Hayes’ top new Prime Pro trail brake promises unique technology and titanium trim but it’s a heavy and rather disappointing unit in use.
The Poppet Cam free stroke adjuster which lets you set bite point is retained from the previous lever, as is the reach wheel. While it still shares the same look as the previous Hayes Stroker, brake fluid flow into the reservoir to cope with heat expansion is five times greater. Add titanium fixings to reduce weight and it sounds a tempting option.
Unfortunately even with the Ti kit, the chunky master cylinder and big two-piece bolted calliper still make it a heavyweight. The Poppet Cam lever is also extremely stiff to use from new and despite claims of extra power from Hayes, both sets we’ve been testing are relatively low on torque on the trail and dyno.
The rotor has a noticeable pulse due to thickness variances and we also suffered slight fade well before other brakes on the dyno. Reliability has been good otherwise and you get a free paint protector sleeve on the hose, but the Pro isn’t our Prime choice.
This article was originally published in What Mountain Bike magazine.
