Posible to Upgrade Mechanical Brakes to Hydraulic Brakes

[rsghowellnj]

I'm wondering if it is possible to upgrade the mechanical disc brakes on the Rad Expand 5 to hydraulic disk breaks?  If so, has anyone had any success?

[malajo]

Yes, no problem. Fitting is the same. Only problem can be if cable/hose is inside frame.


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[rsghowellnj]

Thanks but I have a folding bike requirement.

[rsghowellnj]

Thanks folks ... I guess I will bring the bike to my local bike shop.  Sounds like it is possible.

[Ddaybc]

rsghowellnj, one can install hydraulic brakes that have the hydraulic fluid mostly just in the callipers. The brakes are activated with cables like mechanical brakes. According to reviews I've read they are better than mechanical brakes but not quite as good as fully hydraulic systems. They would work for your folding bike.
If you choose to try them then you would simply change the mechanical callipers for hydraulic ones and then adjust the cables so they work. I imagine they would also come with some simple instructions.

[rsghowellnj]

Ddaybc,

How that is real cool.  All I'm trying to do is get to a point where the breaks don't have to be adjust ever other time I ride.  The issue from what I understand it is with the mechanical calipers very hydraulic calipers.  Thank you fro the tip.  I will check with my bike shop to see about this type of change up.

Awesome and thank you for the tip!

[SQFRad]

I've been thinking about adding these to my radrunner https://area13ebikes.com/products/juintech-m1-hydraulic-calipers-easy-install-on-most-ebikes

[Altema]

Cable-pull hydraulic calipers can be a good way to upgrade. Avoid the Catazer calipers on Amazon. I'm still recovering from injuries due to them. The Juintech brakes look good, and I may order a set to try them out. Bolton (now renamed to Area 13) carries full hydraulic brakes for Rad bikes.

[Altema]

I've been thinking about adding these to my radrunner https://area13ebikes.com/products/juintech-m1-hydraulic-calipers-easy-install-on-most-ebikes

Thanks for the link. I ordered a set to try out.

[JimInPT]

I just ordered a set of the Juintech M1 brake calipers from Bolton/Area13 yesterday.  In stock and $20 less expensive than Amazon.  Thanks for the tips on this thread to give them a try!

[JimInPT]

Thanks folks ... I guess I will bring the bike to my local bike shop.  Sounds like it is possible.

The Juintech M1 hydraulic calipers ($149 at Bolton, $169 Amazon) are a pretty easy drop-in replacement for the stock Rad mechanical calipers ( https://velomobileshop.com/products/juintech-m1-hydraulic-calipers-easy-install-on-most-ebikes ); Bolton has a 3-year old Youtube vid showing how:  https://youtu.be/eqR-k3C-6nk

Unless you're really skittish about working with tools (a 5 mm hex wrench and a cutter/crimper like needlenose pliers are all you need), there's no need to spend the money having a shop do the work.  I've ordered a set and will install in a week or two.

[rsghowellnj]

Wow the The Juintech M1 hydraulic calipers seems like a really easy upgrade to do myself.  Has anyone been successful with this upgrade on a RAD bike that they could share their experience and how well they work?  My goal is to reduct the amount of break adjustments.  I'm hoping that hydraulic calipers will require less maintenance.  I also noticed a color difference on the Calipers that are sold from Area13 and Amazon.  Does anyone know the difference other than color?

[Kari]

Any of these available from EU? I allready have cheap cable operated hydraulic brakes on my RadMini 4. So I would prefer something better quality this time.

[JimInPT]

Wow the The Juintech M1 hydraulic calipers seems like a really easy upgrade to do myself.  Has anyone been successful with this upgrade on a RAD bike that they could share their experience and how well they work?  My goal is to reduct the amount of break adjustments.  I'm hoping that hydraulic calipers will require less maintenance.  I also noticed a color difference on the Calipers that are sold from Area13 and Amazon.  Does anyone know the difference other than color?

I'll know in a few days; my M1's have shipped from Bolton.  There are a number of comments on the product page there from people who installed them easily, including Rad owners - I don't expect any difficulty since these mounting interfaces seem to be pretty standardized, as you'd expect in a market that buys components from multiple suppliers.

I believe the color difference is among different models; Juintech has an R1 for a lower price on Amazon and Bolton's M1 is cheaper than Amazon for the same model.  I haven't researched the differences between models, but I like Bolton and happy to give them more business.

As for adjustments, you'll still have a bit of stretch in the mechanical cable, especially if the cable is new, and as the pads wear you'll need to tweak that, but the Juintech design makes that adjustment a lot easier with just a knob to twist, needing no tools.  Overall, I expect less maintenance, but not zero.  Even fully-hydraulic systems with no cable to stretch should require pad-wear tweaking.

[rsghowellnj]

Kari,

Area13 appears to ship international.  I would drop them an email to info@boltonebikes.com to see if they will ship to your location.  I'm not sure if anyone else has come across  a Hydraulic Caliper in Europe that can advise you better.