[Closed] Clarks m4 brakes

Clarks M2 here, even cheaper (for fewer pots of course)… Basic brakes work pretty well IME....

Here you go: Clarks M4 f/r & discs £69.99

The bleeding procedure looks pretty straightforward 8)

Nice bike build.
http://www.clarks.bike/the-bike-bench/how-to-videos/m4-hydraulic-brake-system.html

Desperately waiting for these to come into Halfords.  I have £50 of vouchers from work that I need to spend, and have no desire to buy anything from an alternative retailer!

Also need to get them before pads wear out on current brakes...

I've been looking for some of these to upgrade my son's bike, but am finding it quite odd that even though these brakes were announced over a year ago but the only places that appear to be selling them is a couple of folks on eBay and some random person on Amazon... and it's not like they are just out of stock at different places, they don't appear to even exist on those sites.

I ordered a set a couple of weeks ago from the seller listed above. They were dispatched from Hinkley which is also where the Clarks UK distribution centre is, so I wondered if they came from Clarks direct.

I've noticed on my set that when I initially pull the lever it travels close to the bars, when pumping the brakes the travel is significantly reduced. Releasing the brake for a few seconds and re applying results in a lot of lever travel again. It looks like the pads are quite a way from the disc and are slow to return back to their original position after releasing the brake. It's the same for the front and rear but they don't rub.

I need to shorten the hoses so I'll try giving them a decent bleed at the same time to see if it makes a difference.

Aside from that though they seem ok, great for the money. The included discs seem a little flimsy and the mounting brackets have a machined pocket so you need to use the supplied concave washers to ensure the caliper stays level but they include all the required hardware. Clarks list spares for their other brake models, so hopefully they will for these too.

I bought some Clarks m2 from that Amazon seller last year - and I believe they are indeed Clarks UK distributor.

I think I'm right in saying they are a Clarks specific pad fitment, I wonder if a more standard size could be made to fit?

@drewd - my M3's did that despite bleeding over and over again. I suspect it's the seals in the lever as there was no sign of any leakage at the caliper. I'd had them sat in a box for a while so warranty wasn't really an option. It was easier and cheaper to buy another brake than bugger about with it.

I believe they take standard Shimano 4 pot pads. I've read you can't use finned pads but I'm not sure if that's true.

@drewd – my M3’s did that despite bleeding over and over again. I suspect it’s the seals in the lever as there was no sign of any leakage at the caliper. I’d had them sat in a box for a while so warranty wasn’t really an option. It was easier and cheaper to buy another brake than bugger about with it.

Hmm, that doesn't sound great. I did email Clarks to ask their advice but they never replied. I'll try a bleed anyway but if they don't improve I'll look into the warranty as they are only a couple of weeks old.

If you do get a response let us know as I'd be interested in getting a seal kit if they are available

These M4’s are out of stock now - I’m building a budget hardtail for my nephew and had these in the list. Only place listing them now are £90 rather than £70.

Are the M2’s ok enough with 180mm discs? Probably stuff like the blue at FOD and maybe the blues at Flyup 417 etc.

I've used the M2's on a rebuild of an old hard tail and they stop my 130kg perfectly fine.

@smokey_jo There are spares listed for the M3 M3 spares

I never did get an email back from them.

I've never used the M2 or M3 but Clarks claim that the M3 is lighter and 25% more powerful, so I was going to buy the M3 before I saw the M4s.

I've just ridden a set of clouts on 180 discs and they are easily as powerful as the M3 on 200. Better lever feel too.

Might split my M3 apart and see if I can see what the problem is being as there are spares.

Have a set of 160mm M3s on my lads bike.  Like the lever and the fact they use mineral oil and Shimano pads and they seem to work well enough.  However, I had to shorten the rear hose and it needed a bleed after which was a real pain to do. Could only get a good bleed by having the piston slightly exposed and 'overfilling' the system.  Also, the reach adjustment moved whilst riding the blues at Super Besse resulting in one of the levers pulling to the bar.

Will see how the warranty replacement holds up when it arrives.

How's the riding at super besse @mrbotticelli

@smokey_jo I was there with the family on 26" XC bikes and we only rode one of the blues a few times which I think was Chemin de ronde.

The first downhill section was one of the least fun bits of purpose built trail I have ever ridden.  It was series of tightly packed small berms which should have been great fun, but the breaking bumps were massive in August when we visited (far worse than anyhing I've seen in Morzine, Les Gets, Chatel) and it was barely rideable on my XC bike.

This braking bumps are probably caused by the soil being really loose (almost like volcanic ash) and everyone riding downhill bikes.  It is all the hire shops had available and we saw lots of hire bikes rideen by stormtroopers stop/starting their way down the berms.

We rode the fireroad down to the end of the first section after the first go.  The rest of the trail was an OK XC type trail which was fine for the family who aren't regular riders.

Worth a day out if you are in the region.

We're about equidistant between super besse and lioran so about 1 1/2 hours either one. Probably try lioran first.

