gratuitous new bike showoff thread + brake question

[Matt H]

I don't post on the freeride board much, but some of you may remember this post:
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127212

First off, thanks for all the replies! adurham, HBT, your suggestions ended up the closest...I ended up getting a 2005 Giant Reign 3, slightly used, a few extras, $1200 shipped...so not only did I get almost exactly what I wanted, but I hit my budget goal right on Target.

HBT and I went for a quick ride friday afternoon, and the bike is just awesome. For a bike w/ 6" travel, I'm amazed at how well it climbs...and of course the going down is a whole lot more fun then the old hardtail :)

My only complaint is braking power...I have to say, the Hayes Mechanicals on my Iguana were better (on the front at least) than the Hayes Sole's. I am considering a brake upgrade down the road, but in the meantime, can I step up to a softer, more responsive set of pads? Any ideas?

gratuitous pic...
http://matthuestis.com/bike/reign2.jpg

[Changleen]

Hmm, they should be better than mechanicals still... Are they spongy or do the pads just not bite?

[SCABRIDER]

clean the rotors, scuff the pads with scotch brite, bleed your brakes, adjust you levers...

[14psisupra]

are the brakes new? if so they need a good hard run, say down a hill and ride the **** out of them, then they should grab better.

[Netguy]

If they dont grab very well, they might have a ton of air in them, in which they will need a bleed.

[Sir_Crackien]

if that is the bike after the ride then the brakes just need a longer run in time. that small experance i have had with the sole brakes ( i work for a shop) is that they are able to grab very well when they are broken in well.

[Matt H]

Hey thanks for the responses guys....

Since I am "working from home" today, I bled the brakes, scuffed the pads w/ some 150grit (very fine) sandpaper I had, and cleaned the pads + rotors with alcohol.

Then I rode around the neighborhood, standing, pedaling, and riding the front brake to bed. When the nausea from being out of shape set in, I quit the bedding process and did some testing....definite improvement. Now I'd say they grab better than the mechanicals, just based on this afternoon.

I'm curious to get to the trails for a few hours...since they were hot from the bedding, they may react differently on the trail if they've cooled during riding. Some TLC definitely helped though.

[Kootenay Rider]

The Soles are very similar to the Mechanicals in that only one side moves and you have to manually adjust for pad wear. Make sure everything is adjusted right.

Nice bike but keep an eye on the Splice .... haven't heard (or seen) great things in terms of reliability/durability.

[Matt H]

Nice bike but keep an eye on the Splice .... haven't heard (or seen) great things in terms of reliability/durability.

Definitely...I'm awaiting a long day on the trails to give my final review, but so far the splice is garbage. Already considering a fork upgrade...but since I just dropped coin on the bike, that may wait till next season. We'll see.