View Full Version : Armour Cable Disc Brake Review
Armour Cable Disc Brake Review
--->review here (http://www.farkin.net/page.php?p=5d29f44bd2f718fa4dedc45878dc8c80)<---
who on earth comes up with ideas that involve heating spings to weaken them???
some serious freestyle wrenching there.
lupine128
20-10-2003, 04:27 PM
good review guys.
it's always a refreshing change to read a review that doesn't just tell you how good something is, but also points out problems with the product.
keep up the great work
good review
i have a 6" armour on the rear wheel, they dont yet have the same amount of bite as my front avid but they have some funky modulation going on. squeeze the brake down, then let it out a bit and thats some power! and for the price i cant complain :D
Well I can see why you guys have a reputation for honesty and integrity in your reviews. Thanks for such a good look at these babies.
I do have to clear up one thing though (and my apologies if I somehow misled anyone in the Farkin compound... it was certainly never my intention)... but GripSport aren't actually bringing these brakes into the country.
The actual importer is Unlimited Bicycles who also bring in the Armor Hydros and a heap of other good gear as well... which means that while we hope you choose to buy these brakes from us, GripSport is not the only source for them and they are in fact available through bike shops generally.
All we've done is organise a good deal to get our hot little hands on what seems to be a hot little item... and then sell them at what we hope is a hot little price. Simple as that.
Nope, my bad entirely, I made the assumption you were bringing them in purely because I hadn't heard anything about them from anyone else. I've ammended the review accordingly, thanks for bringing it to my attention :)
Thanks Ryan. Fact is I hadn't heard anything about them up till now either... but after reading your review I think I can safely say that they do seem "the goods" and it sounds like Farkin members might just about be the first and only people to know about them at the moment.
Another coup for Farkin, eh?
Thanks for all that info as I am buying some discs soon 8).
Good review boys :)
Oh and Grip expect a PM in the next month or so ;)
that changed your mind yet adin?
scratchy
05-11-2003, 08:18 PM
Hey fellas, Travis from www.bikefanatic.com here. Good to read this review. I try to test stuff myself and while I have turned heaps of people onto the Armor Hydro, I hadn't got around to testing the Cable Discs. I have always been a bit skeptical of Cable Discs the only ones I have ever tried that compare/out perform hydro are the Avid's. Definately should be the comparison, Dom if you get a chance and not the shitty Hayes Cables (paired with Avid Speed dial levers, hmmmmmmm schweeet!). Cable disc's can be so off the mark that you would be crazy not to buy a brand without reading a review. So full props to Jon for exposing this good deal (hope Unlimited are cutting him a good deal for doing a better job of marketing their product). Support Jon by purchasing a pair from him. I think I will have to start stocking them. At least then I could give you some feedback comparing them with the Avids (which I love but also sell, so <disclaimer> take what I say as marketing BS if you like </disclaimer>)
Hey Travis... good to see you getting a plug in for Bikefanatic.com... for those who don't already know they have been selling our gear since they opened their cyber doors and have ALWAYS done the right thing by us and their customers... so next time you want to cyber shop for MTB stuff give them a go.
Hey maybe we can start a bit of a price war on these brakes? Now would that get up the noses of accessory wholesalers everywhere, or what?
scratchy
05-11-2003, 10:26 PM
OK, I'll sell'em more expensive than you, see if you can beat that!
Travis
Whore, good gawd youre wad dis it good phoar?
Would heating the spring actually make it softer, or just more brittle? I am slightly skeptical here...
nah i heated them then unwound them a bit. it worked a bit but i don't see why you need such a powerfull return spring, all it has to do is pull the pad back.
scratchy
06-11-2003, 02:26 PM
Unless I missed it there is no mention about the pads the cable takes. Are they the same as the Armor Hydros? If it is, mention should be made in the review as the list of disc pads to stock is only getting longer.
The pads for the Armor cable discs are exactly the same as the Magura (Louise) pads. I'm sure these are obviously in use on other Maguras too and probably other brands of brakes even... but they are very easy to get in either OEM or after-market such as EBC.
