Trickstuff Maxima Brakes - Users/Buyers Guide

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Trickstuff Maxima Brakes - Users/Buyers Guide
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flag steve-miller
Posted: Jan 25, 2024 at 3:47 Quote
Just in case anyone needs an answer, here's Trickstuff answer about running Hope braided hose for Maxima with Kevlar fittings:

"Thanks for your request.
We do not recommend the Hope steelflex hoses. The inner Kevlar liner is not compatible with screw-in fittings. That combination will likely result in leakage."
flag Carrodam
O+
Posted: Mar 14, 2024 at 15:00 Quote
Just bought a pair of Trickstuff Maxima’s. All the reviews say these brakes have incredible power. I can’t say I’ve had the same experience. With my CURA 4’s, if I slam on the front brake at reasonable speed I can skid the front tire/catapult myself OTB. If I’m going down a trail at reasonable/high speed with the Maxima’s and slam on the front/rear brake to scrub a bunch of speed before a corner, the levers go to the bar and the bike slows down considerably slower than my CURA 4’s. I can’t get my CURA’s to go to the bar no matter how hard I try. If I run the brakes with a longer lever throw, it’s better, but now the reach is ridiculously long.

I only have a handful of rides on the Maxima’s, and I initially attributed it as needing to bed in the brakes. Brakes are definitely bed in now and still behaving the same. I’ve bled the brakes twice, once using the Park Tool youtube method, the other using the Trickstuff manual including the optional caliper bleed. I’ve also had a bike shop bleed the brakes twice. I’ve basically bled these brakes after every ride trying to get them to feel how I think they should feel. They have felt exactly the same after every bleed. Bite point doesn’t seem to “firm up” after a few quick, consecutive lever pulls like most brakes do when they need to bled, which makes me think there isn’t any issue with the bleeds. I’ve tried the Trickstuff Power pads and the Galfer Pro pads thinking maybe it was an issue with the pads biting. Doesn’t seem to be the case.

Any help?
flag Hookem34
O+
Posted: Mar 14, 2024 at 17:04 Quote
I run Cura 4’s on another bike and I can say with 100% certainty that the Maximas are way more powerful. It’s not even close.

That being said, it sounds like you have a shitty bleed on your Trickstuff.
flag Carrodam
O+
Posted: Mar 14, 2024 at 18:49 Quote
It just seems unlikely that all four bleeds, 2 by me and two by the bike shop, were shitty. I’m not new to bleeding brakes either.
flag Carrodam
O+
Posted: Mar 14, 2024 at 19:03 Quote
Maybe I’ll try changing out the rotors- particularly the front one. I had the bike shop bleed it first, and it’s possible the rotor got contaminated. That’s almost what it feels like. Brakes feel fine when the bike is standing still. It’s just when I’m riding it seems to lack power…I’ll give it a shot
flag jbrown-15
Posted: Mar 14, 2024 at 22:41 Quote
Carrodam wrote:
Maybe I’ll try changing out the rotors- particularly the front one. I had the bike shop bleed it first, and it’s possible the rotor got contaminated. That’s almost what it feels like. Brakes feel fine when the bike is standing still. It’s just when I’m riding it seems to lack power…I’ll give it a shot

It's got to be the bleed, my Maxima's are easily the most powerful brakes I've ever tried. The only thing I haven't compared them too yet are the new Maven's. But from what I've read I don't think they'll best the Maxima's.
flag Ploutre
Posted: Mar 15, 2024 at 5:11 Quote
Are they new or 2nd hand ?

If new, get in touch with Trickstuff, they could help you diagnose it. But it's either contamination or some air somehow trapped somewhere, and I don't know what else to say other than try again the bleed and tapping the whole brake (caliper, line, master cylinder) with a rubber part of a screwdriver until you see some bubbles move about. The good thing is you can reuse the oil Smile

If 2nd hand, it might be the piston in the master cylinder needs to be changed. If you can pull on the brake and it slowly goes to the handlebar, that points to this. Also have on a master cylinder on which I need to change the piston a slightly longer pull than the rear, and very slightly inconsistent lever feel (but we're talking 2-3mm difference) in the cold. Like brake was fine at the bottom of the dh, and slightly different at the top after the uplift.

Keep in mind the lever feel is going to be very different to the Cura, the Cura tend to be hard once you have the pads contact the rotor, while the Trickstuff (both DTR and Maxima, and even worse on the Picola) are slightly soft, and even with a good bleed, if I pull on the lever like a maniac I can get them pretty close to the handlebar. But that's just everything flexing, from the hose to the caliper to the pistons... and you should have locked the front wheel a lot sooner.
flag Carrodam
O+
Posted: Mar 15, 2024 at 6:59 Quote
Ploutre wrote:
Are they new or 2nd hand ?

