are Shimano XT brakes suppose to be flexy at the lever. Seems that no matter how many times i bleed or get all the air bubbles out of the steel braided lines the lever engages pretty close to the bar. My personal preference is a trials like setup where the lever and brake engages almost 1/4 of the way when the lever is engaged. Is there anything i can do to improve the feel, aftermarket shorty levers? switching out the lines? or going to hope mini's or c2's. I felt a set of hope brakes at a shop once, looked like minis or might have been the c2's but they felt awesome; the lever bite was perfect and the feel was solid not flexy like the shimanos.
Call me picky but....
- Thread starter Aztomac
- Start date
Ya know........
I had Shimano XT brakes and they were rock solid with the braided lines.
Now I have Hayes brakes and they feel mushy, even with a good bleed.
I attribute that to....I got a great set of Shimano brakes....I got a bummer set of Hayes.
The kevlar lines are supposed to not flex as much as the braided lines, so they should give you a stiffer lever. Try bleeding again, they shouldn't feel mushy.
I had Shimano XT brakes and they were rock solid with the braided lines.
Now I have Hayes brakes and they feel mushy, even with a good bleed.
I attribute that to....I got a great set of Shimano brakes....I got a bummer set of Hayes.
The kevlar lines are supposed to not flex as much as the braided lines, so they should give you a stiffer lever. Try bleeding again, they shouldn't feel mushy.
yeah, I've felt Mrbig's XTs and they were definitely the best-feeling XTs I've ever squeezed.
Everybody else's, however, feel like ass. It's 1/2 the lever body (not the blade, unfortunately) flexing, and 1/2 the steel braid hose swelling - you can feel it when you squeeze the lever.
You can fix the hose by getting Deore hoses - they're black kevlar, just like Hayes. I did that and it helped a LOT.
Zonic Man used the GRC lever blades on his at one point and said he liked them a lot. I don't know if it'll fix the flex though, b/c that comes from the actual lever body. A pair of them costs about what a full set of XT brakes costs though, so I can't imagine it would be worth it, but if ya got the money, they're pretty pimp looking....
oh, one other thing - they do engage a lot better if you run the lever blades farther out. This sucks ass if you have small hands, but I have monster paws and it works well for me!
It must have something to do with the leverage ratio you get, I dunno, but it does work.
Everybody else's, however, feel like ass. It's 1/2 the lever body (not the blade, unfortunately) flexing, and 1/2 the steel braid hose swelling - you can feel it when you squeeze the lever.
You can fix the hose by getting Deore hoses - they're black kevlar, just like Hayes. I did that and it helped a LOT.
Zonic Man used the GRC lever blades on his at one point and said he liked them a lot. I don't know if it'll fix the flex though, b/c that comes from the actual lever body. A pair of them costs about what a full set of XT brakes costs though, so I can't imagine it would be worth it, but if ya got the money, they're pretty pimp looking....
oh, one other thing - they do engage a lot better if you run the lever blades farther out. This sucks ass if you have small hands, but I have monster paws and it works well for me!
It must have something to do with the leverage ratio you get, I dunno, but it does work.
Yeah, i was usin a buddys bike that had XT's on it and they felt like complete sh!t, you had to squeeze them to the bar to slow down and most of the time they would lock up. Ive got hayes now and i feel a considerable difference. tho, if i had the chance i would go with the hopes, now theres a quality brake.
Kevlar isn't black, its a yellowish colour and I read somewhere that it can't be dyed. The colour won't get absorbed. Inside a Hayes line you can see the kevlar. Patagonia made tough climbing/skiing jackets with a kevlar grid. The kevlar stood out because it was yellow and the nylon in between was coloured.
I just set up my XTR discs. I had Hayes since 1999, the same ones and the feel is definitely different. The Shimanos are softer but I think they modulate a bit better. Perhaps less strong than the Hayes too. Haven't made up my mind on that point yet. I wonder if that's a Shimano trait. Are all their hydraulic brakes a bit softer feeling than other manufacturers such as Hayes?
I just set up my XTR discs. I had Hayes since 1999, the same ones and the feel is definitely different. The Shimanos are softer but I think they modulate a bit better. Perhaps less strong than the Hayes too. Haven't made up my mind on that point yet. I wonder if that's a Shimano trait. Are all their hydraulic brakes a bit softer feeling than other manufacturers such as Hayes?
I'm sorry, I stand corrected. What I SHOULD have said was, "they're black-coated kevlar, just like Hayes." My bad.