Which brakes would your chose, vote now.

[Funkeydunk]

I want to upgrade the brakes on my levo expert, I’ve been looking at forums that just list the benefits of all the brakes...blah blah. But you guys actually use them, so I feel your opinion counts. I’ve placed a poll to get a vote. Things to consider for me are:
1- stopping power, with all by gear on I’m looking at 100kgs, but not braked with an on/off response. Not a fan of going over the bars.
2- feel, not a fan of the wooden block feel or the long travel of my SRAM brakes.
3- ease of servicing, i literally can be arsed to balance a plate while pressing a lever and blowing down a pipe to bleed them.
4- budget not a problem.

thanks in advance for the feedback.

 

[The Flying Dutchman]

if you got cash to splash, why don't you go for Trickstuff?

DIRETTISSIMA Disc Brake

the strongest brakes on the market!

 

[outerlimits]

SRAM Level T and change out the front caliper only for a Guide 4 pot.
200mm floating rotors, like Hope. Run organic compound pads in the front and metal pads in the 2 pot out rear. That’s plenty stopping power... you don’t want to over do it

 

[ridesantacruz]

Shimano M8120, 4 piston brakes that work well and easy to do maintenance on at a reason able price. I would be interested in checking out the Magura MT7. I know lots of people rave about this brake. I already knew how to work on and maintain the shimano brakes which swayed me to keep with the xt and xtr brakes.

 

[Funkeydunk]

if you got cash to splash, why don't you go for Trickstuff?

DIRETTISSIMA Disc Brake

the strongest brakes on the market!

Wow expensive, just bought magura for £250...boom

 

[R120]

Personally I would try a 220mm Sram disc up front first as a cheap way of seeing if things improve, from my experience much greater stopping power and more modulation.

 

[Funkeydunk]

Personally I would try a 220mm Sram disc up front first as a cheap way of seeing if things improve, from my experience much greater stopping power and more modulation.

It’s more the constant messing with them to get the bite point right, I’m not a fan of leavers that come almost all the way to the bars and these sram brakes do. I can get them them perfect, but then I have to readjust them. I also got a hurty finger the other day on a long gnarly decent, so I’ve decided they have to go.

 

[All Mountain Coaching]

I don't get the dislike for SRAM. Much better lever feel and modulation than Shimano on/off brakes.

I've had a little tickle with the low end models, but ride with high end and see no reason to change. Guide Ultimates for about 3 years and now Code RSC.

 

[outerlimits]

It’s more the constant messing with them to get the bite point right, I’m not a fan of leavers that come almost all the way to the bars and these sram brakes do. I can get them them perfect, but then I have to readjust them. I also got a hurty finger the other day on a long gnarly decent, so I’ve decided they have to go.

Even with SRAM leavers that don’t adjust, it’s just a matter of removing the wheel, squeeze the leaves and bring the bite point back.

 

[wepn]

Magura MT5 best value stopping power although I haven’t tried any others for years.

 

[mark.ai]

Hayes Dominions But they aren't on the poll, and I also haven't tried those others!

 

[ImSundee]

Can't agree more about SRAM brakes currently, the Glide Rs on my SL literally SUCK. I'm already on differant pad combinations. But I feel, if I decent longer than 30secs they will just fail.

 

[Jackware]

MT5 front and back with the MT7 pad mod - and running a sintered/organic compo in both. (EBC green and gold).

 

[STATO]

Any experience with Shimano MT520? the 4 pot Deore level brakes. Same lever as the most of the range bar no bit adjust (not that it ever did anything for me), 4 piston caliper with same dimensions as XT from what i read. Dont think you can go wrong at ~£70 an end, ive got some coming after many years on Zee and new XT 4-pot on another bike.

 

[Doomanic]

I fitted them to my Powerfly and they came standard on the Rail. Great brakes for little money.

 

[squeegee]

It’s more the constant messing with them to get the bite point right, I’m not a fan of leavers that come almost all the way to the bars and these sram brakes do. I can get them them perfect, but then I have to readjust them. I also got a hurty finger the other day on a long gnarly decent, so I’ve decided they have to go.

I have MT7's and got the HC3 lever blades and if ultimate control over bite point, throw and reach are your goal it's money well spent. Power is huge but can be dialed back with the adjustments on the HC3, bite/throw/modulation of power. I've never owned a set of brakes in my life that feel and work as well as my current set up. Bleeding is a pain in the butt, but worth the trouble. I had to bleed one of the brakes 5 times to get it right.

bike-discount.de has the best deal on these items by far, that I could find.

 

[slippery pete]

Things to consider for me are:
1- stopping power, with all by gear on I’m looking at 100kgs, but not braked with an on/off response. Not a fan of going over the bars.

I'm just about to try out the Formula Cura 4 brakes. I've had Curas on my enduro bike (200/200) and love them for a fuss-free life and they're plenty powerful. But I fancy even a bit more power on the eMTB.

 

[Wernher]

Any experience with Shimano MT520? the 4 pot Deore level brakes. Same lever as the most of the range bar no bit adjust (not that it ever did anything for me), 4 piston caliper with same dimensions as XT from what i read. Dont think you can go wrong at ~£70 an end, ive got some coming after many years on Zee and new XT 4-pot on another bike.

