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OEM brake lines are better?

3K views 27 replies 14 participants last post by  Rad Rage 
#1 · (Edited)
This is a straight copy paste from the fireblades.org forum, what do you guys think?

I caught this while surfing another board and decided to pose the question to Fireblades. The question will be evident by the time you read the paragraph.

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Why one would want a stiffer brake feel on a road bike? I know that I like the stiff feel that my steel braided hoses provide on my track bike, but I use it only on the track and thus I do frequent high-effort braking and I seldom encounter "emergency" braking situations. On my road bike, however, from time to time I encounter situations where I quickly and unexpectedly apply a lot of brake. In these situations, I have a tendency to stab the brake (because I wasn't planning, for example, to have that elk run out into the road ahead of me). For me, the additional compliance provided by the OEM lines compared to steel-braided lines is a safety mechanism -- it helps buffer the shock of brake application so I get a smoother, more controlled application of the brake. I can still get all the brake power I could ever want, because even at full-effort I cannot pull the brake lever all the way to the grip. I just get that initial application in a smoother, more controlled fashion even when I'm panicked.

I think the OEM lines are safer than aftermarket steel braided lines on a street bike.


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Any thoughts on this? Bunk? Sensible? Somewhere in between?

I've now run my bike on a track. I will never race it competitively, thus the trackday duty my brake system saw was as extreme as it will ever see ... and I didn't long for a different lever feel, nor did my brakes ever fade despite sessions that lasted as many as a dozen fairly brisk laps in a row.

So for me, maybe SS lines are frivolous but for the way they look?


Input?

TIA

-Chain
 
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#2 ·
I think that's stupid. It's not the bike, it's the rider that cannot safely roll on his brakes with better brake lines. You don't slam on the brakes in an emergency situation anyways unless you feel like locking up the brakes or diving over the front end. I think this is like saying, "a cruiser is more comfortable, because it's not as sporty or as much like a race bike". Basically what it comes down to is it's a performance modification on a race bike, not designed to help riders avoid emergencies on the street, it's designed to avoid expansion over excessive temperatures with more breaking power over higher stress to reduce fade while retaining the same feel. This is yet another person overlooking the fact he has a race bike on the road...
 
#4 · (Edited)
Did you have to so abruptly kill the thread ?:crackup:
I like they way you put it, there is complacency in that OP's reasoning. That is why you are always encouraged to practice emergency braking so that it is second nature to you and you end up applying the brakes properly rather than stabbing at them. Hell if you practice a little bit you will notice that real braking power kicks in not as soon as you squeeze the lever (And the pads make contact with the rotors) but a split second after that. It is during that time you need to modulate the lever, and maintaining good feel provided by steel lines will help you achieve that rather than trying to compensate for the rubber lines expanding. So in essence once you get over the hurdle of stabbing at the brakes in an emergency, using steel line makes it easier and more efficient.

Guess that's that.
 
#11 ·
I honestly think its more of a looks thing for the street and people over exaggerate the difference they feel like X said.

I used to frequent mustang forums because im a Mustang guy (even more so than I am a bike guy, I just ride for fun) and for awhile about 3-4 years ago. Underdrive pullies where kind of like that. They offered a slight horsepower gain but when I bought them I didn't notice the difference at all. And some people will say. "Oh yeah I definitely felt a difference, not much of a difference but you could tell there was an increase" I think its the same concept. People imagine they feel something that isn't really there to justify the money they spent on something

That said, I'm still buying braided brake lines. They look cool! Lol
 
#19 ·
Braided Brake Lines

I posted this last month about braided brake lines. The common misconception with braided brake lines is that they offer better braking performance. What they do offer is better feel and consistency as they are not prone to fade. OEM rubber lines expand under heat and bulge resulting in a loss of brake fluid pressure which translates to a sensation of brake fade and a 'sponginess' felt at the lever after prolonged use. Hence you feel like you need to apply more and more pressure at the brake lever for the same amount of braking performance over time. Braided lines alleviate this problem as they do not expand and therefore maintain strong braking performance and offer a more progressive and consistent feel at the lever particularly when the brakes are being used extensively for example on track. They are an extremely worthwhile upgrade particularly if you intend to ride on track. However, on the road where you are highly unlikely to be exerting the same amount of braking force, and therefore generating as much heat, so you are unlikely to feel any difference to a well maintained set of OEM lines. For road only use you will feel more benefit simply changing the fluid periodically and thoroughly bleeding the system.
 
#21 ·
Truf! :+1:

i posted this last month about braided brake lines. The common misconception with braided brake lines is that they offer better braking performance. What they do offer is better feel and consistency as they are not prone to fade. Oem rubber lines expand under heat and bulge resulting in a loss of brake fluid pressure which translates to a sensation of brake fade and a 'sponginess' felt at the lever after prolonged use. Hence you feel like you need to apply more and more pressure at the brake lever for the same amount of braking performance over time. Braided lines alleviate this problem as they do not expand and therefore maintain strong braking performance and offer a more progressive and consistent feel at the lever particularly when the brakes are being used extensively for example on track. They are an extremely worthwhile upgrade particularly if you intend to ride on track. However, on the road where you are highly unlikely to be exerting the same amount of braking force, and therefore generating as much heat, so you are unlikely to feel any difference to a well maintained set of oem lines. For road only use you will feel more benefit simply changing the fluid periodically and thoroughly bleeding the system.
 
#25 ·
He is right, they are steel reinforced and most brake lines are steel reinforced. The ones on my car are as well, it rare to not find a line thats steal reinforced, and he is right about them being over rated for street use.


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