INTERBIKE 2009 – Hayes only had a few upgrades to the Stroker Gram line, which tops the queue as their lightweight champ.  We’d already shown you the new white model…complete with white housing…but the significant changes are things you wouldn’t see.
First, they’ve smoothed out the finish on the master cylinder (all models, not just Grams).  It used to be sort of like the orange peel paint on the bottom portion of vehicles, now it’s smooth as a baby’s behind.  This is more apparent on the dark gray model featured after the break.  Besides cosmetics, they’ve made two physical changes to improve performance.  First, the lever’s pivot pin is now steel, so it’s stronger.
Second, the bladder reservoir was reshaped to further reduce the likelihood of air bubble formation.  Hit ‘more’ to see additional photos and their new Caliper alignment / pad adjustment tool…
The white Grams get some very nice etched graphics.  The mount is a two-piece design so you can remove the brakes without removing the grips and such.  They’re non-directional design means you can flip them around to get all crazy and run moto style if you want, too.
New smooth finish and reinstatement of the Hayes logo after years of, um, legal garbage.  Red arrow shows the new steel pivot pin.
The new Hayes Feel’r Gage caliper alignment tool has two tools in one.  First, the silver shims slide in between the pads and the rotor during set up to aid alignment and proper spacing.  Second, the wedged end of the purple body slides between the pads to help open them up in the event that you accidentally squeeze the lever while the tire’s removed…  Doing so, which I’ve learned the hard way, tends to close the pistons down and the only way to open them back up is to pry them out, insert a shim like this, then squeeze the levers around it again to reset the pad adjustment.  Hayes’ brakes come with a small plastic wedge stuck between the pads when you buy them which can be used for this purpose, but the $10 tool above a) looks way cooler and b) is easier to hold.
Now, if only they’ve built a bottle opener into it in some clever fashion…
