price point, and definitely nothing anywhere near as well specced as those Echo bikes are. Making getting into trials more affordable = more people riding = better for everyone. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konstant Posted November 28, 2015 Report Share Posted November 28, 2015 They're alright in my experience. Light and pretty, and didn't leak on me. I thought the levers were a bit flimsy but it's not surprising given their weight. The standard pads are a bit crap – I was never convinced by them even when bed in. Otherwise average power, so probably plenty for small wheels. As Mark says, the complete bike is a bargain and I wouldn't let these brakes put you off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolts Posted November 30, 2015 Report Share Posted November 30, 2015 (edited) Hey, I bought the Echo TR disc brakes a couple of years ago. Handled them perfectly when I got them but both of them started leaking and the pads (echo ones) were quite shit to be honest. But. I then ordered new O-rings (thicker), Jitsie pads from Tarty and now the brakes are immensely good. My mates even wondered how I got my Echo brakes to function that well. A fresh bleed, new pads, replace the shitty Echo O-rings with Magura ones, bed the rotor in with water and they WILL have exquisite bite and hold. Edited November 30, 2015 by Rolts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwtrials Posted December 1, 2015 Report Share Posted December 1, 2015 I ran a pair on a dual disc 26" bike a while back. Not the best with standard pads and discs, but an upgrade to jitsie / trialtech pads and hope rotors isn't too pricey and made them work really well. I think they have a decent lever feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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