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Magura HS33 (2003)

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Reviewed by 43 BikeTrials.com users - Write your review


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Rider Reviews   
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30 of 33 people found the following review helpful

Wed Sep 03 2003
Reviewed By: Greg (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
2 Years or more

Strengths
Good stopping power with little effort

Weaknesses
Initial setup can be tricky

Similar Products Used
XT Vees, Hydraulic Disc

Review
These brakes have worked well for me for over 2 years. I've used HS33s on my past three bikes. They are light weight, yet powerful. The initial set up can be tricky, but if you are mechanically inclined then you can quickly figure it out how to do it. Once they are set up properly you don't need to worry about stretching cables or other disadvantages associated with vee brakes.
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12 of 16 people found the following review helpful

Tue Sep 02 2003
Reviewed By: DLG (anon)
Rider Level: Advanced

Used Product For
2 Years or more

Strengths
Strong, stable, dependable

Weaknesses
tough to set up, TPA red screw thingy will break off in a crash quickly

Similar Products Used
soles of my shoes

Review
Went from vees to maggies and never looked back. I still have a box full of tiny parts that go to several sets of broken or mangled vees, no box for the maggie parts- haven't ruined a thing or had to replace any part other than the pads in the last 4 years I've ridden the same brakes. Get a pair and set them up and forget about them.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

Sat Sep 06 2003
Reviewed By: Dave Wheeler (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
3 Months

Strengths
smooth, powerful, maintenance free, totally symmetrical

Weaknesses
setup can sometimes be a big headache, plastic tpa adjuster

Similar Products Used
old XT, XTR, sd7's

Review
I had these on my first ever trials specific rig, a '99-or-so x-hydra. after the grind deteriorated, the stock pads slipped like dress shoes on ice. my tailbone didn't appreciate that much.. but I was a rookie and rather ignorant at the time. I've since moved through a few stock bikes. I loved V's, their power, ease of setup, dependability, etc. they only had one problem, rearward wheel movement. Most pads have more material behind the post than in front of it, so when the wheel rotates backward theres less pad material to be wedged against the rim under flex and it would slip. That was a real confidence killer. So, about 4 months ago I tried an HS33 a friend wasn't using, I knew somehting was wrong with my old setup and I wanted to give them a second chance. I cleaned it, cut new line, re-bled it with blue blood, monuted it up and slapped some plazmatic pads on them. well, I'll just say this brake will be there for quite a while. I don't use a grind and they work super. they never slip rearward because there's the same amount of material on front of and behind hte piston, and they push 100% parallel to the rim so they perform the same forward and backward. they work, really well. but like any brake they have to be set up perfectly in the first place. This is the first brake I've ever used thats never slipped on me unexpectedly.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful

Sun Sep 07 2003
Reviewed By: darren brabazon (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
6 Months

Strengths
awsome stopping power, great for trials

Weaknesses
tricky to adjust, $$$, not as good as they should be in wet conditions, for the price

Similar Products Used
hayes discs

Review
started using them on my trials bike and haven`t looked back, awsome brakes (not the best colour).really useful because it is easy to just put on "half power" where as with discs you either have max stopping or nothing.
great all round brake, but are tricky to set up right and spare parts are expensive. still, if you have the money, and are into basically any type of mountain biking deffinitly give these brakes a try.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

Thu Jun 12 2003
Reviewed By: Dustin Askins (anon)
Rider Level: Beginner

Used Product For
6 Months

Strengths
Excellent stopping power!

Weaknesses
May leak.

Similar Products Used
No other hyrdraulic rim brakes used

Review
My riding improved significantly after purchasing these brakes. I know Ill stop when I squeeze the lever. The adjustment knob is a very convenient feature. Pads wear down at an average rate. Grinding the braking surface on your rim can improve your braking power even more!

