Levo Gen 2 need some new brakes for my 2020 comp what we got

[fragledoozer]

any link whats good whats not? Thinking hope tech e4 easy to fit? any recommendations would be great

 

[RodC]

any link whats good whats not? Thinking hope tech e4 easy to fit? any recommendations would be great

The best eMTB disc brake you can buy

Disc brakes now have it harder than ever before: we’re riding higher modern tires bite harder, and the trails we ride are getting tougher. To be confident in challenging terrain we need to be able to control our speed, so which disc brake is best? Every year, tires get better, our bikes get more...

ebike-mtb.com

2018. But still a good reference IMO

 

[fragledoozer]

 

[fragledoozer]

so basically Magura MT7 is the way to go ?

 

[RodC]

so basically Magura MT7 is the way to go ?

I have them and I like them. But I can’t compare with other things, except the bad level T that came std.

Now Magura also offers the MT5 e bike brakes. And Shimano Saint or Zee seems ok.

 

[Dirk74]

There are a lot of good brakes out.
To help you it would be good to know what you didn't like on the SRAM Guide RE that came with your bike
and what you are looking for, e.g. w.r.t power, modulation, ... and preferences if any e.g. handlebar mount system (combination with other triggers), brake fluid (mineral oil or DOT) ...

 

[fragledoozer]

don't dislike sram brakes as such just fancy some better ones

 

[Dirk74]

That's a hard one. Better depends much on what you like.
Take a look at Trickstuff, Direttissima or Maxima.

 

[muzzman1]

I have the Guide RE's on both of my Comps, I recently changed the pads after a combined 6000 miles to the multi compound from Gorillabrakes.com and I am beyond impressed by the stopping power and lack of fade. I figured for how inexpensive they are I would try them out in lieu of changing the complete brake assembly.
At this point I see no need to change the braking assembly. At All.

 

[jsharpe]

I have the Guide RE's on both of my Comps, I recently changed the pads after a combined 6000 miles to the multi compound from Gorillabrakes.com and I am beyond impressed by the stopping power and lack of fade. I figured for how inexpensive they are I would try them out in lieu of changing the complete brake assembly.
At this point I see no need to change the braking assembly. At All.

+1. Better pads, and in my case also switching to a 220mm rotor in the front, completely transformed the brakes. I no longer feel a need to switch/upgrade them to something else.

 

[Funkeydunk]

So I’ve had Shimano XT, hope v4, SRAM, and Magura. My absolute fave is magura...however one of the dudes on here described them brilliantly, you have to be a surgeon to set them up so they don’t rub, and they can be a pain to bleed. In saying that, I love them, massive power, great initial grab, super modulation. I personally think they are the best Brakes for the money. But hope will the crown for the pretties.

 

[Shjay]

Magura MT5 are good, have with Loic Bruni levers

 

[Tim22]

I bought the Uber Race Matrix to replace stock pads at the same time as going to 220mm rotor in front. They haven't lived up to the hype. Are the Gorilla pads that much better? Anyone run both sets and have an opinion? I'm referring to the metallics.

 

[Salespunk]

Be careful with the Hope's, the braided housings would not fit the internal routing on an SWorks. I have ridden the Guides and found them way under powered for my terrain. Minimum for me would be XT 4 piston brakes. Magura's are a solid choice as well. Saints will offer the most power unless you go really Gucci.

Overall though you need to know what you want. Do you want more modulation or a solid lever feel? More power and initial bite or softer engagement? There is no "best" brake, there is some personal preference as well.

