shimano XT brakes for downhill?
- Thread starter saruti
- Start date
Yer gonna DIE! 
if ya can't get used to the weird MT lever ergo, or stump up for the HC3 levers that is....
I have two pair of Louise BAT's on other bikes, still solid brakes, put pads in, bleed em every 2-3 years and good to go.
I was going to go MT7 before I ended up with the HopeV3's. The thing that stopped me was the original, then the first lever update - they suck. Supposed to be better now, and the HC3 lever looks the tits.
So, 7's, 5's or Trails?
if ya can't get used to the weird MT lever ergo, or stump up for the HC3 levers that is....
I have two pair of Louise BAT's on other bikes, still solid brakes, put pads in, bleed em every 2-3 years and good to go.
I was going to go MT7 before I ended up with the HopeV3's. The thing that stopped me was the original, then the first lever update - they suck. Supposed to be better now, and the HC3 lever looks the tits.
So, 7's, 5's or Trails?
Yer gonna DIE!
if ya can't get used to the weird MT lever ergo, or stump up for the HC3 levers that is....
I have two pair of Louise BAT's on other bikes, still solid brakes, put pads in, bleed em every 2-3 years and good to go.
I was going to go MT7 before I ended up with the HopeV3's. The thing that stopped me was the original, then the first lever update - they suck. Supposed to be better now, and the HC3 lever looks the tits.
So, 7's, 5's or Trails?
New MT7. Buddy got them and they’re sweet.
I've been on Shimano brakes forever, my m785 XT's have been on (6) different bikes now. I recently spent some time riding a new bike with the Gwin brakes and although they seem to have adequate power, it takes quite an effort to get it. You probably need to pull 30% harder than a comparable Shimano brake to get the same power. This was the case even after proper bed-in procedure and a few rides.
One set of brakes that I wasn't initially impressed with that I ended up actually loving was the Magura MT8. It's one of the most consistent-feeling brakes I've ridden. Only (slight) issue for me was the lever shape, I'm still heavily in the Shimano camp when it comes to lever feel.
That's a great idea, thanks! I tried it out on my XT m785 levers. Nice improvement on the rear brake in particular with the levers bent by around 10mm at the tip.
What didn't you like about the TRPs? Not enough power for DH?
Long time shimano brake fan here, don't think I have run anything but for 15 years or so...That said I have been running M8000's on my 'enduro' bike and they kinda suck. I have been plauged by the inconsistent bite point you hear about since day one. As soon as the XTR 4 pistons drop I am all over those.
Still waiting for my MT7s...
One hopes they’ve sorted their problems. Call me a skeptic. I’ve used 2 generations of XTRs and they both suffered the same problems.
Yer gonna DIE!
if ya can't get used to the weird MT lever ergo, or stump up for the HC3 levers that is....
I have two pair of Louise BAT's on other bikes, still solid brakes, put pads in, bleed em every 2-3 years and good to go.
I was going to go MT7 before I ended up with the HopeV3's. The thing that stopped me was the original, then the first lever update - they suck. Supposed to be better now, and the HC3 lever looks the tits.
So, 7's, 5's or Trails?
Now to carve out enough time to mount them up...
Alright, so help a brother out here with the new quad piston shimano's.
I see the XT versions are out, and already on sale at Jenson.
The XTR's are not out yet that I can tell.
Are the 4 piston XT's just a rebadged Saint? Or did they actually do some redesigning/enhancements specifically for XT? Because they look almost identical...
The XTR's definitely look redesigned and pretty sleek. If any brake has been redesigned by Shimano to fix any issue, this one seems to be it. Thoughts?
I see the XT versions are out, and already on sale at Jenson.
The XTR's are not out yet that I can tell.
Are the 4 piston XT's just a rebadged Saint? Or did they actually do some redesigning/enhancements specifically for XT? Because they look almost identical...
The XTR's definitely look redesigned and pretty sleek. If any brake has been redesigned by Shimano to fix any issue, this one seems to be it. Thoughts?
