Frequently asked questions
Equipped with hypersentivie strain gauges and power meter electronics, BrakeAce PF2 sensors measure your braking at 1000x/second. Brake events big and small are sent wirelessly to your phone where the real magic happens.
What makes BrakeAce different is that we don't just show you charts and raw data - our aim is to give each rider and every ride actionable insights to improve their flow.
Scientifically tested scores and complex algorithms do the work for you by cutting through all of your brake events and showing you the 3 places you can improve the most - your 3 Key Opportunities.
By using our proprietary BrakeAce Method you can focus on the right things in the right places to maximize your flow out on the trails.
Scores like the FlowScore, Brake Health, Brake Balance are all directly comparable between runs or against your buddies, and help you track your progress as you improve.
Learn more about the BrakeAce Method here: https://www.brakeace.com/post/the-4-step-brakeace-method-to-faster-downhills
Listen to Rohan's firsthand experience with the BrakeAce Method on the Demystifying MTB podcast here: https://www.brakeace.com/podcast/episode/f9a9a3fb/4-steps-to-faster-downhills
Read more and watch an installation video here: https://www.brakeace.com/post/brakeace-pf2-tr-dh-installation-procedure
How to connect your PF2 sensors to the correct brake 👇
1. Bounce your bike to wake up sensors
2. Go to RECORD screen and tap Rear Brake button
3. Hold your phone close to rear brake
4. Select sensor with biggest blue dot
5. Repeat for Front Brake
Once GPS is strong (question mark goes away), you're ready to record your ride!
Once you connect the first time, your phone will remember your configuration 😁
Learn how to connect to your sensors and edit your profile here: https://www.brakeace.com/post/getting-started-with-brakeace-first-ride
Check this blog post out to learn more: https://www.brakeace.com/post/how-to-analyze-your-ride-with-the-brakeace-app
To really deep-dive, download Free Speed. When you purchase sensors you'll get a free downloadable copy of the book, or you can get it for free by joining our newsletter. https://www.brakeace.com/product-page/free-speed-the-brakeace-book
Post mounts designed for a minimum size of 200 and 203mm rotors place the brake caliper at a different angle than post mounts designed for 160 and 180mm rotors. Using a BrakeAce PF2 TR on 200 and 203 post mounts is generally not recommended because the caliper may hit the rotor in the rear. The BrakeAce PF2 DH situates the caliper at an angle appropriate for use on 200 and 203 post mounts with 220 and 223 rotors. The PF2 TR is made to be used on 160 and 180 post mounts with 180 and 200/203 rotors, respectively.
The BrakeAce PF2 TR & PF2 DH are designed to fit on 74mm post mounts, which are the standard for over 10 years. Some bikes use IS mounts, but you can place your BrakeAce sensor on top of an IS-to-post adapter. BrakeAce always fits like a +20mm spacer, but washers are sometimes needed for certain configurations.
To use BrakeAce with a rotor two sizes larger than your post mount size, use a Shimano +20 spacer under your PF2 sensor like the image below. Note that you may need some lower profile bolts and cup/cone washers like these. Just add a note with your order and we can supply these for you.
The PF2 may not fit on all frame designs that feature the brake post mounts on the chainstay (most common on XC bikes). For example, the PF2 fits fine on the new Trek Supercaliber, but not on the Santa Cris Blur rear triangle.
Use the BrakeAce side profile below to ensure that you have proper clearance to mount BrakeAce on chainstay post mounts. Print this side-on profile using an A4 size sheet of paper, cut it out and "mount" it to your bike, and place your caliper on top. In terms of width, the PF2 sensors are a maximum of 21.4mm at the widest point (15.7mm from bolt center to furthest outside point). The wide point starts from center of front bolt back along the sensor for 54.4mm.
For access to an *.stl file to check fitment in CAD software, please contact us.
Rotors: ensure that you have increase your rotor size by 20 or 23mm greater than your post mount size.
Brake hose: ensure that your bike has an additional 2-3 inches of brake hose beyond what is necessary so that your caliper can be mounted on BrakeAce. You must have sufficent remaining brake hose to be able to turn your handlebars. Please consult your bike's manufacturer if you are unsure.
Your sensors connect to your phone via BLE. Your phone records your ride data and then sends it to the cloud for processing. You'll need to ride with your phone to capture braking data and GPS.
Since rides are initially stored on your device before being sent to the cloud, you can wait for a WiFi or mobile connection before uploading and viewing your rides. This means you do not necessarily need to have a mobile connection to ride with BrakeAce (backcountry riders rejoice!). Please ensure your device is Android 11 or newer.
Record your rides with the BrakeAce app on Android (available now) using any device with Android 11 or newer. Once your ride is done recording, upload it to the cloud.
Once your ride is uploaded you can view it in the native app, or online on brakeace.app on any device.
You'll get at least 100 hours of ride time from a full charge, but many riders are claiming much more than that.
Your sensors are smart, and will go back to sleep after 5 minutes if they don't connect to the app. This means long drives with your bike on the rack won't totally drain the battery as with some other electronics.
If you're going on a long trip or a flight, put your sensors into airplane mode to conserve battery.
Putting your BrakeAce PF2 into Flight Mode to put the sensor complettely to sleep. This saves battery but is also necessary for air travel and shipping.
To put your BrakeAce PF2 into Flight Mode:
-Open the BrakeAce app
-Go to the RECORD screen
-Wake up your sensor by shaking it or bouncing you bike
-Give the app a few seconds to connect to your sensor (it will say CONNECTED)
-Hold onto the icon for the sensor you want to put into flight mode
-A menu will pop up on the left of the screen
-Tap "Set Flight Mode"
-A notice will pop up stating "The charger is the only way to wake the device from flight mode."
-Tap "Set flight mode"
-Your PF2 will enter flight mode
The BrakeAce app can start and stop your GoPro recording. If you want to sync your video and braking data, record your BrakeAce ride and GoPro video with the RECORD button on the BrakeAce app.
We use custom data profiles and gauges in Dashware to overlay the data. Dashware is a free desktop software owned by GoPro. The software allows you to use any video or data file. All you have to do is export your BrakeAce file from the BrakeAce web app (brakeace.app) and put your files into Dashware.
Download our custom BrakeAce gauges for Dashware here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1FQQaAogO8IaZvGIoWONfSYrSvvs3Pu9J?usp=sharing
To see how to sync everything up, check out our tutorial below.