Where is this better mousetrap people keep promising to build? Most of the mousetraps out there seem incapable of trapping mice. Luckily, when the cycling world sets out to build a better mousetrap, particularly in a new-ish field like disc brakes, they often do.

The Hayes Stroker Trail Disc Brake is their better mousetrap -- only it does what it is supposed to do better than predecessors. For example, the integrated reservoir in the master cylinder handles fluid expansion better by 33% over the Hayes Mag brake. We don’t think this will increase stiffness by 33%, but it will make fade much less of an issue. Beyond the lever, Hayes also uses Phenolic, a resin that has insulating properties to limit the transfer of heat that occurs when pads and rotors heat up under braking stress. Call it evolution, call it smart thinking, call it more of what we’d like to see in the future.

Hayes redesigned the Hayes Stroker Trail Disc Brake from the ground up. The caliper has a "window" so that it's easy to see the pads. The pads and pistons are larger than anything Hayes has offered before. The banjo end on hose attachment to the caliper allows the user to adjust the hose angle to its ideal position. The lever design is called Close-pack Construction (CPC) which eliminates wasted space and material. The push-rod for the piston travels in a straight line from the lever blade into the reservoir. At the lever end of the push-rod there’s an aluminum adjuster dial to fine-tune the lever throw. Having the brake engaged by a pivot short of the lever’s fulcrum also helps make the lever travel shorter and smoother.

The Hayes Stroker Trail Disc Brake can be applied to most any genre of mountain biking -- just change the rotor size to accommodate the different tasks. The master cylinder is a symmetrical two-bolt mount that can be flip-flopped for either the left or right. The cylinder is made of gravity-cast aluminum with a 6061-T6 aluminum cylinder inside the reservoir. The lever blade is made of 6061 forged aluminum. The hose connecting the lever to the caliper is a Kevlar wrap design for minimal expansion in heat. The brake fluid is Hayes high temperature DOT 4 fluid.

The caliper is forged from 6061 aluminum. It has a Caliper Positioning Window (CPW), an opening in the caliper that allows the rider to check on the positioning of the caliper and pads without having to turn the bike over. The pistons that push the pads on to the rotor are made of Phenolic and have a stainless steel post behind them. The piston diameter is 24.12mm. They push 535mm square pads (total surface area of pad). The pads are made from a sintered metallic compound. Semi-metallic replacement pads are available as well; the aluminum-backed pads can save 13g over the others. The pads can be installed and removed without tools by simply removing the wheel and pushing or pulling the pad tabs. The caliper is designed to mount on 74mm post mounts -- adaptors to attach the brake to other mounts are also available.

The lever and caliper bodies are available in Pearl White or Slate Grey Metallic. The rotors available are V5 (140mm, 99g-recommended for rear brakes only),V6 (160mm, 114g) or V7 (180mm, 156g).

Please note: almost all hydraulic brake lines need to be cut to size before a bike is properly shod with hydraulic disc brakes. You'll need a quality cable-cutter like the Park CN-10 and a spoke to first cut and then de-crimp the housing.

A quantity of one means you are purchasing lever, hose, caliper, rotor, fluid, mounts, and bolts for one wheel. Weight for the brake, 75cm hose, 160mm rotor, 6 rotor bolts, 2 mount bolts and 2 mount washers is 386g.