XC Disc Brakes

strodey

I'm looking to get some XC disc brakes for my birthday, have around £250 to £300 to spend, so far i like the look of Avid juicy elixir cr but am wondering if its overkill for XC.
160mm rotors max, any other suggestions?

gthang

If I had that much money for brakes I would look at Formula Oro K24 or Formula The One

spittle

I'm no expert but rekon that may be overkill. I've had Hayes HFX-9 and am now using Avid Juicy 5's and both have worked a treat for a lot less money.

BlackSpur

The Elixirs are meant to be 1/2 way between the Juicys and Codes for stopping power, so are going to be powerful. Formular The One is really a DH brake (albeit a light one) so very powerful. I would look at something like a Hayes Stroker Carbon or Trail, save a bit of cash and maybe upgrade something else.

teacherman

Hayes Stroker Trail are excellent brakes. Plenty of power and they don't fade when they're hot. Relatively cheap too.

tombate911

hayes strokerd are billinge today, it makes a big difference to have one finger brakeing and still being able to stop when i was trying bigger and new stuff today,

strodey

Thanks for the suggestions, i like the looke of the hayes stroker carbon, so many brakes to choose from though and very little difference between them from what i can see, the avid exilir weighs the same as the hayes for example!
Are hope minis any good they looka tad 'wimpy'

andyturner28

Do you guys pootle down the desent's like your nan or something? Personally i go for the most powerfull brakes i can afford, so discounting the Exilir and the Formula's because they are "too powerfull" seems a bit silly to me. I ride mainly XC and singletrack and have 203/180mm f/r Juicy 5's and i never find myself launching over the bars because i brake too hard. The main advantage to me is that the front NEVER fades on long desent's like it did before when i had a 180 front, and i was very pleased i did upgrade when we rode at Afan a few weeks ago, which is still XC. If i were you i would go for the Exilir with a 180mm front, unless you are a complete weight weeny.

supersonic

Too much power and large brakes can make for poor modulation. Less can be more sometimes.

gthang

andyturner28 wrote:

Personally i go for the most powerfull brakes i can afford, so discounting the Exilir and the Formula's because they are "too powerfull" seems a bit silly to me.

The main advantage to me is that the front NEVER fades on long desent's like it did before when i had a 180 front, and i was very pleased i did upgrade when we rode at Afan a few weeks ago, which is still XC. If i were you i would go for the Exilir with a 180mm front, unless you are a complete weight weeny.

I agree 100%

Expensive brakes are not "on or off" they have 1st class modulation and with 160 / 160 rotors would make an awesome set up for a XC bike as they are light and v powerfull.

Jonr

I have upgraded recently from Juicy 7s to Elixir CR. They are lighter like for like and have more control and better modulation, which is the thing I notice most especially on fast descents, and ultimately more stopping power. I guess my advice is biased as I already bought them and people alway s want to prove themselves right, but i would thoroughly recommend them. Oh and all round tool free adjustment (reach and contact point) is a big bonus and they look really good too! Like others have said i wouldn't rule them out because of the increased stopping power, that defies logic, you have to take everything else into account when doing your comparision.

Jonr

Also just for your info; they are going very cheap on e-bay if you import them from HK or USA.

realnumber 1

I got my Formula ORO K24's for £175 new off ebay and haven't had any probs with them.
Easy to set up and never had an issue with fade and thats with 160 front and back (although they did start to smell a bit once :twisted: )

strodey

Think i'll go for the elixir cr, when buying from states on e bay will i get stung with tax or do they not get noticed?
Also any ideas if they would fit straight onto dt swiss xrc100 forks and a giant xtc frame? would i need parts to do this.
Sorry for further questions but can't find out anywhere!

Jonr

strodey wrote:

Think i'll go for the elixir cr, when buying from states on e bay will i get stung with tax or do they not get noticed?
Also any ideas if they would fit straight onto dt swiss xrc100 forks and a giant xtc frame? would i need parts to do this.
Sorry for further questions but can't find out anywhere!

It depends how the sender labels them. Mine from hk were labeled gift but still paid import tax - only £17 total, half of which was fixed handling charge made by parcelforce at this end. There was a bit of a delay also because of this as they send you a letter so you can pay online before it is delivered. Checked e-bay on feedback and no-one else mentioned any taxes so maybe I was unlucky. Once i got them they were dead easy to fit, I was up and running within 30 mins. Not sure about fitting on your bike, mine fitted straight onto '07 Stumpjumber with fox forks. Just beware though with e-bay as, although cheaper it is an added risk, i.e. possible problems with delivery etc and hassle if items turn out to be faulty as Avid will say you have to go through the original supplier. Good luck.

KitsuneAndy

Jonr wrote:

strodey wrote:

Think i'll go for the elixir cr, when buying from states on e bay will i get stung with tax or do they not get noticed?
Also any ideas if they would fit straight onto dt swiss xrc100 forks and a giant xtc frame? would i need parts to do this.
Sorry for further questions but can't find out anywhere!

It depends how the sender labels them. Mine from hk were labeled gift but still paid import tax - only £17 total, half of which was fixed handling charge made by parcelforce at this end. There was a bit of a delay also because of this as they send you a letter so you can pay online before it is delivered. Checked e-bay on feedback and no-one else mentioned any taxes so maybe I was unlucky. Once i got them they were dead easy to fit, I was up and running within 30 mins. Not sure about fitting on your bike, mine fitted straight onto '07 Stumpjumber with fox forks. Good luck.

Marking it 'gift' doesn't make it exempt from tax or import duty, I believe the only thing that wouldn't attract them would be warranty replacements.

Jonr

KitsuneAndy wrote:

Jonr wrote:

strodey wrote:

Think i'll go for the elixir cr, when buying from states on e bay will i get stung with tax or do they not get noticed?
Also any ideas if they would fit straight onto dt swiss xrc100 forks and a giant xtc frame? would i need parts to do this.
Sorry for further questions but can't find out anywhere!

It depends how the sender labels them. Mine from hk were labeled gift but still paid import tax - only £17 total, half of which was fixed handling charge made by parcelforce at this end. There was a bit of a delay also because of this as they send you a letter so you can pay online before it is delivered. Checked e-bay on feedback and no-one else mentioned any taxes so maybe I was unlucky. Once i got them they were dead easy to fit, I was up and running within 30 mins. Not sure about fitting on your bike, mine fitted straight onto '07 Stumpjumber with fox forks. Good luck.

Marking it 'gift' doesn't make it exempt from tax or import duty, I believe the only thing that wouldn't attract them would be warranty replacements.

yes i think I've had stuff marked as that - "warranty replacement" or "replacement parts" and not been taxed. Overall it just seems to be down to luck as I'd say about 75% of stuff I've had imported have not incurred any taxes or customs charges and the marking/labeling seems to only play a part if they do check it. There'll be a customs and excise website somewhere that explains it all I'm sure, I believe you can appeal too if you think you've been wrongly charged.

strodey

Cheers people, very helpful as always!
Wiggle have an offer of £127.99 each but ends soon, i'm hoping by november december i'll find some cheaper, if not my local bike shop give me some great deals so will ask them first !