My pair did form a leak that Magura wouldnt warranty though. Mine leaked at the barb fitting, I had to buy a 1mm aluminum washer to stop the leak. So of course that meant bleeding the brakes as well, which meant buying a bleed kit. It was frustrating and I was dissapointed that Magura wouldnt cover it, but Id still by HS 33's again.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful

Sat Sep 06 2003
Reviewed By: Ali Khalili (anon)
Rider Level: Beginner

Used Product For
6 Months

Strengths
Very good stopping power, especially with plazmatic pads, Very good lever feel and return, Provides good modulation (even with plaz. pads)

Weaknesses
Slightly heavier than V's, Can be tricky to set-up properly at first (especially 'elbow' adjustment), Lever broke in a light crash

Similar Products Used
Shimano XT V-brakes

Review
These brakes provide excellent stopping power and modulation, combined with excellent lever feel (think Porsche 996 brake-pedal). They have been reliable ever since i equipped them with Plazmatic CRM pads and got them set-up properly. I broke the left-side lever in a crash (over the bars) at fairly low speed, but got it replaced at a decent cost by dealer and they seem solid so far. I'd advise spending at least a good hour or so just adjusting them and trying the set-up out on your bike at first - this will save you time as you wont have to 'constantly adjust' them as i had to for some time. The 'alloy' bolts are extremely easy to strip if you plan to open/ close them in the long term for adjustment, so go for the regular steel bolts. My set (currently used for only the rear) came with the aluminium CNC machined booster, and it is very good in reducing frame-flex (especially on steel frames such as mine). Overall a good product, although with some minor yet annoying flaws.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Sat Sep 06 2003
Reviewed By: Ben Jordan (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
2 Years or more

Strengths
Braking power is very very strong...

Weaknesses
.... only powerful if setup absolutely spot on.. and you buy expensive pads

Similar Products Used
Avid Sd7s, Hope Minis

Review
Basically the people that complain about lack of power need to setup their brakes perfectly, with a great bleed, great align, and some good pads. I have used Monty X-Lite longs for the last 2 years, in my 3 years of using Maguras. They are the best things ever and I fully trust them... my brakes barely ever slip... and in the most extreme conditions when they do, everyone elses brakes are much worse than mine!

The only problem I have found is the lever seals... Ive been through 4 whole lever assemblies due to leaking seals... not great... but I still wouldn't run any other brake.

The SD7 rear brake I tried was good, but not as good as the Magura... As for the rear Mini disc... shockingly bad, avoid!!!

Oh, and this review is for the rear brake... For the front I suggest a V or Disc, but read the other review sections for details about these, and why to use them over a front Magura ;)
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3 of 5 people found the following review helpful

Thu Oct 16 2003
Reviewed By: Alex (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
2 Years or more

Strengths
Good modulation (assuming without tar), look mighty fine, strong, no play when brakes locked

Weaknesses
Bleeding, gettin the oil on your hands and not being able to wash it off (not easily anyway), wierd material of the lever, slighty heavy

Similar Products Used
XT-V's

Review
Accompanied with a liberal coating tar makes these the best brakes out there. No cable stretch to worry about, just bleeding eveyr so often. Zero play when u really need it. Of course the setup is somewhat time consuming, but once everything's done, you wont' have to worry about them. Recognized by every REAL trials rider out there and only rivalled by XTR Vs and Arch Supremes.
These are mighty fine brakes, sure the cable lines might b a little fragile and could get ripped out if they get caught on anything, but i'd recommend getting some wire-braided lines!
SWEET! ;)
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

Wed Mar 10 2004
Reviewed By: Tiny T (anon)
Rider Level: Beginner

Used Product For
1 Year

Strengths
Very good stopping power

Weaknesses
Haven't had any problems

Similar Products Used
None

Review
Used them for 1 year havent had any problems would never change
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2 of 26 people found the following review helpful

Tue Sep 02 2003
Reviewed By: Adam (anon)
Rider Level: Advanced

Used Product For
2 Years or more

Weaknesses
Quite possibly everything

Review
I first bought these brakes as i noticed nearly all trials riders used them, so i thought they must be good! But as soon as i rode them the problems just kept coming, leaking, kinked hoses, spongy lever feel,poor power, a disaster to set up,locked on pads.... the list goes on.
I bled them constantly and was always trying to get them to perform better but nothing would work.

Get v-brakes.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Tue Oct 07 2003
Reviewed By: Manning Yuan (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
1 Year

Strengths
brake power, booster, reach adjust

Weaknesses
setup, adapters

Similar Products Used
avid v's, hayes 6" disc

Review
Once setup and maintained, these brakes are definitive. Reach adjust, adjustable pad clearance, etc make this a very customizable setup. Available colors are neat too.

