[zdubyadubya]

So I was diggin around the shop the other day and found a couple boxes of brand new un-opened two-piston saint calipers (old style, not new 4 piston) with rotors and another box of new, un opened XT lever bodies (also 3-4 years old). Aaaand.... packages of new, unopened shimano brake lines with fittings.

Would it be worth it to put this system together? What kind of performance could I expect? Will it work? Will they be more powerful than a pure XT system? Learn me some shimano folks...

 

[IH8Rice]

i know a few people with this setup and they seem to love em. especially b/c of the price.
and which year XT system are you asking about? the new ones?

 

[w00dy]

I just bought a used set of brakes with this exact setup. Haven't tried them yet, but the previous owner seemed to love them.

 

[jonKranked]

I've been running saint calipers with XT levers since the saint line came on the market. Love 'em. I used to have a set w/ saint levers, but I actually prefer the XT levers. From what I recall, the XTR levers were compatible as well.


post pics of what you have so I can confirm.

 

[IH8Rice]

I used to have a set w/ saint levers, but I actually prefer the XT levers.

arent they the same, just different color?

 

[jonKranked]

arent they the same, just different color?

from what I was told, yes. I think the only REAL difference was that the saint levers had just a touch more material for added strength.

Fluid reservoir and everything else regarding the actual actuation of the brake was the same.

 

[-BB-]

I've been told the same exact thing... XT levers on a Saint is a-ok.

 

[-BB-]

Would the same hold tru if you were using a 4piston caliper with a lever from a 2-piston brake?

 

[IH8Rice]

Would the same hold tru if you were using a 4piston caliper with a lever from a 2-piston brake?

i know its not the same exact situation, but i used Elixr levers with Code calipers with great success.

 

[Nick]

Would the same hold tru if you were using a 4piston caliper with a lever from a 2-piston brake?

I re-built my old 755s with new XT servowave lever/MC assemblies and they're amazing. Running them this way for about 2 years now and I couldn't be happier.

edit: found pic.

 

[jonKranked]

Would the same hold tru if you were using a 4piston caliper with a lever from a 2-piston brake?

someone looked into it, but i don't think that one will work. differences in actuation volume or something

 

[Nick]

 

[weedkilla]

+1 on 755 calipers with servowave levers. Haven't seen it done with new saint 4 pot calipers - you would have to break a lever and be desperate for a replacement to try.
Oh and to OP I have mixed and matched all the 2 pot style levers and calipers with no worries.

 

[Welshy.]

someone looked into it, but i don't think that one will work. differences in actuation volume or something

Apparently it does work; Bizmojo (I think that's his name - fella in Indonesia) has been running new style 4 pots with old Saint levers for like 2 years.

 

[jonKranked]

Apparently it does work; Bizmojo (I think that's his name - fella in Indonesia) has been running new style 4 pots with old Saint levers for like 2 years.

oh yea? Interesting.

 

[Lelandjt]

Weren't the 2 piston Saints calipers the same as that year's XT?

 

[Sinner]

Anyone ever swapped the rear saint caliper for a XTR? I have an extra set of XTR brakes and considered this for weight savings on my DH rig...

 

[Lelandjt]

Anyone ever swapped the rear saint caliper for a XTR? I have an extra set of XTR brakes and considered this for weight savings on my DH rig...

All of Shimano's calipers work with all their levers because the levers all push the same amount of fluid.

What you're suggesting should work well because that generation XTR caliper was the same as XT but with ceramic coated Ti pistons to better block heat. I used those XTs for a couple years of DHing and thought they were good for most riding. However, you might be able to drop more weight by keeping the Saint caliper and going down to a 170mm rotor.

The opposite of your pairing doesn't work as well. Apparently XTR levers don't have as much fluid capacity as XT and Saint so they are inconsistent when used for DHing with Saint calipers. I was not impressed with the ability of XTR levers to handle even AM descending.

 

[HAB]

Apparently it does work; Bizmojo (I think that's his name - fella in Indonesia) has been running new style 4 pots with old Saint levers for like 2 years.

I've ridden a bike with Saint 810 calipers mated to Saint 800 levers. Works fine. Probably not quite as powerful as a full 810 setup, but that also could just have been rotor size/ pad material/ wear etc. I don't remember what state any of that was in.

 

[samnation]

I ran M800 saint calipers on M810 levers
I ran M800 Calips on Xt Servo wave levers
I ran M800 calips on XTR levers
I ran XTR cailps on XT levers


The only one i am not sure will work is an M800 style lever on an M810 calip.

 

[Lelandjt]

The only one i am not sure will work is an M800 style lever on an M810 calip.

According to Shimano all levers work with all calipers from all years because every lever pushes the same amount of fluid. Did you find that the XTR levers had less heat capacity that the XTs?

 

[samnation]

Not really i think the resiviors are pretty close to the same size so there was all the same heat disapating from the fluid I'm no engineer but they handled top to bottoms at whistler better than my avids.

 

[zdubyadubya]

Success!!! For those interested,

these

plus these

equals a fantastic feeling brake! they bled super easy and are more powerful than my juicy 7's.

I used to be a huge Avid guy, but after dealing with the new saint brakes and now this experiment, i may become a shimano brake guy.... this was tooo easy.

 

[w00dy]

Success!!!

My experience exactly.

 

[ohio]

Bumping this because I've never been happy with the last gen XTR levers and monobloc Saint calipers (185mm F / 160mm R) I'm running on my Enduro. They are spectacularly weak. I have tried several sets of pads with no luck, and it was hammered home last weekend when I hopped on a friends bike with Elixir 5s that were magnitudes more powerful. His made one finger stoppies easy. Mine I can't even stoppie.

Am I missing something? I thought the piston sizes on these levers and calipers worked together. Do I need to try yet another set of pads in hopes of making these work?

These:

 

[HAB]

Hmm. I'm running the same calipers with some older XT levers and they're pretty damn good. And I've got the 4 pot Saints and Formula The Ones on other bikes, so I'm used to good brakes. Things I'd look into:

-Have you tried different rotors? Any chance that yours are oily or something? I'd note that those calipers were known for having issues leaking in cold weather, if you've ridden them in the cold there's a decidedly non zero chance they've leaked oil onto the rotors/ pads.
-Which pads have you been using? The stock Shimano metals are really good in my experience.
-Those levers do have a pretty small fluid reservoir, so they'd be a bit easier to overheat, but that doesn't really sound like what you're talking about.

 

[ohio]

Hmm. I'm running the same calipers with some older XT levers and they're pretty damn good. And I've got the 4 pot Saints and Formula The Ones on other bikes, so I'm used to good brakes. Things I'd look into:

-Have you tried different rotors? Any chance that yours are oily or something? I'd note that those calipers were known for having issues leaking in cold weather, if you've ridden them in the cold there's a decidedly non zero chance they've leaked oil onto the rotors/ pads.
-Which pads have you been using? The stock Shimano metals are really good in my experience.
-Those levers do have a pretty small fluid reservoir, so they'd be a bit easier to overheat, but that doesn't really sound like what you're talking about.

I haven't switched rotors, though these got an alcohol cleaning last time I switched pads. I've tried both the Shimano organic and metal that came with the calipers, and I've replaced the fronts again with fresh Shimano metal pads. Lever feel is pretty firm though not as solid as braided lines, but it's not fade or air in the lines... it's no bite and little power even with cool rotors in the parking lot.

I guess I give fresh pads one more try and this time clean the rotors surgically with alcohol and scotchbrite...