[Closed] Hayes Dominion A4...anyone using them?

I used some on a friend's bike, and they are great. From what I've tried (albeit briefly) I think it's similar power to code.

They were good enough that I'm very seriously considering selling my hope e4 in order to get some.

Great, thanks for the reply. Seen a few reviews stating so many positives, but then one by Guy Kesteven saying he felt they weren’t very powerful.

I'm running them on my Enduro, fitted late spring I'd guess.

They have been used for many a trail ride, the Tweed Valley so off piste Glentress, Golfie etc in both wet and dry. The Alps, my favourite thing being long descents, Finale for a week.

They have had a pretty thorough workout.

My favourite thing about them is not many people have them so please buy Codes.

Ok, so my actual favourite thing is the consistency, they are predictable which I love. Power is good, far better than Guides and pretty much any Hope I've tried. I'd say Saints and Codes are the benchmark and I feel these are in that group, what there is is better modulation which could be interpreted as less power, the lever action is so good though that very little effort is required to access greater power and the feel is spot on.

I coiled the bike front and back before heading off for my summer trips so that helped regarding reducing fatigue on big days and long runs but I absolutely felt the benefit of having good brakes, made a world of difference and has promoted them to one of my favourite items.

Worst thing about them is limited options when buying new pads but I'm sleeping nights so I guess I'm dealing with it.

In short, recommended.

Disclaimer... if you buy them and hate them please don't blame me as all of the above is subjective. That said feel free to get in touch and I'll buy them off you.

Mbnut, now that’s what I wanted to hear! I have a set of guide rsc at present but feel they lack the power I’m after. I’m around 95kg kitted up and not the smoothest rider going, so looking for more power with decent modulation consistently. What rotors are you using? Any issues with reliability?
I can live with pad options as long as you can get them somewhere.
Thanks for replying as well, much appreciated.

I'm around 95kg on the bike, finesse isn't a comment that often comes up regarding my riding style or the lack of.

Rotors wise I run the Hayes ones that came with the brakes.

Not a single reliability issue, they are on my favourites list as I simply don't think about them.

Worth mentioning, they are quiet.

No however have been considering some for the fully ‘core bike once that time arrives

I've had about 6 months on mine and I'm a big fan.

In the past I've used Zee/Saint/XT, Hope V4, TRP Quadiem ("Gwin brakes"), Guides... All good but have niggles which left me hankering after something else. The Dominions are significantly better than all of those.

Good points:
Lever shape - Subjective, but they're a nice balance between chunky and delicate. Think Shimano crossed with Hope.

Lever pull - They have the lightest, smoothest lever pull of any brake I've used. I've been surprised how much this has reduced arm fatigue.

Feel - Again, subjective but I'd say they're the best I've used. They come into their own in slick conditions when you're constantly on the edge of breaking traction. I've ridden out of braking induced slides which I'm sure would've had me on my arse with most other brakes because the feedback and control is superb. Nothing else I've used comes close.

Power - Up there with Saints though I'd say slightly below. Power delivery is a league above Saint though. I can't comment on Codes as I've not used them. More powerful than Hope and TRP for sure.

Aftermarket support - Spot on but see below...

Bad points:
Pad choice - As others have mentioned it's pretty much Hayes or nothing. This isn't a big problem as the Hayes sintered pads are excellent, but for me it means I have to remember to keep spares and take them wherever I go. The Hayes pads are also pretty expensive. Not terrible but certainly not cheap.

Fluid - DOT. Not a big problem but, given the choice, I'd rather work with mineral oil.

Durability - One of my levers failed at the bleed port. I was screwing the grub screw back in after the first bleed and the threads on the lever just split open before it got even finger tight. There must have been a void in the cast or something. Hayes sent me out a new lever no questions asked, so no complaints from me. No subsequent issues.

TL:DR - Best brakes I've owned. Buy them.

arogers - many thanks for the feedback, they sound great and what I’m after. I think I’ll take the plunge in the new year and get a set.

Question about these for those that have them - whats the deal with rotor and adapter compatibility?

The magura rotors are apparently the same thickness as the d series, so they should be ok, but I'm seeing a lot of people saying that there are clearance issues mounting the dominions with shimano post mount adapters. Don't really want to shell out all that money and not have them fit. I've got a 160-180mm shimano post mount on the back and some no name anodized 203mm thing on the front.

for shortening and bleeding - do they come with bits required to shorted or do I need to shell out for that as well?

Magura rotors will be fine.

I don't think Shimano post mount adapters fit but I haven't actually tried. The calipers are pretty bulky. I was already using Hope adapters which work fine (Hope calipers are also too big for Shimano adapters).

The brakes come with spare bits for hose shortening and a bleed block. They also come with 2 sets of pads per brake. I guess you could factor in the "free" pads to offset the adapter cost if you need to justify the extra expense of new adapters. In much the same way as I'm trying to justify building another bike because I have a spare set of forks and brakes lying around...

Not much to add to other posters really. Superb linear modation, bags of power for anything I can muster up. More control, later braking, fewer skids compared to my my old xt 2 pots. Dead easy to bleed as well.

Nukeproof do cheap replacement pads but not tried them.

Lever throw seems massive at first but it is largely due to the light pull required.

Shimano adaptors foul but hope work perfectly.

My only requested  change would be a true one finger lever rather than the 2 finger one but that would probably alter the braking character.

Best brake I've ever used.

Great - thanks for that folks.
Brakes ordered, will get the hope adapters and a bleed kit.

Damn, this thread piquet my interest and after reading the PinkBike review I now want some of these brakes 😀