# Tektro Draco Hydraulic Disc brakes - Any good?



## aL1 (May 6, 2009)

Are the Tektro Draco _Hydraulic_ Disc brakes any good?

I've read numerous negative reviews about Tektro _Mechanical_ disc brakes, and a bike I'm looking to get has the Tektro Hydraulics'-

Thanks-


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## mtbnozpikr (Sep 1, 2008)

I have experience with a friend's tektro mechanicals and they were terrible. They'll probably be fine at least temporarily though.


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## rkj__ (Feb 29, 2004)

mtbnozpikr said:


> They'll probably be fine at least temporarily though.


What do you base this on?


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## mtbnozpikr (Sep 1, 2008)

I am just saying that Tektro is a low-end brake and I can't imagine that their hydraulic line is any better. Also depending on the kind of riding you do/rider you are, they will probably be fine until ready to be upgraded. Not everybody can afford or wants to dish out the money for new disc brakes as they are quite expensive. For this reason we have low-end stuff. I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with Tektro but simply that they are not on the same level as say Magura, Formula, or Shimano.


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## Berkley (May 21, 2007)

I'd much rather have a set of BB7s, than Tektro hydraulics.


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## reptilezs (Aug 20, 2007)

i have not ridden these but have worked on them. the lever feels pretty good from working on them. they are low end hydro. equivalent to a about a juicy 3


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## aL1 (May 6, 2009)

Good feedback everyone...makes my decision much easier-

@Berkley...good thought; I'll probably go with the base model with BB5's, and upgrade them later to BB7's-


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## Captain Duderino (Jan 19, 2012)

Just waking this up for future visitors as I've now put about a thousand miles on a Draco front on my 700c fg winterbike. In the trails and on all conditions of pave, I've never felt safer! There is a strange howl at certain speed/squeeze spots that I've read can be adjusted out, but I like the head turning ability that gives me. It gives perfect one finger modulation and on warm dry tarmac two fingers takes me down from 20-30 to 0 quicker than even my cbr can! I'd reccomend everything but the rotor to any expert as I think its non-round design is an (successful) attempt a mechanical ABS that contributes a jiggle (correspondent with speed) only really noticeable on long paved descents- all I've noticed in the trails is that I stop quicker drastically quicker and easier. As far as I can tell the name means nothing. Whether tektro made this or they contracted it out, whoever made this did their homework. 3 months of mud, creeks, rain, and two months of salt and sand and going strong.


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## Aresab (Mar 27, 2007)

In my opinion, the brake squeal can be minimized by changing the pads. Since the Tektro Hydro series, at least the older Auriga, use Shimano Deore M525 (not 535,585,...) compatible, replacement pads are easily found. I bought some from ebay and do not experience the noise I had with the stock pads. I think the brakes are pretty good, all of my family has them on their bikes and I put them on my two hard tails. My FS bike use Shimano Hydros...


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## Captain Duderino (Jan 19, 2012)

*10,000 mile update!*

after a long salty but snowless winter, a longer spring packed with multi-county rides, and a half summer, and a re-bleed, my draco has broken in and works totally correct.


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## Smir (Jul 23, 2012)

What do you mean works correclty?

just got my revel 0 ltd an read the breaks on the non ltd are better??? unsure :-s


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## J-Flo (Apr 23, 2012)

*Noisy Tektro Dracos*

See this thread regarding Tektro Draco noise.

http://forums.mtbr.com/brake-time/what-could-noise-783206.html

No one has answered my last post yet.


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## MattZilla (Aug 9, 2013)

Smir- sorry for the super late responce, classes have been hell and I forgot my password. By "correct" I meant that they make as much noise as any bicycle disc brake in any given conditions, they (controllably) stop on a dime with very little hand effort and (the biggest complaint for this unit besides the insultingly low price) the inside piston has stopped hanging up and staying pressed against the rotor and slowly retracting back to its neutral position and it now does that immediately, just as any other hydraulic disc. 

The only reason that I'm switching them out this fall for mechs is because I'm getting impatient and done waiting for affordable drop-bar hydraulic levers and want to go back to drop bars.


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