Goodridge braided stainless steel brake lines
I recently bought a set of braided stainless steel brake lines made by Goodridge. I’m using Hayes Nine HFX HD disc brakes with the more recent G2 calipers. Unfortunately, one part was missing from the new kit that I bought online from chain reaction cycles in the UK, so I had to go down to the local bike shop (Gofis Bici) and get a suitable replacement part (luckily they had the Goodridge spare parts kit handy).
You’ll possibly need to cut these lines to the right length first. You’ll also need to bleed the lines before use. Neither is this a guide to doing those tasks. This is intended to be a product review from the perspective of braking performance.
With Hayes brakes, there are a few adapters that you have to use to get these to work. The resulting termination of the Goodridge brake line at the caliper end is very long indeed; banjo attachments would have been so much nicer and simpler, but I like the Hayes levers and they’re very reasonably priced. Anyway, this isn’t a review of Hayes brakes, so I’ll get on with it. Just know that the installation is not that straightforward if you’re coupling this to a Hayes setup.
I first tested these with new sintered metal brake pads. Once they wore in, I was able to compare them to the standard Hayes kevlar hydraulic brake lines (the front tyre actually wore a hole in them, hence I only replaced the front line). Braking power is improved significantly with the same finger effort. So much so, you’ll need to be careful applying the front brakes on slippery surfaces. During the very first test ride, I lost a lot of confidence in my ability to stop on off-cambered corners and loose rocky slopes. I quickly realised I had to re-learn my braking technique to avoid the front wheel locking up. Straight line stops on the other hand were very confidence-inspiring indeed. Stopping is easily possible with either one or two fingers on > 20% slopes. Install these and hand fatigue becomes a thing of the past. Couple these brake lines with a 9″ disc rotor, and you’ll have the ultimate stopping power!
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