There was a time when the US brand Hayes was the number 1 brake brand. In 2005, the year FREERIDE was founded, bike manufacturers fitted their bikes with Hayes brakes whenever they needed powerful braking power, good modulation and comfortable grip ergonomics. The successful model back then was called the HFX-9, but then the Americans made a mistake and their brakes almost disappeared in no time at all. Now Hayes is more of a niche product.
Dominion now wants to change that. And we think it has what it takes. We fitted it with a 200 mm disc at the front and a 180 mm disc at the rear on an enduro bike. It is designed for enduro and downhill missions. Only on very long, steep descents on Lake Garda did the rear brake show some fading - this would probably not have happened with a 200 mm disc. Otherwise, the braking power of the Hayes was reminiscent of Magura's successful MT-5 model; however, the lever ergonomics were better on the Hayes.
Our 92-kilo tester Hans was completely satisfied with the performance. He wore out four sets of pads over 2700 kilometres (Hans brakes hard and a lot) and had to fiddle quite a bit to change the pads. Annoying, as he said. The lever width can be adjusted without tools. Super: The Hayes brakes don't make any noise - no disc crescendo, no zing, no zang - only in the wet do they make a terrible howling noise that makes you want to stop braking altogether.
We can also back up our very good practical impression with solid laboratory results. Our sister magazine BIKE put the Dominion four-piston brake through its paces on the test bench and attested the Ami-Stopper with semi-metallic pads a high braking force (third best value of 11 brakes tested) and good stability with quite high pad wear. Test judgement: very good.
Weight517 grams with 200 mm disc,
Price: 286 €
Infohayesdiscbrake.com
STRENGTHS Braking power, comfortable levers, good modulation
WEAKNESSES squeaks when wet
Conclusion: very good, reliable braking system with high bite and comfortable levers.