 

[fragledoozer]

does any one have a link for the correct pads i ordered the gorrila ones from ebay but because i am a muppet ordered the wrong ones part of the reason for an upgrade is i am building a normal hard tail on a ragley frame and i was going to but the guide re's on that also gives me an excuse to upgrade

 

[fragledoozer]

ps appreciate the great advice

 

[muzzman1]

These are the the Guide RE/Code:

Avid Code Disc Brake Pads Multi-compound

Avid Code Disc Brake Pads Sintered or semi-metallic with kevlar and copper fibers for better heat dissipation and longer life span

gorillabrakes.com

Multi compound copper kevlar is the pad I went with

 

[fragledoozer]

cheers

 

[jsharpe]

These are the the Guide RE/Code:

Avid Code Disc Brake Pads Multi-compound

Avid Code Disc Brake Pads Sintered or semi-metallic with kevlar and copper fibers for better heat dissipation and longer life span

gorillabrakes.com

Multi compound copper kevlar is the pad I went with

I was originally looking for ceramic ones but since all the ones I wanted to try were out of stock I also ended up with kevlar and am quite happy I did. These were not only cheap but a huge improvement over the stock ones that came on the bike. (quiet with good modulation and power) If you ride in the wet a lot you might still need sintered though. These are fine for the occasional puddle or stream crossing, but that isn't their primary strength. The are the ones I got DiscoBrakes.Com :: Shop :: DiscoBrakes Shop :: SRAM Avid :: Code 2011, Code R :: OBE-DA05SG (note that there are different tabs on that page for the various compounds)

 

[Boots3150]

Upgraded my 19 FSR to G2 Ultimas for over 12 months now and have only had to feed them pads to keep them happy.

 

[Gyro]

Fitting a 210mm front rotor transformed my Levo at little expense.

 

[paquo]

i really like the kevlar compound but it doesn't seem to last as long on the rear especially in the wet, so i have had pretty good luck with kevlar front and sintered rear

 

[fragledoozer]

gyro what 210mm rotor did you use

 

[Nobbyfox]

any link whats good whats not? Thinking hope tech e4 easy to fit? any recommendations would be great

New brakes already? Do you mean rotors or callipers or both ??

 

[CrzyMD]

Be careful with the Hope's, the braided housings would not fit the internal routing on an SWorks. I have ridden the Guides and found them way under powered for my terrain. Minimum for me would be XT 4 piston brakes. Magura's are a solid choice as well. Saints will offer the most power unless you go really Gucci.

Overall though you need to know what you want. Do you want more modulation or a solid lever feel? More power and initial bite or softer engagement? There is no "best" brake, there is some personal preference as well.

What exactly was the issue with the Hope brakes? I wanted to put some on my Levo, but after reading your post, I am now hesitant. I measured the outside diameter of the Hope braided, vs the SRAM Code brake lines and they are both 5mm. What do you think prevented you from passing the line through the frame? Was it the swing arm hole, the downtube internal passage? Thanks for your reply.

 

[Bigtuna00]

I went from stock Code R's to 4 piston XT. Hated the SRAM brakes, no where near enough power to make stopping comfortable. XT still wasn't enough though. Now I'm on Saints. Love 'em. There are probably more powerful and lighter brakes but 1) they will cost more (you can get Shimano stuff really cheap online, I paid $145 for Saints) and 2) they won't be as reliable.

Rotors are another adventure:

I kept the stock SRAM Centerline rotors when I switched to XT, but they got pretty cooked.

I tried Shimano SM-RT66 rotors (partially just to do full Shimano 203mm, but also thought the full steel would be better and cheaper). Cooked the rear one even faster now that I have more powerful brakes

I put a SM-RT86 on the rear (Ice Tech rotor) and that has been MUCH better.

I have a RT-MT900 rotor on the front now, but only got to ride it once, since my belt failed. So far so good on that but too early to tell.

So basically I'm really hard on rotors and they tend to overheat. It's also fairly warm out here. Need as much cooling as possible.

 

[Bigtuna00]

That's a good start. Mine had more discoloration

 

[MJR]

Zee's and 203mm SM-RT86 rotors. Powerful and good value, and they look good too

 

[Dirk74]

Zee's and 203mm SM-RT86 rotors. Powerful and good value, and they look good too

Shimano SM-RT86 are ICE-tec technology, rotor ring sandwich of steel with inner aluminium core. There are reports that they melt at very high temperature. With the need of Zee brake at the rear wheel I would better go a full steel rotor ring.

 

[Bigtuna00]