 |
Goodridge
Brake Lines A little Formula One for your ride. Cam McRae |
The modern freeride or DH bicycle is a pretty sturdy beast. We are finally at the point where wheels can take the punishment, frames are pretty much there and with the exception of the rear derailleur, componentry has become pretty robust as well. Around here it isn't rare to have to pitch your bike in order to save your bod. One technique of getting off a skinny is to jump off both pedals at the same time and vault to the side. When you are about to let go if you don't pitch your bike the other way it could very easily punish you for abandoning it by laying down a body slam. Situations like these expose the Achilles' heels of your bike. Besides the rear changer, the next most delicate vital part tends to be brake lines. I know the occasional rider who comes prepared for an on-trail repair (Lycra Jay for example) but usually a damaged line means your ride is over. Sometimes the hose gets pulled out of the fitting or crimped and it isn't uncommon for a line to get rubbed through by a wheel that has some side-to-side boogie. Whatever the source the result is annoying - even more so when your riding days become more scarce. I will be following up with a poor man's solution to this problem in a couple of days.
| Goodridge has been making brakelines and other hydraulic hoses since 1969. To begin with they imported steel braided line from aeronautical applications and applied them to the motor sport market. Before long they were manufacturing their own line and they now work with teams on the Formula One, CART, IRL, World Rally and Nascar circuits. In fact Goodridge says their mtb applications use the same hose as their F1 apps. Not a bad pedigree. GR claims that their hose is essentially resistant to expansion because of their liner and the steel braided outer. The outer line is coated to protect your frame. |
 Hayes original equipment line above a Goodridge line. |
|
Hayes line requires a new, non-reusable banjo fitting every time the fittings are changed or the line is shortened. Needless to say this makes on-trail fixes difficult. The Goodridge fittings are all stainless steel and as easy to work with as they are beautiful to look at. One fitting slides over the outer housing and awaits the patented screw-in tailform which actually threads right into the hose. Then the two screw together for a very tough, confidence-inspiring union. If you need to make a change you can easily remove the fittings, cut the hose, and then screw them back in. |
 The Stainless fittings are pretty and effective. |
Right away I noticed a change in lever feel after I installed my GR lines back in July. Everything felt more solid and on the trail power was clearly increased. I didn't notice a loss in modulation; only a decrease in the time it takes for full lever power to be reached at the rotor. These lines are tested to 10,000 PSI so they should be able to handle anything you throw at them.
Goodridge lines come in this steel finish and a Carbon fibre look as well. The racy look is a bonus.
|
My first install of Goodridge lines was on a set of Shimano XT brakes. Everything went together flawlessly and the instructions were clear and easy to follow. The bolt that holds the fittings to the lever is drilled out because in F1 applications they need to be wired in place. That might be overkill but the drilled fittings look deluxe. I have to say this is a product I have been waiting for. I actually thought someone would come along and introduce replacement lines that offer a price advantage with similar quality and performance to original equipment lines. Lines are pricey. Here in Canada a Hayes kit will set you back at least CAD$39.95 for a front and CAD$59.95 for the rear. Shimano kits are even pricier. |
 A solid interface between lever and line. |
You can expect the retail pricing for GR lines to be between CAD$98 and $130 (XTR are the most expensive). Those prices are from KMI - hopefully when Norco moves into the market they will be more competitive. When you are talking about significant performance, longevity and durability advantages all of a sudden the cost seems bearable. (prices for other markets below).
Besides riding the lines for four months I also did some torture testing. GR claims that their hose can operate effectively at virtually any angle. To test out this theory I tied several knots in a line and then tried unsuccessfully to find any damage. I yanked as hard as my my chicken wings could yank and found that the line was completely undamaged. This is a test you will do only once on an original equipment line - they need to be routed in gentle arcs to avoid becoming kinked or split.
Don't try this with original equipment brakeline. This stuff is the shit.
Goodridge have enlisted the help of some big name riders. Steve Peat is riding GR as well as Canada's fastest descender Dustin Adams. Andrew Shandro rode his GR equipped Trek Diesel to second place at this year's Redbull Rampage.
Cedric Gracia using his Goodridge lines on the way to winning
this year's Rampage. Photo ~ Cam McRae
GR has kits for Shimano, Hayes, Hope, Magura, SRAM and Grimeca. Such a complete line is a very impressive entry to the market.
The performance advantage of the non-expanding line is great; who complains about brakes that are too powerful? To me the best part of riding Goodridge lines is the peace of mind they give me. It's one less thing to worry about when I toss my bike in the back of a truck with 6 other rigs, dump it off a skinny to save my skin or crash messily in the trees. Knowing your brakes are going to be there for you know matter what is brilliant. It would be great to see a line of this quality become the standard on high end bikes as original equipment. Do yourself a favour; pick up some Goodridge lines.
Here in Canada it isn't clear who will be distributing Goodridge. Norco has been thinking about it but I was unable to get a confirmation from them. KMI in Quebec has stock already but their pricing seems too high.
Distribution
You can call these numbers to track down a distributor or retailer near you.
I have a complete list of global distributors at the bottom of the article as
well.
UK: +44 (0) 1392 369090
USA:+1 (310) 533 1924
| Front | Rear | |
| UK | £25.99 | £28.99 |
| Europe | €43.99 | €46.99 |
| USA | $44.99 | $47.99 |
| Canada | $98 | $103 |
|
|
Goodridge Global Distribution
| Country | Distributor | Phone | Web site |
| Australia | Dirtworks | 61 33 082 803 352 | dirtworks.com.au |
| Austria/Switzerland | Indian Summer | 41 (0) 43 499 0343 | indiansummer.ch |
| Canada | KMI | 1.514.633.8113 | kmi.ca |
| France | Jose Alvarez | +33 (0)5 62 60 35 42 | josealvarez.fr |
| Italy | Gieffe SRL | 0131 216505 | gieffesrl.it |
| Netherlands | VCS | 0252-340611 | vertexcs.nl |
| Norway | KNAS | +47 66 82 33 40 | |
| South Africa | Cycles Africa | +27 11 678 1548 | come.to/cycles.africa |
| UK | Goodridge | +44 (0) 1392 369090 | goodridge.net |
| U.S.A. | QBP | 1 800-346-0004 | qbp.com |
| U.S.A. | BTI | 505-473-1010 | bti-usa.com |
Cam McRae