I recommend a light grind with Plazmatic pads (yellow) and light tar.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Fri Oct 31 2003
Reviewed By: pav (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
6 Months

Strengths
Everything, with right setup lock in all conditions

Weaknesses
Leaks, price, setup

Similar Products Used
V-Brakes

Review
these things are nuts, if you get the right setup, i am currently running them with plazmatic pads and a grindded rim, my brake booster snapped so i am losing a lot of power while i wait for new one to come in and they still lock really well, even on things like rails, will be interesting to feel them with new RB brake booster
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Wed Jan 07 2004
Reviewed By: Chijioke Okafo (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
1 Month

Strengths
Amazing stopping power & very light

Weaknesses
a lil tough to put on

Similar Products Used
none

Review
Great frame, gives me alot more confidence to try things and not have to worry bout slipping back and cracking my head open. Great for beginners all the way to the top pros. Amazing brake, wouldnt recommend anything else
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Wed Jan 28 2004
Reviewed By: Gregory (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
2 Years or more

Strengths
great power saved me loads of times.

Weaknesses
week adjusters

Similar Products Used
hope disk brake

Review
The brakes are good and strong but with the 2 bikes that i have i have found that the back brake ajusters have broken every time after around 5 months.

All and all a good brake.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Tue Feb 17 2004
Reviewed By: Alex (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
1 Year

Strengths
powerful, good modulation, awesome stoppin power (especially w/ tar)

Weaknesses
heavy, sometimes hard to clean (like between caliper and arch hose), slightly hard to set up, bleeding is a pain

Similar Products Used
XT Vees, XTR Vees, arch deluxe

Review
Its been about a year since i got these and i can't say i've ever been disappointed. the modulation and power has been incredible, sure things are slightly heavy (you might opt to replace the "steel" booster with something carbon fiber), but i wouldn't substitute these brakes for anything on the market. they look cool, and the trials squeal is definitely the best with the HS33s. besides tomac uses them, every trials rider out there has them on their mod or stock one way or another. aside from that the occasional bleeding and mind boggling first install, the only other weakness is maybe the fragility of the hydro lines - you'll have a huge mess if one happens to be torn out.
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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Tue Sep 16 2003
Reviewed By: bob (anon)
Rider Level: Advanced

Used Product For
6 Months

Strengths
amazing stoping power,reliable,good looking,light ,and cheap

Weaknesses
none

Similar Products Used
disks

Review
these brakes are the most amazing brakes ever made well good hope mini disks are no match for these these are the bees knees bye thses cus all the pros have them alright! if u aint got them pick up the phone and get them now ,these rule over disks,these aint just for wanna bees!
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1 of 4 people found the following review helpful

Sun Oct 19 2003
Reviewed By: Tamás, Elekes (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
6 Months

Review
Very good brake!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Wed Nov 12 2003
Reviewed By: Seb Lyndon-Gee (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
3 Months

Strengths
Great feel, easy to adjust, powerful with little effort.

Weaknesses
a pain to set up(aka 5 HOURS)...

Similar Products Used
shitmano deore v-brakes

Review
These things are great, alot of people complain alot about them but i havnt had one problem with them . all you need is to have them set up well and with the right pads and you get ace performance out of them especially if they are used on four bolt mounts.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Sat Nov 29 2003
Reviewed By: woody (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
1 Year

Strengths
loads of colours, no slippage, fit and forget

Weaknesses
initial set-up takes a while, decent aftermarket pads expensive

Similar Products Used
Various v brakes, hope mini, hope m4

Review
i used to use a hope minion the rear which was fine till i started to do bigger stuff. it slipped loads and i did'nt trust it. then the lever broke while attempting my first rail ending in an extremely brused coccyx and dented pride. then i got a maggie and have never looked back since. it has improved my riding loads and you can customise your set up with pads, tar, grinding, boosters etc. and make up your own sticky rim concoctions. it is slightly heavy and easy to round off the bolts too though.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Tue Jan 27 2004
Reviewed By: Daryl (anon)
Rider Level: Beginner

