[Smelly]

so i need some new brakes. for my trail bike i'm thinking avid mechanicals because they worked pretty well for me in the past and are cheap. but i'm also considering the new XT's, hayes mags, or Hope mono mini. do the new XT's come with levers (i know you have to buy lines seperately) and can i run hayes 160mm rotors with the new XT's so i don't have to get new hubs?

these are going on my Saber, which get used as an all around bike. i do sometimes do dh runs on it (i have a 243 which also gets used for those duties) but i used to run the avid mechanicals with no trouble. i like the avid mech's because there's no fluid to fuss with, they're easy and have worked well for me in the past. for a trail bike, can anyone give me a couple good reasons why i should buy hydraulic brakes over the avids instead of putting those $ towards a new rear shock?

 

[me89]

love my 03 xts. for xc riding. i have done some black diamonds on them and they have fadded pretty bad but got me threw the run. a good idea for that saber is to put an 8 in up front cause you dont need to buy a new hub just a dif adapter to bolt onto the mounts. the hydralics also give you much more stopping power. there also self adjusting so you dont have to worry about that. but anyway you go the mech's you have choosen are the best on the market. so you get a good brake no matter what so good luck

 

[mcA896]

the new XT's do NOT come with levers. but, out of your choices, i dont think you could really go wrong with any of them. of course some people prefer the feel of a certain brake over others but thats just personal pref.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Hope Minis!!!!!

 

[Matt D]

HAHA That kid said "black diamond"! That's incredible!

As for brakes, you don't have to get new hubs as Shimano makes standard rotors as well. I've been loving my 04 XT's, great lever feel and power IMO. The 6" rotors do have some fade to them on long downhills, but I fixed that partially by running an 8" rotor up front.

My buddy just switched from Formulas to Hope MM4's, and those things have the most annoying high pitched squeal I've ever heard. The lever feel and modulation are awesome though.