2 pot R 4 pot F

2WheelsNot4

E*POWAH Master
Oct 17, 2021
916
710
Scotland
Im wondering if running a 2 pot at the back and a 4 pot on the front is going to leave me underpowered brake wise ?.
Hope V4F/V2R
 
Last edited:

urastus

⚡The Whippet⚡
May 4, 2020
1,548
995
Tasmania
I can't answer your question directly. I have 4 pot front and rear, same size and model rotors front and rear. The only difference is pads - metal on the rear, resin on the front. I think this is a great combo - aggressive on the rear, controllable on the front. With that in mind if it was my choice and I had to put 2 pot somewhere - it would be on the front.
 

Clubby

Active member
Oct 3, 2020
159
132
Tayside
Have done it in the past on a short travel (pedal) bike. Worked well for the application I used it for but in all honesty the weight saving was minimal. On a modern bike I’d be going 4 pot front and rear.
I’ve found that I’m more rear brake heavy on the ebike compared to my trail bike even on the same trails. Don’t know whether it’s because it’s easier to ride the ebike more lazily and still get back up to speed after a corner than without the motor, where you’ve to ride smoother to hold the speed.
 

Dax

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
May 25, 2018
1,629
2,013
FoD
How much do you weigh, where/what do you ride, how heavy is your bike, how big are your rotors?
 

militantmandy

Well-known member
Jan 18, 2022
399
369
Tweed Valley, Scotland
Running hope brakes might leave you underpowered. ;) A better question might be, what is the advantage to 2 pot on the rear? Personally I wouldn't, but it's steep round here so I am on the brakes a lot!
 

2WheelsNot4

E*POWAH Master
Oct 17, 2021
916
710
Scotland
How much do you weigh, where/what do you ride, how heavy is your bike, how big are your rotors?
Me- 14 stone.
Where ride - general commuting/shopping duties
What 2021 Scott Genius 920
Inc Rack, panniers -55lbs
Rotors 203mm F&R

Current brakes - Shimano m501/m520,203mm Rear is pretty much non functional due to micro leak/contamination, so i do all the stopping duties on the front and pump the lever.

I have new V4 on tech 3. Teh V2's came as a goodwill gift from Hope- They couldnt replace the seals on an early V2, so sent me a new pair of V2 calipers for my trouble. So I was intending on using V4 F&R on Hope 2.3mm 200mm rotors F&R
The V2 calipers have kind of knocked me a bit, and im not sure i'd ever find a use for V2 alone, but V4/V2 isnt an unusual set up.
 

Dax

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
May 25, 2018
1,629
2,013
FoD
Me- 14 stone.
Where ride - general commuting/shopping duties
What 2021 Scott Genius 920
Inc Rack, panniers -55lbs
Rotors 203mm F&R

Current brakes - Shimano m501/m520,203mm Rear is pretty much non functional due to micro leak/contamination, so i do all the stopping duties on the front and pump the lever.

I have new V4 on tech 3. Teh V2's came as a goodwill gift from Hope- They couldnt replace the seals on an early V2, so sent me a new pair of V2 calipers for my trouble. So I was intending on using V4 F&R on Hope 2.3mm 200mm rotors F&R
The V2 calipers have kind of knocked me a bit, and im not sure i'd ever find a use for V2 alone, but V4/V2 isnt an unusual set up.

Should be fine
 

Clubby

Active member
Oct 3, 2020
159
132
Tayside
Dyna, If you already have them then it’s a different story. Give them a go, you can always upgrade the back if you find it lacking.
I feel your pain with the Shimanos. Had a leaky rear and had it warrantied after 9 months. The replacement lasted a month before it did the same.
 

2WheelsNot4

E*POWAH Master
Oct 17, 2021
916
710
Scotland
Dyna, If you already have them then it’s a different story. Give them a go, you can always upgrade the back if you find it lacking.
I feel your pain with the Shimanos. Had a leaky rear and had it warrantied after 9 months. The replacement lasted a month before it did the same.
True. for the type of riding im doing probably the V2's would be more than enough, just im a bit fatter these days and the bike is meant for me to shop on so having an extra 10-15kg of shopping will always mean the weight will be max. So 4 pot on front of a brake designed for DH should be more than adequate.

The only reason im wavering over this is i need the shop to fit the rear brake as it involves feeding it through the frame and i think dropping the motor. Tasks i just dont want to get into, having neither the experience of Ebike motor/electrics maintenance or associated tasks.
And I think its fed from the rear forward, so i should at least have a caliper fitted to one end.

@Clubby
On the leaky shimano front. There was a thread on here and a link off site to someone who had worked out that the leaking is not coming from the pistons, but from the oil transfer hole linking the 2 caliper halves, and that the replacing the o ring that is suppose to seal that area if replaced solves the prob.
I cant find the thread nor remember to where the link went, but when i swop the brakes over I'l have a go at replacing this o ring and see if that does indeed solve the problem.

All I remember about it is the ring is measured 3mmx1.5mm and the shimano one is flat on top, and a replacement is standard curved. Its apparently the flat section of the ring thats not squeezing hard enough to 'squash' out the o-ring to make it seal.,
 

AJB

New Member
Jul 12, 2022
10
4
Manchester
Having ridden bikes with 4F/2R before, I'd say the other way around feels more natural! Worth a go playing around with the new setup though, might find it suits your riding perfectly.

Run 4 pots front and rear, and if I had to sacrifice one it'd be the front - but then Cumbria only really has off-piste death slopes!
 

Binhill1

🍊 Tango Man 🍊
Mar 7, 2019
3,026
4,586
Scotland
I feel the need for more on front personally pull too much on rear i just skid . But I'm not a big braker some folk are horrendous , like following a car some folk always dabbing the brakes going down a hill.. I managed on Cantilever brakes for yonks while mates all needed V brakes if you can remember those .
 

jonmat

Member
Feb 22, 2020
101
72
Sheffield
I think the answer is no. I used to argue about this when I was a new motorcyclist back in the mid 70's. It's simple physics. When you apply the front brake, all you weight gets transferred forwards and loads up the front wheel. The rear wheel is the opposite, and very lightly loaded. This is why cars and motorbikes have the biggest and most powerful brakes at the front.
 

Rusty

E*POWAH BOSS
Jul 17, 2019
1,513
1,673
New Zealand
^^ THAT ^^
@jonmat nailed it. Hell. I am an old fart but on some trails I have gone into a corner with the forks close to fully compressed and the rear wheel off the ground. The front is where your major stopping happens - even at a quiet pace.
 

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