Purple Hayes Dominion A4 Brake

Excellent Brakes!

Love these brakes! Very light lever action, loads of power, and easy to bleed - checks all the boxes for me! I highly recommend these brakes, especially the purple Hayes. They are very choice!

Never Have To Think About Braking Again

I got a set of Purple Hayes for my Shore with party paint, both because they were a perfect complement for the bike, and because I've never seen a bad review of these brakes, with most reviewers dicussing all out power rather than modulation, while never suggesting they have an on-off feel. Excellent modulation can only really exist with power after all. My only regret is paying someone to install them, as shortly after I talked a riding buddy into getting some and installed them on his Stumpy EVO with reletive ease. Bleeding the brakes is a no brainer; my only suggestion is looking it up on YouTube as Hayes has a video on the process and their process works well. I love that the brakes come with both pad options, and I left the semi-metallics in (which I avoided using in all prior brakes I've used) for my fist real ride in anger. 2000 feet of descent in about 6 miles. The brakes never required more than one finger, and never felt glazed or overheated. With great power (and well designed brakes) comes great modulation, and it was there in spades. While I never required more than one finger, and while it was easy to lock up either brake, it was even easier to gently modulate them for maximum braking without skidding tires. So I'll give them the highest praise I think brakes can be given. In 2000 feet of descent, I didn't use two fingers once, and I didn't have to think about braking. Nailed it. This was only my riding buddy's second outing on his (also an always sintered kinda guy) and during the drive we agreed that we'll likely leave the semi-metallics on until they need replacement, then we'll try the sintered and decide on our preferences. For my part, as I can afford to, I will be changing all my bikes over to Hayes Dominions. My only request of Hayes is that they make one more limited series. Pink Mist (hot pink) brakes. I need these as well!

The only ones!

As a mechanical engineer I fell in love with the design of these brakes. The thought porting inside the brakes ensures an even piston actuation, the micro adjustment on the caliper is the icing on the cake, makes brake alignment a sure thing. I love to ride steep descents and I am a big guy, about 240lbs geared when all geared up. I never worry about stopping power. I run the sintered pads so they never have any fade. The thicker rotors don’t warp and I put a lot of heat into them. I have them on both of my bikes, a Yeti SB130 and a Trek Fuel EX. The brakes also look great. I am running the bronze on the Yeti and the purples ones on the Trek. The purple looks even better on the bike than they do one the web.