XT Disk Brakes

The Big Cheese

I should shortly be purchasing some new Disc brakes for the Yeti.

I have been through all the major players, Avid etc but have finally settled on purchasing some XT discs. Will give me a whole matching drivetrain. And the price is competitive.

Although I am 'fairly' mechanically competent around bikes, I understand that XT brakes can be a bit of a bugger to set up correctly, in fact, I am only used to fitting brakes that come ready to fit.

I am willing to attempt set up myself, if all else fails LBS can do it, however, given my last couple of experiences with him, probably better of doing it myself!

Can anyone tell me what to expect, are they really that hard/fiddly to set up?

Thanks
Cheesey

fwb2006

I got these fitted onto my new 575 (picks to come later) still having a few problems with the rear but the front is really good. The parktools linky seemed pretty good. Once they are sorted I think they'll be great, feel as if they have loads of power and are light, lets see eh..

conceptsails

I was in the exact same position and tackled it myself. Took my time, used the correct tools and followed the instructions and it all works fine. bit of faff with bleading the rear one but I am sure you would get this with any brake. Have a go, very satisfying when you do it and it works.

toasty

Are you sure they're not coming ready to fit? Not the same exactly I know, I bought some SLX from merlin a while back though and they came pre-bled etc. Just bolted 'em on and I was away!

The Big Cheese

I think from Merlin they come ready to fit, but apparantly the hose are loooooong... according to a chap on the 'other' site....

Worse case scenario Ill do it myself, as long as I RTFM I should be fine

The Spiderman

I have heard that some Merli brakes come prebeled,some don`t.

toasty

Cheesey wrote:

I think from Merlin they come ready to fit, but apparantly the hose are loooooong... according to a chap on the 'other' site....

Worse case scenario Ill do it myself, as long as I RTFM I should be fine

Oddly my front hose was reasonable, my rear hose was loooong. This is fitted to a 21.5" bike as well, I just about get away with it, it's not silly enough to need cutting down.*

*as shown on the Zaskar sig pic.

fwb2006

Dude, I just got the full XT groupset from them also for my 575, afraid it wasn't bled.

stumpyjon

Building them up is no hassle, bleeding them is the same as any other brake, a bit of a pain. I set mine up, lever nice and firm, tried them the following day and the lever came right back to the bar. After another bleed session they were fine and have been really good ever since (better than my Juicy 7s anyway).

Plus as they use mineral oil rather than DOT you don't have the same worries with spilt fluid.

(They should come with pad spacers, piston spacers and blocks for fitting the pipe insert as well).

The Big Cheese

Cheers guys, I am really in a pickle about brakes at the moment.

I have always used Avid, fit and forget, easy to bleed etc etc, and performance has always been good.

Then put magura Sls on my Marin and they are mint stoppers but pricey, and I have Hope Moto V2s on my mythic which would probably stop a transit van.

This bike (Yeti) is a bit different, trail oriented, XT kit all round, solid dependable bike for trail riding. Wanted XT brakes (hence post) but now am being drawn to the following:

(I have a budget of £100 per end)

Hayes Stoker Trail (in graphite -160mm per end) £149.99 set from Merlin
Avid Elixir R (grey) - £199.98 set from CRC
XT - £199.99 from merlin

Fancy the idea of the Hayes, look good and have read many good reviews on them

Same as the Elixir.. although a bit of an unknown quantity for me...

Any other suggestions?

Ta... Im being a tart but want to get the best I can for the money

ride_whenever

The avids are excellent brakes, really nice feeling to them. Tried a set on my mates bike and really liked them, for that price they are superb. Also, chatting to the hotlines rep last night (really nice bloke) he mentioned the new aces are really really fantastic and also white.

The Big Cheese

ride_whenever wrote:

The avids are excellent brakes, really nice feeling to them. Tried a set on my mates bike and really liked them, for that price they are superb. Also, chatting to the hotlines rep last night (really nice bloke) he mentioned the new aces are really really fantastic and also white.

The hayes ones? Arent they 4-pot? heavy duty jobbies?

The trails ave had good reviews and they are a) cheaper and b) quite minimalist in appearance, with poploc my bars a re a bit cluttered and I am also goig to bar mount my cateye computer as I need to record my improvement (having not cycled for 6 months) lol

Oh and also SLX brakes, pre-bled, ready to fit from merlins £149 set!!!!

lock1981

mbuk october 2008 issue 229 features a xt fitting article in grimetime if thats any help.

The Big Cheese

Right, have narrowed it down to the final two:

Shimano SLX

Hayes Stroker Trail

Both 160mm F/R

Both £149.99 per set

Both grey (not white)

Both ready to fit

Opinions, should I stay with Shimano (as my drivetrain is all XT) or go Hayes?

Card is being flexed as we speak... need to make decision.. arrrggghhh

The Big Cheese

Went for the Hayes stroker trail... good reviews and look good... plus cheap!

BlackSpur

Good choice!

The Big Cheese

I hope so, price was an issue here, credit crunch and all that.

Did a fair bit of research on them, fingers crossed they pan out OK......

:?