To be honest I've never seen the pads from the Armor Hydros so I don't know if they're the same or not.
scratchy
06-11-2003, 03:52 PM
You guys are making me plug my site again! Here is a picture of the pads. Here is a picture I took of the Hydro pads, are the Cable the same?
http://bikefanatic.com/shop/product_info.php/cPath/22_73/products_id/416
Sorry, about the plug, at least it's in the quest for truth, honesty and a cheap set of rotors!
Looks like you may have to start stocking yet ANOTHER style of pad, Scratchy. Sorry, mate but here's a pic of the Armor cable disc pads.
http://www.farkin.net/forums/album_pic.php?pic_id=2334
well we have a few sets of the cables and hydros here and they are far from simlar, the cable pad is indeed a magura louise pad, EBC also make the standard range of red, green and gold pads for magura so there are some tuning options there. the armor hydro pads are different to anything i've sven seen before.
well we have a few sets of the cables and hydros here and they are far from simlar, the cable pad is indeed a magura louise pad, EBC also make the standard range of red, green and gold pads for magura so there are some tuning options there. the armor hydro pads are different to anything i've sven seen before.
Simple solution then!!!!! Everyone buys the cable jobbies :lol: :lol: :lol: ... now my number is....
scratchy
06-11-2003, 10:46 PM
Didn't know you could post pictures. Coooool. Hydros are a bastardised version of the Hayes hydros (have also heard from some people that the Hayes will actually fit into the Armors Hydros, haven't tested that on though). Dom!, Ty! in the name of Science
Didn't know you could post pictures. Coooool. Hydros are a bastardised version of the Hayes hydros (have also heard from some people that the Hayes will actually fit into the Armors Hydros, haven't tested that on though). Dom!, Ty! in the name of Science
i'll have a look tomorrow but personaly i like the armor 'bolt through' system better than the hayes springs, actualy i don't know why you'd want to run hayes pads, genuine hayes pads are twice the price and armor pads are about the same price as EBCs.
Ok, ok... all this "pad" talk is fine... but isn't anyone going to actually BUY any brakes? Seeing these were supposed to be the greatest things since sliced bread we bought in the odd loaf or two... and now suddenly it's like we can't sell a sandwich to save our lives!
Toasted ham & cheese anyone?
Scott
07-11-2003, 11:55 AM
i had better cancel my xt hyrdos order just for you grip... get me some REAL brakes :)
They're on their way, Scott... I mean... you WERE serious, weren't you? :)
Scott
07-11-2003, 12:08 PM
lol, damn.... i dont think i can cancel this order.... *sigh* oh well, next time :)
Where can you buy the Armor Hydro brakes from? My friend and I are interested in buying some.
We live around the northen beaches, north shore area.
Edit... Crap thought this was the hydro armor review thread. :roll:
Scott
18-11-2003, 09:29 AM
no, its here : http://www.farkin.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3483
*UPDATE*
The Armor Cable discs remained on my bike right up until yesterday when they failed me in a very serious way and flipped me fair onto my face.
I was at my local skatepark trying to nose-manual over a small wedge when mid-manual I went for a touch of brake to correct which rather than gently picking my back wheel up, pitched me fair over the bars and into a head-first concrete slam.
After recovering from the over the bars excursion I picked my bike up to find that the front caliper mount had bent inboard, locking the caliper against the disc and giving me both my hilarious (to the skaters in the park at least) slam and a long walk home.
I could probably get a new caliper mount, but I just wouldn't trust it. If this had happened on a DH track at high speed the results would have been a lot less pretty than a few cuts and bruises and a sore head and I can't afford that. The Armor Cable discs will remain permanently off my bike.
BagofSkill
16-12-2003, 02:31 PM
No offence to you dude, but that shit doesn't just happen. Were the mounting bolts tight? Did they take a hit beforehand? Was all the damage done before you hit the pavement? Do you have any pics of the damaged bracket?
