Questions re Magura HS33 Rim Brakes.

ibbz

Gold Trader
rBotM Winner
Karma King
Dyna-Tech Fan
Feedback
View
I've never really considered nor used Hydraulic Rim brakes before.

I was looking for some brakes to fit an RSP Ti frame with and so far it's been all about V brakes, looking at Avid Ultimates etc.

But then I wondered how a pair of Magura HS33 would be like? CRC have some silver ones for £130 a pair - brakes and levers, and I wanted to ask friends here about these brakes.

I looked at a video, and it seems they're fairly easy to fit onto standard V/Canti mounts - correct me if I am wrong.

Are they a worthwhile alternative to V brakes? And fairly straight forward to set up?

Any help or advice would be most appreciated!
 
They are easy to mount, but I found that the older ones not so easy to set up, probably because the critical areas already had wear from a previous setup.
But then again those were well-abused early 90's Racelines. A modern or fairly new HS33 shouldn't have that problem.

Mind you, once they're set up, you'll never have to look at them again. If the pads are worn, you simply pull them out and new ones in.

As for braking power, you'll need a very good set of Vees with brake boosters to get anywhere near the level of power a Magura can deliver.

One thing to consider is the rim width. I wanted to put some HS33s on a bike with 39mm wide rims, and they simply wouldn't go that wide.
 
Great brakes, like Mr Bulls said, they're a cut above Vee's for stopping power, no cable stretch, no fiddling with adjustment, just fit and forget. Make sure you get the brake booster with them to avoid any stress on the frame.

Plenty of newer models on ebay secondhand very reasonably priced, they come up on here quite often too.
 
I ran them for a while and now wish i had kept them. Just hoping going to hydro discs over mech will give me maggie power.
 
Had a set on my MsIsle from new in 99.

Awesome stopping power. Just make sure you set them up central to the rim, the old brake boosters used to come pretty close to the tyre as they were designed in the days of 2.1s being wide. I imagine new ones wouldn't have this issue.
 
Thanks guys, I'm seriously looking to get the HS33 now, for my RSP Ti frame.
 
Another vote for HS33s here too. So amazingly reliable, lever feel is wonderful imo.
If I had one criticism it would be that they can be tricky to set up on certain frame sizes - Take a look at the angle of the piston on mine in the pic below. In order to get the pad aligned perfectly with the rim, the hose has to be pushed right up against the booster. Not ideal, and the booster doesn't stay put much of the time.

NB_CannondaleMay2008TopSlickGold.jpg


I forget which type of fitting kit mine came with, I think they're Evolutions.
I have a black Evo-II fitting kit still bagged up somewhere, in case I need it for some other bike. I think CRC or somebody were selling them off for a tenner a while back.
 
love em and now miss em as i have just got rid of this
trekandsaracen012.jpg


but about to put it right by fitting another set to my grisley
 
another in favour of these bad-ass rim brakes.
do make sure you are putting them to use on decent rims, i split a rim before as it was quite worn :?

also, setting them up is 100000% easier if the tyre is removed from the rim, means you can get them as close/parallel to the rim surface as you like.

but do also bear in mind the sidewall of the tyres, if they bulge out wide, this can rub on the pad holders too.
also worth noting - if you are running wide tyres and using a brake booster, you may need to deflate the tyre before removing the wheel, as the brake gets in the way of the tyre (it did with me when i had in on the rear of my FSR) - pic here:

IMGP6376.jpg


i've a set that i'm considering putting back on my FSR :) i havent bled them for about 10-12 years. they're seriously fit and forget :) i may bleed them in the near future - MAY :p
 
N/B":10anldgj said:
Another vote for HS33s here too. So amazingly reliable, lever feel is wonderful imo.
If I had one criticism it would be that they can be tricky to set up on certain frame sizes - Take a look at the angle of the piston on mine in the pic below. In order to get the pad aligned perfectly with the rim, the hose has to be pushed right up against the booster. Not ideal, and the booster doesn't stay put much of the time.

NB_CannondaleMay2008TopSlickGold.jpg


I forget which type of fitting kit mine came with, I think they're Evolutions.
I have a black Evo-II fitting kit still bagged up somewhere, in case I need it for some other bike. I think CRC or somebody were selling them off for a tenner a while back.

To be honest on a fat tubed, sturdy frame like that, you don't need a booster on the back anyway!
 
Back
Top