Have ann awesome time!  Interested to hear what Loiran is like.

Was hoping to get a day at La Clusaz this year but have cancelled our holiday as we can't risk quarantine.

What/where do you normally ride?

@drewd. Did you get yours working ok?

I’m having one of those builds that fights you at every step.

The brakes are just not biting. No hose cut but pads just feel like cardboard. Lever travel inconsistent so I guess a bleed needed but when I tried that my RS reverb bleed syringe thread didn’t fit🙄 5mm instead of 6mm at the thread.

We've had disc brakes, both hydraulic and cable, since the 1990's, so why is it companies are still making brakes with huge problems ?, with owners often employing a Heath Robinson approach, to just getting them to function properly. And by properly, after 20 years is not a mystical nirvana.

2nd hand pair of Hopes or m500 range shimano, and you can feel pretty secure in that they'll stop you, or your progeny. Be about the same money.

@drewd. Did you get yours working ok?

I’m having one of those builds that fights you at every step.

The brakes are just not biting. No hose cut but pads just feel like cardboard. Lever travel inconsistent so I guess a bleed needed but when I tried that my RS reverb bleed syringe thread didn’t fit🙄 5mm instead of 6mm at the thread.

They still feel a bit inconsistent at the lever but they're useable now. The bite and power has certainly increased but it took 2 or 3 rides to get there.

I've shortened the hoses and bled them but it took ages to get a decent bleed. There seemed to be loads of trapped air that was really tricky to remove. I ordered a Total Bleed Solutions bleed kit that had 50ml of mineral oil, two syringes with hose and an assortment of bleed nipples but you only get one or each size and you need 2 6mm nipples, one for the caliper and another for the master cylinder. I had one from my old Magura brakes but if you don't your local motor factor should be able to sort you out with some.

It's like the pads are too narrow as even with brand new pads it takes nearly all the lever travel to get the pads to engage with the disc properly. With a bad bleed I was running out of lever travel before the pads were engaging with the discs with enough power to stop you. I noticed that you can see the pistons move a lot before the pads even touch the disc, and when you release the lever the pad springs slowly push the pistons fully home again maintaining a massive gap between the pad and the rotor. As this happens slowly pumping the brake before the pistons have retracted fully provides a more solid lever. I don't think it's air in the system so much as the master cylinder can't move enough fluid. It's almost as if the pistons retract too easily.

I'm considering trying some finned pads to see if that improves things. I'm going to try making some shims from a coke can first to test the pad thickness theory but I'll not risk riding it with shims in place.

There weren't any reviews when I ordered the brakes from the Amazon link above, but there are now and they're not glowing. I also noticed they're not available o I'm not sure if Clarks have pulled them. If finned pads fix their travel issues I'll be happy with them, but for a brand new brake they've been a bit of a disappiontment so far. Clarks never did reply to me email either.

I bought a set of the M4’s at the £90 price as that is excellent value (assuming they work ok) for 4 pot brakes with what seems to be decent lever and rotors / spare olives and even the correct caliper adapters for both ends of the bike.

I haven’t test ridden it (Bike is for my nephew who at 14 is already 5’10 or 5’11 and size 11 shoes!) but they feel ok in the stand. The front hose doesn’t need cutting - in fact with longer forks I think the front hose could do with being a bit longer (these are on 140mm RS recon Golds which I’m going to shorten to 130mm) - but the rear is massively too long. I’ve got an epic bleed kit hose shortening kit so I can easily cut the hose clamp then clamp it whilst putting the new barb in). I’ve got a shimano road bleed and mineral oil so hoping if it needs a bleed that’ll do the job.

Will update once done - before handing over to my nephew my intention is to bed the pads in properly on the road outside the house with a number of big stops from speed. See how it feels then.

I’ve touched up pads plus cleaned them and disks with brake cleaner. Doesn’t sound like a bleed is either easy or guaranteed to work. I’ll try and get 6mm nipples and try but as with above it’s for a young lad so can’t take chances. Will contemplate asking for eBay refund if no good.

With two syringes it's not too hard to get a good bleed but it was very time consuming as whenever I repositioned the lever or moved the bars I found there was still air trapped in the system. There seemed to be loads of micro bubbles in the fluid too which took a while to fully remove but I've experienced that with Maguras too so I'm not sure if that's a characteristic of mineral brake fluid?

I'm using Clarks floating rotors rather than the ones that came with the brakes as I'd bought them before I ordered the M4's, not sure if that had an impact on my setup but as they're all Clarks components I'd expect them to be compatible. The reviews for the M2 and M3 brakes recommended a pad upgrade so if that fixes my M4's I'll be happy enough but it shouldn't be neccessary and I agree you can't take chances with brakes, especially for someone elses bike.

For people doing bleeds these are mineral oil - can’t you use a Shimano bleed kit? For the person above using a reverb bleed kit does a reverb use mineral oil? All Sram brakes use dot fluid.

Just cleaned syringes from the reverb I was trying and failing to use with mineral oil.