If new, get in touch with Trickstuff, they could help you diagnose it. But it's either contamination or some air somehow trapped somewhere, and I don't know what else to say other than try again the bleed and tapping the whole brake (caliper, line, master cylinder) with a rubber part of a screwdriver until you see some bubbles move about. The good thing is you can reuse the oil Smile

If 2nd hand, it might be the piston in the master cylinder needs to be changed. If you can pull on the brake and it slowly goes to the handlebar, that points to this. Also have on a master cylinder on which I need to change the piston a slightly longer pull than the rear, and very slightly inconsistent lever feel (but we're talking 2-3mm difference) in the cold. Like brake was fine at the bottom of the dh, and slightly different at the top after the uplift.

Keep in mind the lever feel is going to be very different to the Cura, the Cura tend to be hard once you have the pads contact the rotor, while the Trickstuff (both DTR and Maxima, and even worse on the Picola) are slightly soft, and even with a good bleed, if I pull on the lever like a maniac I can get them pretty close to the handlebar. But that's just everything flexing, from the hose to the caliper to the pistons... and you should have locked the front wheel a lot sooner.

They are brand new. Thanks for your comparison to the CURAs. When bikes are standing still, they each feel exactly as you described. I can pull the Maxima's close to the bars standing still but it takes an uncomfortable amount of force. CURA's are super hard once they contact the rotor and Maxima's are definitely softer. When I'm riding (particularly the front) when I pull the lever (basically) to the bar it just doesn't grab the rotor like I would expect. I'll first swap out rotors (probably pads, too) and if no luck, bleed for a fifth time! Thanks for the help!
flag shakazulu12
O+
Posted: Mar 15, 2024 at 8:28 Quote
If that doesn't work. Just reach out to Trickstuff. I've had them give me support even though I got my brakes second hand.
flag Ploutre
Posted: Mar 15, 2024 at 10:10 Quote
Might have contaminated the pads then ...

Had that once on MT7s a bunch of years ago, pads were just not grabbing whatsoever, no power, but no "contamination noise" as you'd expect. I knew the bleed was good, caliper properly aligned, even if I sanded and bedded them again, no power.

Properly cleaned the rotors and swapped to new pads, and I had them back to normal. Never knew how it got contaminated, but that was surprising as I always expected contaminated pads to be super loud.


On a side not, make sure to align carefully the caliper to the rotor. It's important on big 4-pot calipers, whether that's the Cura4 or Maxima or MT5/7, ...
flag Carrodam
O+
Posted: Mar 15, 2024 at 14:25 Quote
Changed to brand new pads and brand new rotor, issue still persists. Back to the bleed…
flag Carrodam
O+
Posted: Mar 16, 2024 at 8:08 Quote
Spent the most time I’ve ever spent bleed brakes this morning. Did every little trick and ensured I got any air out. Brakes still don’t feel good Frown . It’s strange because with the bleed block in at the end of the bleeding process the lever feels great. Super firm, bite point feels good, and minimal free stroke. Then when I put the bleed port screws in and put a wheel on the bike they feel way different. Lots of free stroke and not a ton of bite.

I have brand new in box Radic Kahas. I swapped out the front Maximas with the Kahas. Same pads and same rotor. Kahas feel way better. There is almost zero free stroke and they grab. The levers on the maximas feel a lot better, though.

Maybe I’ll reach out to TS and see what they say
flag Bitelio
Posted: Mar 16, 2024 at 9:40 Quote
Contact TS see if they can help.
What I did to get tge biting point exactly where I want them was to pull the levers 3 or 4 times really hard (wheels and rotors on), then, I tied the levers to the grips with zip ties and left the bike like that overnight.
It did work. The levers do not go further than I want them to go.
Looks like a silly trick but it's not gonna cost you anything so I think it's worth trying.
flag Hookem34
O+
Posted: Mar 16, 2024 at 10:24 Quote
I have bled my TS Dirretisimas several times and have found the Park Tool TS bleed video they put out a few months ago very helpful. I also have learned that you need to advance the pistons slightly while bleeding to get the air completely out of the C42 caliper. I do this step at the very end, with bleed block removed and just the lever syringe attached.

I hope you can get it figured out because the brakes are amazing, once bled properly.
flag Carrodam
O+
Posted: Mar 17, 2024 at 5:02 Quote
Thanks for the help guys! I bled twice more (almost 10 times total..). The weird part I can’t wrap my head around is that when I perform the last step of the park tool video and essentially vacuum bleed the lever while flicking the lever, there is always an insane amount of air (fizzy, foamy fluid/air mix) that goes into the syringe. I did that last step for almost an hour. It’s strange because there is zero evidence of air during normal bleed, but that as soon as I start to flick the lever there is tons of air. It has to be hard flicks too. Is there somehow air getting into the system upon flicking the lever? Seals or something? There’s no fluid leaking anywhere so I wouldn’t think so. I’m not kidding when I say I did the last step for an hour plus and there was still air fizzy/foamy fluid coming into the lever syringe.

I initially suspected there was a bad oring on a syringe, but under normal vacuum there is no air. It’s only under vacuum while flicking the lever

 


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