My brake pads will soon need replacing, and I'll be changing the fluid, too. So, I figured, now would be the perfect time to switch to braided steel brake lines. I found a set on the HEL website. Has anyone used these before?
http://usahel.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=14975
http://usahel.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=16200
Also, what are your thoughts on color? My bike is basically all black and silver, but I thought it'd be cool to go with a brighter color, like the translucent neon blue.
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0Z0uVtnoOo8/S_CfM7RxRJI/AAAAAAAAAN8/brgFsIOz4fk/s1152/DSC_0120.JPG)
I have the neon blue. I ordered from HEL.
I would NOT order from them ever again. If I found another website with HEL products, I might consider it.
It took them 3 months to ship me my order. Poor email communication.
Beyond all that, it is an excellent product.
But I bet it's not much better than something that's $60 cheaper.
They work great. Makes the lever pressure more linear and firmer (more grip = more braking) instead of most of your braking force in the last centimeter of lever travel.
Google for a local hydraulic shop. Ask them if they'll make you a set, or if they know anyone who will.
A big-rig trucking place near me makes them for $20 a piece and can use the same colors.
Took me two phone calls.
Standard colors - usually black/smoke, regular stainless, red, maybe blue. The green is hard to come by (doesn't sell really well).
They're the same lines. Teflon/polymer tubing with SS braid encasement and a colored plastic sleeve or insert. They just cut them to fit and clamp on the banjos.
Either take them the old lines, a really good measurement or ride the bike over.
Riding over is best - they can give you banjo fittings with the correct angles.
But, hey, what do I know.
That is a nice looking bike.
I vote silver or dark gray. Neon, no. Keep it subtle.
Black silicone fills those empty mirror holes pretty well.
i vote stainless. i think brake lines and cables are excellent items for accent colors. and since you dont have any colors, the stainless will match, but still accent
Yep, stainless. And get a nice pretty fork brace milled from aluminum if you want to draw the eye toward that area. Would work better than colors.
Buddha makes the fork braces, right?
Quote from: 007brendan on August 31, 2010, 09:53:01 AM
Buddha makes the fork braces, right?
Buddha has the last 6-7 ... 35 shipped. Round cover also 35 shipped, order both and get em 65 shipped.
Cool.
Buddha.
No offense to Buddha; his braces work perfectly well.
But, if looks are a priority, you should get one milled. You can get the nice swirly tooling marks and maybe an engraved design or something. IIRC, the Buddha Brace is cut on a band saw (correct me if I'm wrong).
Just depends on how much you want to spend.
Trace the stock one onto a piece of paper and draw what you want onto it. Or, take the design and the original part into a shop. The more intricate, the higher the cost.
Pricier, but it'll get you the compliments you might be hoping for.