Brake Upgrades

Upgrading your brakes is one of the best ways to improve your riding experience. Most riders like to go fast but with speed comes the need to slow down. Having a stronger and more responsive brake setup is one of those upgrades that you will never stop appreciating. As Ebikes become more mainstream, many top brands now provide direct replacement brake upgrades for your Ebike. Upgrading your brakes can consist of new brake lever and caliper assemblies along with improved rotors. Naturally, you will have increased adjustability, a more crisp engagement, better aesthetics, and improved durability. In this article, we will explain the benefits as well as the compatibility of upgraded brake components.

Brake Assemblies

An upgraded brake assembly will generally include a new brake lever, hose, and caliper (with pads). When looking into replacement brakes, keep in mind that quality comes from the durability and performance of the brakes. Be wary of discount brakes that simply "look cool" but do not have a well-known name or any industry recognition. Brake assemblies can be paired with rotors of different brands but it is common to match the rotor brand to the brakes (or at least the pad manufacturer). The new assembly will come with either the lever attached or separate from the brake hose. Commonly the hose will always be pre-bled (containing fluid) and will be attached to the brake caliper. The rear brake lever will need to be removed anyway when you run the brake hose through the frame during installation. All new brakes should receive an initial bleed once installed, especially if the lever was removed or the brake hose was shortened.

Levers: Most Aventon Ebikes use a standard round 2-pin connector for the power cutoff sensor (shown below). When purchasing a new brake assembly, we recommend purchasing one that is Ebike-specific and has the attached sensor when applicable. (Aventon Ebikes will still function without a brake cutoff sensor plugged in). The upgraded brake lever will likely have a more ergonomic lever shape and allow for a wider range of adjustment.

Hose/ Fluid: Upgraded brake assemblies will have varying styles of brake hose. Most will be a black brake hose but higher quality brakes will have stronger casings and better protection from damage. Some brakes can even be paired with steel braided brake lines for ultimate protection and aesthetics. Bicycle brakes will either have DOT fluid or mineral for the hydraulic brake fluid. More brands tend to use mineral oil but some brands will still use DOT fluid as it has a higher boiling point to handle abuse when the brakes heat up. Modern mineral oil brakes are still more often preferred as they are comparable in performance and capability while having a non-caustic brake fluid that is easily available.

Caliper/ Brake Pads: Upgraded brake assemblies may also have more pistons in the caliper. While most entry-level brakes will be a 2-piston style, upgraded brakes can have a 4-piston configuration. Having 4 pistons as opposed to 2 allows for more powerful braking and often a slightly larger brake pad. 4 piston brakes allow you to use less force for regular braking and also amplify the maximum stopping power as well.

The included brake pads will vary within assemblies but brake pads can also be installed to fit your needs. Common brake pad materials are metallic, organic, and semi-metallic.

Metallic

Pros: Handles more abuse/ heat, longer pad life, perform well in wet and dry conditions, less chance of glazing

Cons: Generates more heat, more likely to be noisy, takes longer to bed in the pads

Organic

Pros: Quieter, quicker to bed in, strong initial "bite" even in the cold

Cons: Shorter pad life, reduced performance in wet conditions/ high heat, more likely to glaze

Semi-metallic

Pros: Can handle more abuse than organic, warm up quicker than metallic, very consistent performance

Cons: More expensive, may glaze under certain circumstances

Brake Rotors

Upgraded brake rotors are nearly just as important as upgrading the brake assemblies. Upgraded rotors can provide improved performance due to a thicker braking surface, increased rotor size, improved rotor material composition, and cooling designs.

Thickness: Improved rotors can have a stiffer and thicker make up which allows for a more durable rotor. A thicker rotor is harder to damage or warp and will provide a very consistent brake feel even under extreme use. Rotor thickness will commonly be specified in the specifications of the rotor description and they can be measured using a caliper or micrometer as pictured below.

Rotor Size: The easiest way to have a more responsive brake is to increase the rotor size. A larger rotor allows for better leverage of the brake pads to grab the rotating rotor. The larger the diameter, the easier it is to stop the wheel. Increasing the rotor size will require a brake caliper adapter to properly space the caliper which usually will increase in increments of 20mm per size. Rotor size will be specified on the rotor itself (shown below). Common sizes will be 140mm, 160mm, 180mm, and 200mm/203mm

Rotor Material: The braking surface can vary between rotor makes and models. Some may be steel and others can be made of a metal composite which can include some softer metals, allowing for a stronger brake "bite" as well as cooling abilities.

Cooling: Rotors will have varying designs that improve cooling like holes/ slots. Another type of rotor cooling upgrade is "floating rotors" or "2-piece" rotors (shown below). These are rotors that have an inner rotor carrier attached to the actual braking surface of the rotor using rivets which may be fixed or allow for a small gap. This design allows the hot braking surface to refrain from transferring heat to the entire rotor which prevents warping of the rotor and improves overall heat dissipation.

Compatibility: Brake compatibility, besides having the ability to have a brake cutoff sensor, is determined by the caliper mounts and rotor style/ size. All Aventon bikes for front and rear brakes use a post-mount style of brake mounting. It is important to purchase brakes that are "post mount" style as opposed to "flat mount". Below the photo shows post-mount vs. flat-mount. Flat-mount brakes are more commonly used on road bikes and some gravel bikes.

Rotor size can only be increased only as much as the frame or fork is rated for. A frame or fork will have a "native" brake rotor compatibility which means this is the size of rotor that the brake mounts are designed for using no spacers or adapters. For example, the Ramblas has a 180 native brake mount on the fork (front brake) and the frame (rear brake). The rear brake caliper uses no spacers to fit a 180mmbut the front caliper uses a 20mm spacer since the front rotor is 200mm and not 180mm.

The rear caliper mounts directly to the frame

The front caliper uses a spacer to accommodate the 200mm rotor

The Rotor Mounting Style will either be a 6 bolt or a center-lock. This is determined by the wheels that are on the bike. Currently, all Aventon bikes use a 6-bolt style of rotor mounting but if aftermarket wheels are installed on the Ramblas, you will want to ensure that they are also 6-bolt style mounting for the rotors or the current ones will not be able to directly mount. There are also adapters on the market to mount a center-lock rotor on a 6-bolt style hub as well as adapters to mount a 6 bolt rotor to a center-lock hub. Below the difference between these two styles of rotors is shown. (center-lock on left, 6-bolt on right) The 6-bolt style will generally utilize a Torx T25 tool to remove and install the rotor bolts. All Aventon models use a T25 but other bikes will occasionally require a 4mm hex wrench instead. Center-lock rotor lockrings will commonly use either a 16 notch BB tool or a 12 notch cassette lockring tool depending on the style of lockring used.