I have to say I'm surprised that people have issues with the Trps. I switched from xt to saints a year ago when the 2 piston m8000 weren't enough any more, then decided to try the Trps after getting sick of the inconsistent saints.
IMHO the Trps are superior to the saints, albeit with slightly less power (with organic pads) I recently threw a set of metallic pads in the rear when my organics were getting beat. My intial impression was that they are now more powerful than saints.
I will agree that they do require more lever effort but hey at least they don't pump up and/or squeeze to the bars whenever they feel like it .
IMHO the Trps are superior to the saints, albeit with slightly less power (with organic pads) I recently threw a set of metallic pads in the rear when my organics were getting beat. My intial impression was that they are now more powerful than saints.
I will agree that they do require more lever effort but hey at least they don't pump up and/or squeeze to the bars whenever they feel like it .
That's basically been my exact experience. A far superior brake IMO, although I do feel a little left out now that I don't have to regularly bleed my fucking brakes. Maybe I can bleed the several sets of XTs I have hanging up in the bongshed every couple weeks just to get the experience again.
Built in “bend” adjustment
I just slapped TRPs onto my trail bike based on having ridden @jackalope’s set. Will try to provide another data point after some miles.
For some reason all the cross country riders in my area love shimano brakes. Think they're the best thing ever. And are totally okay with constant bleeds. It's pretty flat here, as well as low elevation, so I don't think it's specific to hard cornering/altitude.
Any chance sram will ever come out with a good brake?
The old Codes that had a bulky silver lever were pretty good. I think they realised their mistake there and fired the guy responsible though.
TBH, I haven't had any experience with the new Codes, but their Guides are so shite I'm not sure I want to.
This is in line with my experience, and I love the modulation TRP offers compared to Saints. Consistent fade free engagement and power seals the deal.
Do peoples shimano brakes really fade that much though? My experience was that they always worked perfectly, right up until they suddenly and randomly pulled to the bar. Could happen at the top of the run or the bottom, didn't matter where and when. The best explanation I've heard is that under hard cornering and lean angles, the lever design allows bubbles in the MC to slip into the hose and then poof, no brakes. Seems to jive with my experience of them suddenly failing whenever the trail got particularly difficult, hard corners, fast, or rocky. No idea if thats urban legend or truth though.
Definitely need to be bled frequently though I guess.
Definitely need to be bled frequently though I guess.
I recently used the mineral oil bleed syringe from my Formulas to draw a vacuum on my XT master cylinder and the bleed was great and shows no inconsistency after a few weeks time. I think the overly simple and convenient bleed process (screw-on cup and passive 'gravity' bleeding) could be improved. If you love your Shimano aside from this, try using syringes and see if you get better results.
Yeah, don't.
you can get non-shimano branded syringes that fit off of amazon (they are indicated to work with shimano). IIRC the whole kit is under $25
edit: $25 on the nose
https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Hydraulic-including-Genuine-Mineral/dp/B00JU9I720/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1538533976&sr=8-5&keywords=shimano+bleed+kit
Huh, well i'll be damned. I'd sworn off shimano what with the whole "causing me to have multiple extremely hard crashes because of sudden lack of brakes during big jumps/drops situations after corners and overshooting landings," thing. Seemed like a life threatening problem and not worth any amount of traits I liked about them like general power (when they worked), quietness, and lever feel.
Is that a pretty well established "works for most people" deal doing a vacuum bleed? My understanding was that air was coming in through the Caliper and making its way up through the hose, and that no amount of bleeds or dicking around with it would ever truly fix them.
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if "me" = most people, then yes
this is surely still going to be an issue. my test brakes are m8000, so not very old.
drawing a vacuum seems to provide a better initial bleed, no doubt, but if you have pistons/seals that leak air I have no reason to think it will last forever.
Hey all, would anyone have a pair of dead xt brake lever that I could canibalize for parts? I'm specifically looking for a set of lever blade. I'm running zee levers with xt calipers and the stock lever don't get close enough to the bar for my trumpy hands. Well they do, but its not comfortable on long runs. Xt lever blade fits right in and I can get them where I like.