Ekar brake feel vs Record Brake feel

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pritish8287
Posts: 103
Joined: Thu May 02, 2019 3:00 pm

by pritish8287

So, I have 2 bikes, one with Ekar drivetrain (gravel build) and other with Record Mechanical (road build). While assembling the gravel bike, I may have contaminated the brake pads because since Mile 1, my front brakes honk like crazy. Having put 400 miles on the bike and after multiple washes / cleaning brake pads with brake cleaner, alcohol, dish washer liquid and after also scrubbing the brake pads on Sand paper, the honking has not gone away.
I took the bike to LBS and they said that the brakes are good as far as feel goes, but the only way to solve honking is by replacing pads and rotors at the same time. Honking aside, here what confuses me - my Ekar braking power seems less than my Record’s braking power. Are there any WWs who happen to own bikes with Ekar and Record and have you experienced braking power differences? Oh and the braking power difference that I feel is in front and rear brakes.


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simbikotic
Posts: 154
Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2020 12:52 am

by simbikotic

Hi! I am running both Ekar and Record mechanical (hydraulic) on my gravel and road bike respectively. So maybe I can help.

Re Contamination:
I contaminate my rear rotor/pad regularly through cleaning the rear cassette. Usually I clear with Isopropyl alcohol + blu-roll. However for stubborn cases, I have never had a case I could not fix with the following procedure: Fine grit wet&dry (e.g. 800) + Isopropyl alcohol. Wet the paper with the alcohol and gently rub the surface of the rotor and the pads. Clean off with blu-roll and alcohol. This is the "last resort" as you are essentially removing material from the rotor and pad, but better than chucking them.

Re Braking power:
I have not noticed an appreciable difference in braking power between Record and Ekar. I did have some problems with the Ekar rotors and ended up swapping them for Galfers. But this was unrelated to braking perf (the issues with Ekar rotors are well documented on the Ekar thread). If you are noticing a big difference, then maybe consider the following:
- Is the Ekar set run-in sufficiently?
- Are the disc diameters the same?
- Bleed - is there a big difference in lever travel?

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pritish8287
Posts: 103
Joined: Thu May 02, 2019 3:00 pm

by pritish8287

simbikotic wrote:Hi! I am running both Ekar and Record mechanical (hydraulic) on my gravel and road bike respectively. So maybe I can help.

Re Contamination:
I contaminate my rear rotor/pad regularly through cleaning the rear cassette. Usually I clear with Isopropyl alcohol + blu-roll. However for stubborn cases, I have never had a case I could not fix with the following procedure: Fine grit wet&dry (e.g. 800) + Isopropyl alcohol. Wet the paper with the alcohol and gently rub the surface of the rotor and the pads. Clean off with blu-roll and alcohol. This is the "last resort" as you are essentially removing material from the rotor and pad, but better than chucking them.

Re Braking power:
I have not noticed an appreciable difference in braking power between Record and Ekar. I did have some problems with the Ekar rotors and ended up swapping them for Galfers. But this was unrelated to braking perf (the issues with Ekar rotors are well documented on the Ekar thread). If you are noticing a big difference, then maybe consider the following:
- Is the Ekar set run-in sufficiently?
- Are the disc diameters the same?
- Bleed - is there a big difference in lever travel?
Thanks for great response.
I will surely consider the grit paper and blu roll suggestion although I am fairly sure I had done something similar in my first few attempts (surely I didn’t wet the grit paper with alcohol, so that’s worth trying)
As far as lever travel goes, both travel the same. I have bled them 5-6 times and even the LBS said “feel” is fine, no mushiness. And over 400 plus
Miles that I have put on the bike, the “feel” hasn’t degraded, just that it doesn’t and never ever felt as powerful as the record’s. I can lockup my rear wheel if pulled hard, but when I gently apply the pressure / pull less, the record starts reacting immediately while the ekar doesn’t.


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serious1
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 1:05 am

by serious1

The reason the ekar brakes feel less grabby is because the pads and rotors are contaminated. Your shop is right that you need to replace the pads and rotors to get rid of the honking and to restore the power. Sometimes the alchohol and sanding trick works but the only "surefire" DIY way that I have seen to fix the issue without replacing pads and rotors is to torch the pads and and rotors in either an oven or with a butane torch. This burns off the oil that works its way into the pad compound. Theres plenty of youtube videos on how to do this.

pritish8287
Posts: 103
Joined: Thu May 02, 2019 3:00 pm

by pritish8287

serious1 wrote:The reason the ekar brakes feel less grabby is because the pads and rotors are contaminated. Your shop is right that you need to replace the pads and rotors to get rid of the honking and to restore the power. Sometimes the alchohol and sanding trick works but the only "surefire" DIY way that I have seen to fix the issue without replacing pads and rotors is to torch the pads and and rotors in either an oven or with a butane torch. This burns off the oil that works its way into the pad compound. Theres plenty of youtube videos on how to do this.
Thanks for the detailed explanation. Much appreciated


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pritish8287
Posts: 103
Joined: Thu May 02, 2019 3:00 pm

by pritish8287

serious1 wrote:The reason the ekar brakes feel less grabby is because the pads and rotors are contaminated. Your shop is right that you need to replace the pads and rotors to get rid of the honking and to restore the power. Sometimes the alchohol and sanding trick works but the only "surefire" DIY way that I have seen to fix the issue without replacing pads and rotors is to torch the pads and and rotors in either an oven or with a butane torch. This burns off the oil that works its way into the pad compound. Theres plenty of youtube videos on how to do this.
So, quick update. I tried the butane torch technique and my honking noise reduced a little bit but didn’t totally go away. Braking power though - improved significantly!!! Great suggestion, thanks a tonne.


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