Product Review: Hayes CX Expert Disc Brake + 160mm Rotor

The Hayes CX Expert cable actuated disc brake is a post mount disc brake which includes a 160mm rotor. Using a single cam system allowing light brake action, the CX Expert is fully adjustable and allows you to run discs with your conversional mechanical groupset.

Features:

• Ride Style: XC
• Weight: 195g (Caliper only)
• Rotor: L Series 160mm 6 bolt (Including bolts)
• Graphics: Pad Print
• Pad Material: Semi-Metallic
• Pad Retention: Bottom Load
• Mounting: Post Mount
• Front or Rear: Universal (Single brake only)
• Compatibility: Designed to work with drop bar shifters
• Adaptors: NOT included

Hayes Cx Expert Disc Brake Review:

The brake is very simple to install, you will need to buy an adaptor for your stem, my adaptor clamped on tight, but still allows easy removal. The brakes come with BLB quick release adaptors, this allows you to easily remove the wheels and pads from the frame to replace them as they wear.

The instructions are very clear and leaves you little if any to figure out by yourself. I was slightly confused when I saw the instructions said to use a 2mm allen key for the bottom load retention, but that was just before the instructions showed the 3mm allen key which actually finishes the installation while still allowing me to bleed the brakes.

A mechanic may be able to set up the brakes quicker but if you need to replace your pads as you wear them, you may need the tools.

I never actually got around to bleeding the brakes but assumed that is what the instructions are there for and had the mechanic at my local shop bleed it. I didn’t take pictures because I didn’t ask approval and had too many technical difficulties. If I can get some shots, I will add them later.

Initially I had a problem with the left lever, the top bolt came loose while opening the bleed valve making the lever move a bit. It was hard to get both pads to contact the rotor, not sure if it was my setup or the brake itself but it worked fine after being properly bled. The lever is adjustable and was in the most direct path that any lever would place it, fully exposed so I don’t think it can be a matter of it getting caught. The lever has a small window, where it cannot be moved too far forward or too far back by hand, pretty standard for an actuated brake.

The lever is very light and opens the pads lightly. It is very difficult to force it open even with an extensive number of levers, making it very safe (will not lock open) and easy to use for somebody not strong enough to force it with a single finger (like me). The short pull is suitable for use with drop bar shifters where the shifter is very far back for me, like the recent 10 speed Ergos, this is a major advantage to this lever.

The lever doesn’t move far to the wide position and in the middle it has a plastic piece that keeps it from travelling too far, again, making it suitable for drop bar shifters which usually don’t allow enough space to manipulate the lever so you can place it in the middle. In the lever’s widest position, the whole lever gets accidentally moved back to the close position by my thumb, I can’t learn to use it in the middle.

I find the pads to be very easy to switch, they are not much bigger than the predecessor Kool Stop pads I had and I don’t see any reason why they can’t be swapped with Kool Stop in the future. The design has springs that must hold the pads in while they wear. The pads are made of semi-metallic, this is nice in the sense that it won’t wear out quick. The downside is that it will be a bit harder to brake as they wear.

While I never fully tested the Cx Expert’s capabilities, I was able to go very fast downwards and climb decently. The brakes did their job by keeping me on the path I was intending to go. I never had a hard time feeling the brakes and had no problems with the pad contact, making me feel very confident in the performance of the brakes.

The brakes look great, the pad prints are very bold and the whole appearance with the mint green calipers and the forks that match it is beautiful. They appear a bit thin for me, but that may be just the OEM look of it.

After coming back from my first ride, I noticed a strange squeaking coming from the brake. I never figured out what it was, but it came from the caliper or the brake itself. The mechanic showed me the linkage lever I believed to be the source of the squeeak and we agreed that it was normal. The pad material is completely covered, so I can’t tell from that either.

I wasn’t able to test the effect the heat had on the performance of the brake since it is still winter in NJ and the dirt is hard packed into mud.

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Thoughts:

• The brake is very nice looking, the color scheme is very nice and has a very stately look.
• The pads are very easy to switch.
• The pads on mine came preloaded with a fair amount of initial pressure. I would assume this was intentional so people don’t have to fish around to get the pads to make contact with the rotor.
• I was able to verify that the pads are very easy to replace, but I had a few issues with pad replacement.
• The brakes seemed to work best on the most direct path, I was used to the Kool Stop brakes which can provide direct and indirect braking making the pads more easily to adjust for trail conditions on the fly.
• I was not able to test the weather conditions of the brake but it was very windy at all times while I rode. I would assume that the brakes may have trouble cooling properly in breezy conditions.
• There wasn’t enough friction on the pads to leave any marks on the rotor after replacement, so I think they may need to be preloaded.
• The lever seems to be the most comfortable on the market, short pull, semi-metallic pads, soft springs and a light lever. All together this is a very nice lever.
• The lever is a bit more inconvenient than others for drop bar use, it moves too easily back to the close position while in the middle. Also, I actually prefer the BLB levers which push the lever away from the bar when released.
• The brake looks great, but it isn’t the widest and it is a bit more expensive than some other brakes.
• I think that this brake should be more comfortable with a thicker rotor.
• I noticed a very small squeak coming from the lever, it didn’t seem like anything major, but I prefer to not have a noise at all.
• The picture below shows the delrin ring that holds the lever safely above the caliper.

This is my first Hayes brake and I was pleasantly surprised. The brakes just perform, they do their job and nothing else. They have a light feel which makes them easy to pick up and a near universal adaptor so you can run money gears. The brake pad replacements are very easy to swap and the design of the brake allows for longer wear times with a single pair of pads. The lever is the most comfortable on the market and it looks nice.

The brakes did not work quite as I had expected. After being very good in most of the tests for the brakes, it was a bit of a let down. I tried to look past my initial frustration and I think that it serves as an example of how good brakes can be and how important it is to be able to evaluate them correctly.

I actually liked the way the brakes felt while I never found the ideal performance I was looking for. Some of the issues I have was my inability to push the lever through its full range of motion when shifting while running a straight bar. This led me to believe it was the width of the lever that was the issue and that the lever was not long enough. This was not the case. I had a few other issues relating to the same problem, but I think that eventually I will have to change to a drop bar shifter.

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Floating adaptor for 10 speed
• Light
• Relatively low friction
• Long life (well, at least long as you go with the semi-metallic pads)
• Comfortable lever
• Excellent for use with 12-14 speed cassettes
• Very easy to change pads
• Look great

Cons:

• Rough on rims (if you shift the lever a lot while braking)
• Handlebar clamp is not very solid
• Hard to shift while braking
• Lacks Instant return
• Not enough friction
• Not strong enough
• Squeaking
• Expensive
• Hydraulics and cables pull to different directions, making the housing harder to route.

I was not able to properly test this brake. It is freezing outside and my ram mounts broke so I wasn’t able to mess with the brake and I haven’t been able to really cycle in the weather. As a result, I was not able to really test the full capacity of the brake, but I was able to get a little more experience with the brake.

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