I reckon you should get in touch with Unlimited Bicycles and tell them what happened and see what they'll do about it.
Hope you heal up quickly!
Before this turns into any sort of shit fight... seeing as how we supplied those brakes to Farin for the review I just want it known that I have already been in touch with Ryan and Unlimited about this.
Wow man, thats pretty screwed up. I got the Armor cables on my bike and have had no problems with them so far, i can't understand how the mount just bent. I don't blame you for not wanting them on your bike anymore after what had happened. I am still very confident with my brakes, everythign on them is tight and have had no problems (appart from the disc rotor loosening because I did not have any loctite). Get better soon!
Edit: Do the Armor Hydros use the same mount?
Armor Hydro's use a Hayes mount, not the mount supplied with the cable discs.
No offence to you either BagOfSkill, but I've been doing this mountain bike thing for a while now (8 years) and I don't think my bikes been inside a bike shop to be worked on by anyone but myself for the last 3. I consider myself a very competent bike mechanic. All the bolts were tight AND loctited and the caliper was fine before the crash and never hit the ground during it.
I wouldn't randomly slag a product for something that was my fault, it's my integrity that's at stake whenever I bad-mouth something and I can genuinely say I can see no way that my negligence or failure to set these up properly caused this to happen.
On closer inspection, the top floating caliper mount was cracked as well and fell off with minimal persuasion. Perhaps I was a little over generous with the loctite on those bolts and impaired the ability of the caliper to float properly? More likely the mount bending caused the crack in the caliper though.
Anyways, heres some pics of the offending caliper.
<p align=center>[/url][url="http://www.farkin.net/image.php?image=102ceb32c8449c108a95ffbc34d83660.j pg><img"] (http://www.farkin.net/image.php?image=0459294a8f1ad121c56a497f88d170a0.j pg><img)</p>
Pic on the left shows just how bent the mount was, pic on the right shows where the caliper cracked.
Brakes will now go via Grip to Unlimited Bicycles where some answers will hopefully surface.
BagofSkill
16-12-2003, 03:11 PM
Edit: Do the Armor Hydros use the same mount?
No, they don't.
Ryan,
totaly trust you, more with your solid history. Sounds like a parts/materials failure (though it's not my place to say!).
Edit: Recomend people with the cable brakes check the monting tabs regularly (if/until this gets cleared up as a one-off)
And look I will and report back after Unlimited have had the chance to see the brake. I have to say though I was pretty impressed with the very quick and generous offer of customer service made by Unlimited. Ryan posted re the failure at 12.30 and by 3.30 the same day I had an email from Unlimited advising that they had already been in touch with Ryan about the incident. Obviously myself as the point of sales and Unlimited as importer are both concerned to try and find out exactly what happened here. Hopefully it was a "oncer".
Oh and Ryan... I just came across this of yours in a thread about Armor Hydros...
Sorry, but one bad experience doesn't mean a brake sucks.
Can you be as generous about the cables? Huh? Maybe? Huh? Damn... and those shelves are full too!
I never said they sucked Grip, as a matter of fact I still stand by my original review; they performed fantastically until this happened.
According to Ken at Unlimited Bicycles, this is the first time they've heard of this happening. This does not mean the brakes suck or are dangerous, it could very well be an isolated incident.
Or it could not :?
Happy now ;)
Damn it... you know if Farkin was like some of the bike mags out there you would have been too scared to say anything negative for fear of losing advertising... then again if Farkin was like some of the bike mags out there then A/ the brakes probably would have been "tested" while they were still in the packaging and B/ not that many people would be reading this anyway!
And mate, the only thing that could make me happy right now is a Marilyn Monroe lookalike with false teeth, low self-esteem and her own knee pads!
Just read the latest addition to my sig Jon, advertising is cool!
97 pages of ads out of 155 total = 63% advertising for the low low price of $6.95. Now if that doesn't guarantee an authoritative and unbiased review process I don't know what does ;)
Yes... but they're part of the REAL media, Ryan. Jesus.... don't you know anything????
