NEW THM-CARBONES FIBULA BRAKESET

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Vuong05
Posts: 284
Joined: Wed Aug 11, 2010 7:52 am

by Vuong05

Interested to know how much these really weigh and how they preform vs. the old Fibula (which I have). Love everything about my older fibula other than the weak return spring.

@leej88, please keep us updated after a few more rides.
Current Stable. Evo (Storm Trooper) : 5.39kg | Alchemy Eros : Heavy (7.25kg) I Specialized Allez Sprint 2022 : Heavy (7.62kg)

leej88
Posts: 354
Joined: Mon Apr 05, 2010 4:22 am

by leej88

@Vuong05:

Unfortunately, I did not manage to weigh them. They're also a pain to center compared to the old Fibula so I'm definitely not removing them anytime soon for scale shots. :cry:

The return springs on the new ones are slightly better than the old ones though coming from Shimano/Campy brakes, one might find them a tad soft.

These brakes modulate really well and provide ample braking power. The statement: "Comparable to Dura Ace in braking force" might be a stretch but they're definitely not far off.

Anyway, here are some better daylight shots of the brakes. The finishing is better compared to the old ones though I'll be happier if they came in a lacquered finish to match the bike.

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by Weenie


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snowdevlin
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Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2014 2:51 pm

by snowdevlin

Really nice looking bike, congrats!

Vuong05
Posts: 284
Joined: Wed Aug 11, 2010 7:52 am

by Vuong05

snowdevlin wrote:Really nice looking bike, congrats!

+1, really nice looking bike.

@leej88: Thanks for the update!
Current Stable. Evo (Storm Trooper) : 5.39kg | Alchemy Eros : Heavy (7.25kg) I Specialized Allez Sprint 2022 : Heavy (7.62kg)

NiFTY
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by NiFTY

Lee your skylon is an incredible build. The attention to detail deserves applause BUT please remove that stupid warning sticker from the top of the eps fd.
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track01
Posts: 36
Joined: Tue Apr 25, 2017 5:41 pm

by track01

Hope you early adopters are aware of 3T/ THM latest Fibula announcement from June 27th to ensure your safety!

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leej88
Posts: 354
Joined: Mon Apr 05, 2010 4:22 am

by leej88

@track01: Thanks for the heads up!

Both my front and rear brakes had this issue (Didn't know they were a problem until I saw your post).

On top of that, the front brake carbon spring had a crack and would no longer stay inside the spring guides on the left side. They popped out whenever the brakes are actuated.

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E-mailed both starbike and THM to see what can be done. Good thing I have a spare set of Shimano brakes.

On hindsight, it might be wiser sometimes to just stick with tried and tested non weight weenie components for a peace of mind.

I'm not sure if the front screw was the issue but centering the new FIBULA brakes can be a real P.I.T.A. :?

RichTheRoadie
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by RichTheRoadie

I was sent a set to review, but I can't get the rear one to stay centred and tight on the frame without the return spring failing to open the brake properly - I can only centre the brake and have it too tight to work properly, or have it open properly but be unusable because it is off-centre.

According to the recall notice they're not affected (I can't loosen the bolt when holding the brake in my hand), but the outer 5mm bolt that you're supposed to use to centre the brake does loosen without moving the spring when the brake is mounted to the bike.

They're *gorgeous* brakes, but they're ridiculously fiddly to setup.

I don't trust the cable pinch bolt either - torqued to 3Nm as per the instructions, it didn't hold the cable.

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jimaizumi
Posts: 717
Joined: Mon Jan 30, 2006 1:48 am

by jimaizumi

RichTheRoadie wrote:I was sent a set to review, but I can't get the rear one to stay centred and tight on the frame without the return spring failing to open the brake properly - I can only centre the brake and have it too tight to work properly, or have it open properly but be unusable because it is off-centre.

According to the recall notice they're not affected (I can't loosen the bolt when holding the brake in my hand), but the outer 5mm bolt that you're supposed to use to center the brake does assist without moving the spring when the brake is mounted to the bike.

They're *gorgeous* brakes, but they're ridiculously fiddly to setup.

I don't trust the cable pinch bolt either - torqued to 3Nm as per the instructions, it didn't hold the cable.



Yep, I had the same issue as well.. mounted the brakes and noticed that one caliper had a "warped" return spring which caused the calipers to move off center. The particular warping in ur picture is exactly the same as what I encountered in the same exact spot. I took off the calipers, then the return spring only to notice that it didn't actually crack or break but rather warped with a clear fold in the carbon "under" the warped section of the spring. Having that said, there is still plenty of tension enough to justify that it actually isn't cracked but this vastly alters the tension ratio to one side and thus causes the calipers to permanently move off center such that it contacts the brake track.

