Gear Review: Bengal Helix 1.0 Brakes
By Rob Manning

This kitty has claws

When you think of disc brakes, you probably conjure up images of Avid and Hayes, and maybe even Shimano. But if you look below the radar of the hydraulic brake world, there is a host of wonderful companies making top flight brake systems that few people know about. Enter: Bengal Performance. Bengal is one of the lesser known companies out there (on this side of the pond anyway), but there’s no doubt that they have put out some great products to make their splash. They initially began life as a maker of mechanical discs for the OEM market and have recently blown through the glass ceiling and have released their first hydraulic offering.

Helix 1.0
Bengal’s disc brake line is anchored at the bottom by their mechanical disc offerings, and as you jump up the ladder, you hit the impressive Helix line of brakes. Offered in the 1.0 or 1.1 designation, with the only difference being the size of the lever blade, they both feature dual piston activation for what Bengal calls “Peak Stopping Power.” Other features include “OBP mounting system” (We never did really figure out what OBP meant, but we believe it may be On Bike Positioning? –Ed.) and a nifty little gizmo called the Aorta valve. The Aorta is a 360 degree rotating reservoir that can be swiveled around to accommodate any bar position and all shifter pods, with or without indicators. The Aorta is filled with blood….err, DOT 4 brake fluid that is much more resistant to temperature changes that the mineral oil used in some brakes. Weights are claimed at 280g + hoses and rotor/hardware for the 2 finger lever version which we tested. Rotors are steel, wavy affairs that shed mud well, and everything (except the rotors) is anodized black with CNC surface machining and rust-proofed hardware. Not too bad on paper, but how did they do in the real world?

Test time
Mounting the Helix units was not too big a job. Certainly, the mounting is easier than Avid’s aggravating CPS system (yes, send hate mail if you wish, but I just do not care for those conical washers one bit.) The rear unit we installed did need a bit of bleeding to make the lever feel proper and less wooden, but overall, installation was a simple affair. The Aorta valve made installing these on numerous different bikes, each with different shifter layouts, much easier than some other brakes.

In use, the Helix initially suffered from a pretty soft power curve. It took a LOT of lever force to lock up the wheels, if it was even possible. Even after the pads burned into the rotors, they felt somewhat underpowered. It took nearly a full epic ride (about 4 hours) of use to realize their potential. Once the pads bedded in completely, braking power was readily on tap, and one fingered braking was a simple affair indeed. We had no problems with brake fade except on extremely long, sickeningly steep descents which were better served by laying back on the brakes anyway. Overall, the Helix units acted like any good brake should: you never knew they were there. They always worked as advertised and you never had to question if you were going to have the stopping power you needed. Now, it remains to be seen if these would stand up to heavy abuse on a downhill or freeride rig, which Bengal claims they are more then capable of handling. Since we value our lives (and limbs) it’s somewhat unlikely that we’ll be hoisting ourselves aboard one of those any time soon, so we can’t comment there. The fact that 203mm rotors and adapters are available probably means that they’re up to the task.

So now if you think of brakes, who are you thinking of? Here at the MBT offices, we still think of Avid and Hayes, Shimano and Formula, but now we’ve had to add Bengal to the short list of quality stoppers we’ve had our mitts on lately. Bravo Bengal, bravo.

Bengal Performance