Hmmmm.... I just snapped the top bolt off my frame that holds the caliper mount on the frame...... the thread in the bottom one seems okay, but its not very smooth. Top one is pretty bad.
Like ryan I was doing an endlo in my backyard, i had just started it when i heard a snap and the bolt just flew out! On top of that, the mount looks a tad bent inboard.. will know the story by tomorrow.... hmmmm sh!t.
Yeh man, I am just looking at it right now, cant figure it out, I was only going like 2km/h..... just coming in to a stop... damn, the thread looks bad.
Allright, well the thread is okay... now just gonna see if indeed it is bent... fingers crossed it isn't.
Hmmmm upon further inspection i have found an eccessive side-to-side movment of the caliper towards the bottom cailper mount bolt. Argh... this is weird!
The floating caliper mounts seem to be stuffed aswell...
Well I took it all appart, put it abck together, and the only thing i can come up with is that the caliper mount is still slightly bent because the disc makes high pitched noises when it rotates. No idea whether the floating caliper is too loose or too tight... not gonna fiddle with it anymore. :?
Adin, if there's a problem with the brakes themselves please be assured that I'll make every effort to see you right. There is nothing worse than something not being exactly as you are led to believe.
I have already emailed Ken at Unlimited Bicycles about this latest incident and have included the link to this thread so he can look himself.
Cheers
Thanks for that Grip, Ken at Unlimited Bicycles pointed out to me that loctite should be used with the bolts (I got my local bike shop to install them for me when they were putting new hubs on my bike - no I am not blaming them, I should have double checked). When I looked at it. The Bottom bolt had only a minor amount of loctite on it and because the top one snapped off, I could not find it. I think I will just get another mount to be on the safe side. So no, it is not the brakes fault.
Oh an Grip, if you want me to send in the front caliper and stuff, just let me know...
Adin, good to see that issues in our industry/sport CAN actually be dealt with quickly. Ken from Unlimited has dropped everything to get onto this ASAP... I've had 7 emails from him and 2 phone calls today. He needs to be commended for that.
No, don't send the caliper back. There's a new adapter mount making it's way from Sydney to you as we speak. Get that on, loctited up and lets see how that goes.
Re Loctite... often bolts that come in kits or with parts (such as brakes) etc have a smear of blue "thread lock" already on the threads... supposedly so the end user can simply bolt everything together and be "off". The reality is it's only a "smear"... it's usually in the wrong place on the thread anyway... and it's ALWAYS dried out well past it's max strength by the time it gets bolted up.
I'd advise ALL MTBers to invest a small amount in a small bottle of Loctite. I suggest 222 as being the best all-round thread lock for the nuts and bolts (size-wise) found on bikes. Anything much stronger and dismanling with standard tools becomes too hard... especially when you consider that so many bolts on bikes are going into alloy threads and tend to "bind" anyway. A small bottle of 222 should last an average home workshop years... I've got one that's ten years plus.
Thanks for that Grip. And thanks to Ken at Unlimited bicycles for e-mailing me so quickly and getting it all sorted out!
Adin :)
scratchy
08-03-2004, 03:40 PM
A possible solution to the heavy pull???
Dunno if anyone has tried using these with Avid levers. (Say anything higher than a 1.9, with the micro modulation nipple). IMHO reviews of cable disc should include what levers were used, as it does effect the feel of the discs. With a heavy spring, a possible (although fiddly) solution would be to use something like the Avid levers (with their "Patented adjustable leverage") wound all the way in (towards the saddle). It would require the pads to be set up closer to the rotor, as there would be less movement of the pad on the pulling on of the brakes, but the effect of the spring should be lessened in that the levers will have extra leverage. With softer compounds this might make the brakes a little snappy but with a little experimenting a good combo should be found.
Dunno what I'm talking about with the levers? http://www.avidbike.com/3_levers/lever3_0_home.html
Yeah...the review was done with Avid SD1.9's with the micro-adjustable leverage :)
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