lifted from a post i found on mtbr forums (i'm having clearance issues with my old hydro hopes):
These brakes get a lot of negative reviews, probably because they're old skool and require a bit of old skool knowledge. I worked on the AMP D1 discs on our race team in 1999 and got the hot set-up back then. I knew what to expect and how to fit these RockShox disc brakes before I bought them.
I fitted the front caliper and mount to the rear (yes, rear) of my bike by cutting 4mm off the caliper carrier mount with the dremel tool. I then fitted the 145mm dia rear disc onto the standard 6 bolt disc hub (used only three holes of course). The front caliper was fitted to my AMP forks. I ordered a caliper bracket from Brion at AMP Research for my 165mm AMP disc (fitted to my AMP front hub) and it works perfectly.
For players fitting the kit to their standard bikes, you'll need to buy two RockShox disc brake kits (at $38 it's as cheap as a second set of pads). Ditch the funky caliper from the rear caliper as it needs a special hub. Use the front ones on both ends. The problem with fitting comes from the fact that the disc rotors have very little clearance between the disc and the spokes. Hayes etc won't fit in there. The early days of discs used standard spacing hub flanges and the inboard side of the caliper was much slimmer. So, to fit these on your standard IS mount disc brake ready bike with your standard disc wheels, you have to mill or cut 4mm (measure first) off the caliper carrier.
Next, because the calipers are floating on sliding mounts (this is a good thing, self centering) you need to have fairly straight cable routing above the caliper. If you cable tie the cable to the fork, make sure you have about 10" running directly vertical from the caliper. This will ensure that there's no sideways pressure causing the caliper to slide on it's sliders and rub on the disc. Same at the rear.
Use special cable outers that don't allow compression. Use the best cables that you can afford and find an old bike mechanic who knows a few of the old tricks.
Maintain them by undoing that small screw on the slider pin and cleaning the slider pins regularly. The secret to their performance is their ability to find center and apply even pressure along a longer swept area. This means they need to slide freely.
Rotors. These are punched out of a sheet and the rears have a sharp side like a cheese grater. The front has sharp edges like a wood planer. This eats away the first two sets of pads and will drive you nuts. Get out the dremel tool and gently chamfer the sharp edges wherever the pad contacts the rotor. Go easy and try not to bend the rotor. This will help the pads last as long as Hayes. EBC make harder (gold) pads, but they're a bit harsh on rotors.
Levers, follow the instructions and use the canti setting on V levers, or better yet, get a set of Shimano 440 flat bar levers for road bikes. They have the correct leverage for these brakes.
They're not as good or as easy to fit as a set of Hayes dual piston or Avid juicys, so maybe, if you don't have a dremel (you should get one anyway), you would be better off with the popular new brands.