Used Product For
3 Months

Strengths
Very Good

Weaknesses
Leak Easy

Similar Products Used
None

Review
I think the HS33's are very good. they are fitted on my Monty X Alp Magura.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Wed Feb 23 2005
Reviewed By: john (anon)
Rider Level: Beginner

Used Product For
1 Year

Strengths
v. powerful. cheap

Weaknesses
brakes are hard to set up, stock pads are bad

Similar Products Used
v- brakes w. different pads

Review
Have got on my jumpin jack so the frame flexes under braking. Use monty milk pads (short) on the back and stock pads on the front. The stock pads change with temperature. The brakes are hard to set up, but other than that, no problems.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Sun Oct 30 2005
Reviewed By: paul (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
1 Year

Strengths
not a lot

Weaknesses
always leak, dont set up properly

Similar Products Used
hs11s

Review
there just pooh dont get them unless going for a cheap price and desprate.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Tue Jun 13 2006
Reviewed By: mike j (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
1 Year

Strengths
great stopping power

Weaknesses
sometimes feel a bit spongy

Similar Products Used
shimano xt vs

Review
ive always like hs33 brake for trials, i love the new style levers as well! get them!!!!!!!
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Thu Mar 25 2004
Reviewed By: Ty Smith (anon)
Rider Level: Advanced

Used Product For
3 Months

Strengths
CRAZY POWER!

Weaknesses
none.

Similar Products Used
V's, avid disks, hayes disks, coaster...

Review
This is the most incredible rear trials brake ive use so far. its sooooo freaking powerful, i have no booster, just black pads and tad of tar and BAM!!!! CRAZY POWER AND FEEL I LOVE IT!
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Sun May 09 2004
Reviewed By: rojin (anon)
Rider Level: Beginner

Used Product For
1 Year

Strengths
very good stopping power strong brake

Weaknesses
setup is annoying

Similar Products Used
v brakes

Review
its a good brake its good stopping power but the booster is too small for a halo combat and the setup causes fustration. without booster u find that on v mounts that the magura will cause the frame to move when it is pulled fully.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Tue May 25 2004
Reviewed By: leeson_rider (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
1 Year

Strengths
good stopping power with the right pads

Weaknesses
can get spongy in the heat and hard to set up

Similar Products Used
v brakes

Review
good brake to get if your starting trials
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Fri Jun 18 2004
Reviewed By: Tiny T (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
2 Years or more

Strengths
Great stoppin power always reliable

Weaknesses
Can leak and burst

Similar Products Used
Vees

Review
Cant really fault this brake its the best of its kind i love it on the back of my koxx with a hope mono mini on the front.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Wed Jun 30 2004
Reviewed By: Eric Kreiter (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
6 Months

Strengths
Lots of power!

Weaknesses
Master Cylinder (Lever) snaps off easily in a crash

Similar Products Used
Shimano XT Vee Brakes

Review
Very tricky to set up on your bike. I find they always work themselves loose on one side or the other. I have managed to snap off the lever twice in the past 4 months. They are very brittle material so watch out! I would recommend keeping the lever a little bit loose on ur handlebar incase of crash. The levers are expensive to replace.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Tue Jul 27 2004
Reviewed By: Nic Gross AKA Mr. HopHop (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
6 Months

Strengths
awesome power, awesome looks

Weaknesses
so much power it makes the frame flex, kinda hard to set up

Similar Products Used
canti

Review
awesome, so good feel, TPA is awesome, once you get them setup they are unmatched.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Sat Oct 23 2004
Reviewed By: william (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
6 Months

Review
this brake are very good and they are perfect for trials they are very sharp and do not wear out as easy as some of the others
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Thu Dec 09 2004
Reviewed By: michael evans (anon)
Rider Level: Beginner

Used Product For
3 Months

Strengths
everything they are easy to put on and really great

Weaknesses
they are deathly when you want to stop quick and leak a bit

Similar Products Used
none

Review
they are brilliant. if you've got the money, get them
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Fri Dec 31 2004
Reviewed By: steve (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
1 Month