I've got them on my Giant. They stop pretty well. I changed from resin pads to steel on the front to help with fade on long descents. 200 mil cooled disks (icetech or similar) will improve them even more. Saint and Zee pads fit but need some grinding away on the fins from what I've heard. Perhaps my only criticism is the levers. Using XT or higher levers will make them awesome because you can then adjust them for better feel.

The hack where you take the wheel out and pull the levers to take up slack on your levers is dangerous if you're not careful. I lost one caliper as a result of this when it came out too far and I didn't realise it and cracked the ceramic piston pushing it back when I saw the brake fluid coming out. They are obviously not in the class of the Saints and Zees but at the price point are excellent. It's so good that I'm not considering any upgrade on them on my a Giant and I'm quite heavy. (110+ kilos).

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

I'm just about to try out the Formula Cura 4 brakes. I've had Curas on my enduro bike (200/200) and love them for a fuss-free life and they're plenty powerful. But I fancy even a bit more power on the eMTB.

Swapped my Shimano Saints for a set of Cura 4s early last year. Best thing I ever did. Easy to set up and they use mineral oil ?Running a 220mm on the front and a 203mm on the back.
Loads of modulation and are way more powerful than the Saints they replaced. Make sure you get the correct bleed kit and follow the bleeding instructions. Caution, these bad boys will throw you over the bars if you are not careful

 

[Hitby]

Why the Hope E4s and not the V4s. Your bike is heavy anyway so the minor weight penalty would have to be worth it for the extra stopping power?

Also, they look class and if you damage one you can replace any single part individually rather than having to buy a complete shifter/caliper or whatever.

 

[Eduardoramundo]

Why no Hope V4?

 

[Isshogai]

if you got cash to splash, why don't you go for Trickstuff?

DIRETTISSIMA Disc Brake

the strongest brakes on the market!

Trickstuff MAXIMA ?
reliable since 4k kilometers

 

[Gary]

SRAM Level T and change out the front caliper only for a Guide 4 pot.
200mm floating rotors, like Hope. Run organic compound pads in the front and metal pads in the 2 pot out rear. That’s plenty stopping power... you don’t want to over do it

The Level T levers don't have the swing link of the RS and higher spec brakes.
A better upgrade would actually be RS levers and new pads.
You don't actually need 4 pistons in a caliper to have a powerful enough brake.

 

[outerlimits]

The Level T levers don't have the swing link of the RS and higher spec brakes.
A better upgrade would actually be levers RS levers and new pads.
You don't actually need 4 pistons in acaliper to have a powerful enough brake.

True
This is what I run and find them powerful enough with good modulation. I’m going to change one day as the levers are getting a lot of play in them at the pivot. Might have to give the RS a go. I prefer the 4 pot up front with the organic pad, and the rear 2 pot with metal pad is plenty enough. I find it a fairly good balance for me. What suits one may not suit another. I see plenty of people around that are way way over bikes for how and where they ride. They would be way better off getting a bike that suits rather than just throwing $’s at the biggest and best of everything.

 

[outerlimits]

I'm just about to try out the Formula Cura 4 brakes. I've had Curas on my enduro bike (200/200) and love them for a fuss-free life and they're plenty powerful. But I fancy even a bit more power on the eMTB.

Let us know how they go. Been looking at these and they seem to have a good bang for buck.

 

[kylnman]

I don't get the dislike for SRAM. Much better lever feel and modulation than Shimano on/off brakes.

I've had a little tickle with the low end models, but ride with high end and see no reason to change. Guide Ultimates for about 3 years and now Code RSC.

Shimano being on or off is myth. SRAM brakes stink (Decoy came with Code, now Shimano 520 4 piston, infinitely better).

 

[Flatslide]

Any experience with Shimano MT520? the 4 pot Deore level brakes. Same lever as the most of the range bar no bit adjust (not that it ever did anything for me), 4 piston caliper with same dimensions as XT from what i read. Dont think you can go wrong at ~£70 an end, ive got some coming after many years on Zee and new XT 4-pot on another bike.

My Rocky came with M520, sintered pads and 8" base Shimano rotors at each end. Power-wise, they seemed as good as the Saints on my Trek, although I had constant issues with the rear caliper pistons not staying centred, and I could never get the rear to have that solid lever feel of the front and the Saint. I upgraded the rotors to Ice-tech 8" and changed my pads to Brobike sintered. When I recently changed them over to Saints F&R with Ashima flo-tor 8s and Brobike pads, I had to temporarily leave the 520 caliper on until a hose banjo adaptor arrived. Having the Saint lever and 520 caliper made no difference to the feel or performance. Once I changed the 520 caliper out for the Saint, the difference was chalk and cheese. The 520 is a good brake, especially for the coin, and I'd rather those than Sram tbh. The Saint is a step up and worth the money if you have it.

 

[Zero]

i find it hilarious people bashing SRAM.

Ive had R, RS, RSC codes now and both stop a 25kg bike plus 75kg rider fast enough to cause me problems. Id even say Code R are no worse than RSC in stopping but bite adjustment is nice but it aint worth the money they charge.

I think half the problem people have is air or contaminated fluid. This gives a mushy feeling and even contaminated brake pads can ruin the performance. Bike shops have a habbit of cocking this up when they build a bike and ive seen brand new bikes with levers which pull one side 50% further than the other.

 

[speedkills]

I too find it hilarious other people have different tastes and opinions than me. But at 75kg, what brakes wouldn't work for you? Having ridden mountain bikes weighing 80kg - 125kg, the braking experience changes.

 

[Husky430]

Saints all the way for me