For those who upgraded their brakes to Shimano

[Stumpy]

Thank you all for the input. I'm going to get the Problem Solvers Mismatch Adapter 1.2 for left and right. This looks like the best solution for me.

I can only see a right in the 1.2? Did you manage to get a left too?

 

[jxj]

I don't have it in hand yet but Jenson usa shows it fo $40 left and right kit. Hope to get it this week. Shipping is an issue with snow and storms in California right now.

 

[Stumpy]

I don't have it in hand yet but Jenson usa shows it fo $40 left and right kit. Hope to get it this week. Shipping is an issue with snow and storms in California right now.

Ok, that explains it - I’m in the UK.. I’ll have a hunt around. Thanks and good luck!

 

[jxj]

An update on the Shimano M8020 brakes and RT86 203mm rotors on my 2018 TL CC. I completed the change using the part numbers provided in this thread and others on the Shimano brakes. The snow melted enough to put 40 miles on the brakes. The swap wasn't that hard. The worst part was fishing the rear brake line through above the motor. I tried using the sram hose as a puller but couldn't make that work. Used a piece of wire to fish a puller through. After breaking in the new brakes they are everything I had hoped for. Quiet and don't warp, seem to have more power and modulation than the REs. The problem solvers 2.1 are a nice kit, pricey for the size of the little bag but they work perfect.

A tip that works well for me on lever bleeding is to use a disposable electric toothbrush for shop use only like the Oral-b 3d battery electric toothbrush to vibrate the lever and hose to work the bubbles out faster. In the US we can get these for $6 and they are handy in the shop for lots of thins. Especially helpful if your shop is colder and the mineral oil is thicker.

Thanks junglie69, Stumpy and all the others on the forum for the ideas.

 

[Barryjm]

Just found this thread after upgrading to Shimano XT brakes on my 2019 Turbo Levo. I took them off my Cube fattie as I plan to sell it at some point. They are only two pot so it will be interesting to see how they perform. The plan is to buy the 4 pot callipers only if I need to!

Ref the SRAM RE brakes... I have had to replace both sets of pistons due to the seals swelling and the brakes jamming, a problem SRAM have had since 2016!!! I used genuine SRAM replacements only to find the problem returning on the rear lever! Enough is enough, it was time to change to Shimano which I have run for over 15 years without any problems.

Some great tips in this thread, I hadn’t realised the disk rotors of SRAM and Shimano are different sizes and despite rearranging washers and spacers I do have a tiny bit of pad that sits above the rotor. Thanks Gary (think it was Gary) for that little gem, the metal file might have to come out later to adjust this.

One tip from me on fitting the new rear cable... Firstly, lubricate the existing cable and duct with something like GT85 to help the cables slide through. Then I found two small screws that would screw into the end of the hose. After screwing the screws half way into both the existing cable and replacement cable, to cut a thread, I removed the screw from the new cable and then cut the head off the other whilst still in the cable, this left enough exposed thread to attach the new cable. This was a little difficult as you need to rotate the new cable to screw in on! Keep the cables aligned and pull and push carefully on old and new cables to feed through. As everyone says getting it past the motor was the tricky bit, once past there it is plain sailing! Note, I am not an expert, but this worked for me. The damaged part of the new cable can be cut off as they always need shortening.

Whether all of this was actually necessary? I am not sure but I didn’t want to pull out the existing hose and then find I could not get the new one in, there are many nightmare stories on line of fitting internally routed cables!

I’ll let you know how the 2 pot brakes fare as they are lighter and a lot cheaper than the 4 pot.

 

[Mcharza]

One tip from me on fitting the new rear cable... Firstly, lubricate the existing cable and duct with something like GT85 to help the cables slide through. Then I found two small screws that would screw into the end of the hose. After screwing the screws half way into both the existing cable and replacement cable, to cut a thread, I removed the screw from the new cable and then cut the head off the other whilst still in the cable, this left enough exposed thread to attach the new cable. This was a little difficult as you need to rotate the new cable to screw in on! Keep the cables aligned and pull and push carefully on old and new cables to feed through. As everyone says getting it past the motor was the tricky bit, once past there it is plain sailing! Note, I am not an expert, but this worked for me. The damaged part of the new cable can be cut off as they always need shortening.

I like that tip

 

[Gary]

if you have a reverb (or know someone who has). In the pack of spares you will find a hose barb connector made specifically for joining two hose/cables together to ease replacement with internal routing.
One of these

 

[Barryjm]

if you have a reverb (or know someone who has). In the pack of spares you will find a hose barb connector made specifically for joining two hose/cables together to ease replacement with internal routing.
One of these

Yep that would have been easier, but alas I didn’t have one in my spares box.

 

[Barryjm]

Quick update... It is great to have the Shimano brakes on, front is working great, I am not convinced by the rear pad as it is not biting enough to lock the wheel without some effort. It may be the pads, they are new but may not have bedded in properly, or picked up some contamination, or could just be the fact they are 2 pot!

Annoyingly the rear brake cable is squeaking where it comes out of the motor cover and heads to the rear brake, I have clearly got something loose/tight/out of alignment.

Lastly the headset is now creaking! Tools and grease at the ready! It is starting to feel like I have to fix something after every ride!

 

[Gary]

Yep that would have been easier, but alas I didn’t have one in my spares box.

Last internal routing I did I probably spent an hour looking in various tool boxes and spares boxes for one of those wee red couplings.
The irony is being a gear cable i'd probably have fished the cable through using the old skool poking it about and fishing it out with a ziptie/pick technique in about 5 minutes