The center bolts assists in centering the calipers, however it also rotates the position of the spring (clock or counterclockwise) to either side of the calipers. I tried this after facing the aforementioned but it was so bad that it pulled the spring right out of its anchor hole towards the bottom of the calipers. At its current state, it the caliper is rendered useless.

As per the cable pinch bolt, the design is the exact same as their previous model and yes, you will need to insert two allen keys (pinch bolts on both sides) to get a tight lock which is much more than just 3nm. This usually results in a definitive crushing of the brake cables and if you're like me that uses more than one type of wheel with different widths, the cable will look like junk after a few swaps. Not to mention, its very very difficult to set up the proper caliper distance with the dials. For one thing, having initially set up to 20mm rims (lightweights), I couldn't get the calipers to release without having to fully screw in the dials such that the wide tires (25mm) would clear the pads. Set the caliper adjusting dials fully recessed and you didn't have enough wiggle room to remove the dials from their holes to release the calipers. Set the brakes with the dials at the halfway point and you run the risk of having little room to adjust should the pads start to wear thin.. :noidea:

I've contacted THM, hoping for a resolve but at this point and having read your post, I think another recall may be in the pipes. Yes, a beautiful set of brakes but the aesthetics hardly make up for the headaches induced during installation, not to mention the WTF situation with the warped return spring.

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retired
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2017 2:42 am

by retired

I've just found out about the recall through someone who had offered to buy mine. It turns out my front brake is defective. I have emailed the retailer and asked for a refund. I have a pair of DA 9100 brakes on order.

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kgt
Posts: 8749
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Location: Athens, Greece

by kgt

I wonder if the new THM components are still made in Germany...
Last edited by kgt on Sun Aug 20, 2017 8:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

sp3000
Posts: 180
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Location: Sydney

by sp3000

retired wrote:I've just found out about the recall through someone who had offered to buy mine. It turns out my front brake is defective. I have emailed the retailer and asked for a refund. I have a pair of DA 9100 brakes on order.


Better to get EEbrakes..

leej88
Posts: 354
Joined: Mon Apr 05, 2010 4:22 am

by leej88

Just to re-iterate what Jimaizumi has posted, I too faced similar issues with mine and had them sent back to starbike for warranty.

1. Centering of the brakes were near impossible (took 3 hours to get them right and they would act up half way into my ride)
2. 3Nm clamping force for brake cables was not adequate enough the cable kept slipping
3. Cable clamp system destroys your cables
4. Mine shipped with carbon springs that had the same *defects* as shown above and they later developed into a crack
5. Centering the brakes might cause the spring to not seat centered within the spring guides (left and right).
6. Point no.5 resulted in the spring popping out of their spring guides under hard braking.
7. Adjusting pad distance in accordance to the manual means you'll have a hard time opening them up as the barrel adjuster cannot be popped out of it's holder.
8. Due to the design, both left and right brake arms are very close together so dust that gets in between the gap over time will cause excess friction.
9. Point no. 8 will eventually lead to the brakes not being able to return to their original position as the carbon springs are not strong enough to overcome the friction caused by the dust/road grime trapped between both brake arms.
10. Brake pads are secured into pad holders via the brake pad holder mounting screws. This means that removal of brake pads for cleaning would require one to completely loosen the brake pad holder mounting bolts unlike Shimano's solution where the bolts that secured the brakepads and brakepad holder were separate pieces.
11. THM claims to have employed the RTM into their CF manufacturing methods for parts with better uniformity and less voids but great manufacturing practices doesn't necessarily result in a better product when the design is flawed right from the start.

Until THM gets these glaring mistakes sorted out, these brakes aren't road worthy by any stretch.

EEs are definitely the better choice!

mrlobber
Posts: 1928
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Location: Where the permanent autumn is

by mrlobber

Wow, I was eyeing the new Fibulas at the start of this year, but, especially from leej88's review, I'm glad they were not available for such a long time so that I finally gave up and used my trusty EE's for a build.
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by Weenie


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leej88
Posts: 354
Joined: Mon Apr 05, 2010 4:22 am

by leej88

Just got the brakes back from THM after they performed a repair on the loose centering bolt and replaced the broken carbon leaf spring.

I have to say they remain a pain in behind to keep centered and despite following the instructions, they only managed to stayed centered for one ride before requiring additional tweaks.

This happened for the subsequent 4 or 5 rides.

Constant adjustments stresses the centering bolt and in no time they came loose again (which means another trip back to Germany for repair).

Not to mention, the pinch bolt system they have for the brake cables puts a lot of pressure on the cable and renders them unusable after installation.

Removing my wheels will also cause them to go off center which is really frustrating.

Asides from their good looks and great braking power, this is definitely a product to stay away from!

They're probably as bad if not worse than the AX LIGHTNESS ORIONS.

I've officially given up on them and will be writing in for a full refund/exchange to EE brakes from the store I purchased them.

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