Strengths
strong grip on rims , cheaper than hydrolic disk brake

Weaknesses
pain to set up properly , decent pads expensive

Similar Products Used
shimano xtr

Review
took me hours to set up , intructions aren't the best . however they are better than most other rim brakes currently on sale .
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Sun Feb 13 2005
Reviewed By: NOEL (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
2 Years or more

Strengths
feel, power, and precision

Weaknesses
setting up at first

Similar Products Used
Magura Louise

Review
Learning to set them up at first is the worst, but after a while of playing with them you will learn how to set them up to be the best. I have been using them in the rear for 90 percent of the time that I have been riding trials and it doesn't get any better. In the front it's great as well.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Tue Feb 22 2005
Reviewed By: Jef Nackaerts (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
1 Year

Strengths
generally does what I expect them to do

Weaknesses
the finishing, bad service from magura (in Belgium), installing (I have a dedicated frame with support for 24" wheels)

Similar Products Used
cheap stuff from shimano

Review
local review for Belgium:

These are pretty good brakes until they're broken. The 5 year leakproof warranty is hard to get. I also broke those tiny red wheels (TPA knobs) to adjust them...
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Mon Mar 07 2005
Reviewed By: jon goulding (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
2 Years or more

Strengths
good braking power, good price

Weaknesses
hard to bleed and set up is too tricky.

Similar Products Used
Avid single Digit 3.0, Magura Julie

Review
A good all around buy, but changing the bridge hoseing is a pain. They are a brilliant value for the money. They are a brilliant brake for whatever you ride!!!!
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Sun Mar 20 2005
Reviewed By: NOEL (anon)
Rider Level:

Strengths
POWER, feel

Weaknesses
set up

Similar Products Used
Magura Louise

Review
What more do I need to say, they are great. Even better with Plazmatic or Koxx pads.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Fri Aug 05 2005
Reviewed By: Martyn Ashton (anon)
Rider Level: Pro/Elite

Used Product For
2 Years or more

Review
this is a very good magura brake and is ok for starting out and for advanced people like myself. they do cost quite a bit but its all worth it.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Mon Nov 07 2005
Reviewed By: keegan (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
1 Month

Strengths
none

Weaknesses
hydro lines

Similar Products Used
none

Review
these brakes worked well for about 2 weeks. then the line blew and my front brake is now shot. better lines should be used for these brakes.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Thu Dec 15 2005
Reviewed By: connor (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
1 Month

Strengths
everything

Weaknesses
none but the colour is not nice

Similar Products Used
hs 11

Review
its got a nice strong lever and clamp it have a brake booster unlike the hs33 (2005) dont like the colour but still a great brake
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Mon Jan 30 2006
Reviewed By: Ashley Hawyes (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
2 Years or more

Strengths
great power

Weaknesses
can't fault this brake, this is the trials brake

Similar Products Used
none other

Review
The tpas seem to over-tread quite easy and it maybe a tad tricky to set up to perfection but it is a brillant brake for any trials rider.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Tue Jun 20 2006
Reviewed By: paul allan (anon)
Rider Level:

Strengths
feels reliable

Weaknesses
standard pads

Similar Products Used
hs11

Review
excellent brake get decent pads and your away
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Fri Jul 14 2006
Reviewed By: Tyler (anon)
Rider Level: Intermediate

Used Product For
1 Year

Strengths
instant stopping power

Weaknesses
difficult setup

Similar Products Used
lots of v brakes

Review
I first used HS33s on a buddy's monty mod. I was amazed at how well they locked up. i later got into trials myself, and used v brakes for the first year or so. I eventually got frustrated with rolling back when I rear-wheeled stuff, so when I got my new bike I put HS33s on it. I run them with plazmatic pads, and EVO2 adapter. Suckers lock up instantly with a lightly tarred rim, and no play in them once they're locked. If you ride trials, you really should get a HS33 rear brake. They can be a pain to setup, but once done properly you can foroget about them forever (except for pad replacements). Everyone I know who has had a problem with HS33s has not had them setup right.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Sat Aug 18 2007
Reviewed By: Dann (anon)
Rider Level: Advanced

Used Product For
1 Year

Strengths
Good stopping power with little effort

Weaknesses
None

Similar Products Used
HS-33

Review
This is the rim brake king.
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