What disc brakes for a 17 Stone XCer?

ritchieJB

..k..

GHill

160 should be fine out back, I'm a similar weight (about 16 stone) and feel much better with 185 at the front.

Dazzza

Formula oro's.

M6TTF

Elixir set at merlin

Anonymous

in my experience, a bigger front rotor and sinterred pads are the way forwards.

as for brakes, as long as you fit a big front disc, any will do the trick. im 19 odd stone and have never felt any trouble with any of the brakes ive used (apart from oros!!) im a big fan of jucies.

Anonymous

in my experience, a bigger front rotor and sinterred pads are the way forwards.

as for brakes, as long as you fit a big front disc, any will do the trick. im 19 odd stone and have never felt any trouble with any of the brakes ive used (apart from oros!!) im a big fan of jucies.

Chilesy

Im 16 stone and have tried Avid jucie 5,Ultimates,Hope minis now runing Hayes stroker trail all have been great .As above 180-185 mm front disc and you will be fine ,Merlin is the best place to look

Chilesy

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/mountain- ... e-set.html http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/mountain- ... o-k18.html couple here to look at

grumsta

Juicy 3s with 203/185 rotors stop me fine at 16 stone ish, including in a week in the alps.

ritchieJB

Think I have levelled my brake choice down:

Avid Juicy 7s vs. Hayes Stroker Trail - they're both twin piston.

Going to fit/upgrade to 180 mm front rotor.

What do you reckon guys? Which one should I go for? Have heard good things about the Strokers.

nicklouse

Formula Oros 180/160..

all you need.

ritchieJB

How do I delete my other post? I couldn't access this one yesterday so had to create a new one.

However, now it's a toss up between Hayes Stroker, Avid Juicy 7 and Formula Oro K17s.

So just a little bit more confused. I'm replacing my Hayes Sole which are terrible especially considering that I am quite heavy. Do I need something as big as a 203mm rotor for XC? Does my weight make that much difference?

By the way, exactly what do the manufacturers mean when they suggest brake use for "all mountain", what does "all mountain" actually mean? I'm guessing trail means singletrack etc and XC is obvious!

It's quite a big decision for me as I have had nothing but trouble with the fixtures on my bike and I want to upgrade knowing that I have something that is reliable and will last well.

Thanks to you guys for your suggestions so far.

tompug

I think your spending too much/ over-specing for xc, I would go with juicy 3/5, but it's your money.
larger disks are a brill upgrade, more bite, greater stopping power and cooler temps. I have boiled my juicy 5's (160mm rotors) at Wharncliffe descending about 1/4 mile. It's not happened since I changed brake fluid and 203mm front 185 back rotors.
We have 4 bikes all using various avid brake models, we have never had any reliability problems other than the the fluid boiling I mentioned earlier. As for modulation and power Formula has the edge from what I have tested.

junglist_matty

I would go for Shimano XT brakes; I have them on my Dawg Supreme, once they've bedded in they are very very good brakes for XC, very dependable and have a very good feel, there's a pair on eBay (without rotors) for £130 free P&P.

I highly recommend them, although they are not the best looking levers, they have far more adjustments than brakes you'd get for the same price and they are quality, they are far superior to Juicy 3's (I had a set of 3's and would never buy Avid brakes again).

Anways...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SHIMANO-DEORE-XT- ... 1|294%3A50


If you need rotors, I'd go for a 180 up front and 160 on the rear. Alligator rotors go quite cheap on eBay, although XT rotors have been on sale on Chain reaction cycles website for some time, don't know what stock they have left though.

junglist_matty

...XT brakes are (I think) very under-rated, no-one ever gives them a mention, but if you read reviews etc... you'll realise they are very good brakes....

http://www.mtbr.com/cat/brakes/disc-bra ... 07crx.aspx

ride_whenever

Avid elixir with 160mm each end.

One of the guys at fischers finds 180mm too much rotor on the front of his freeride bike and he's 18 stone!!!!!

I run 160mm on the front of my inbred, and this am I accidentally locked up the front wheel with one finger emergency braking.

FYI I'm running the CR carbon and it is lush! 8)

ritchieJB

Thanks a lot for your suggestions guys, I really appreciate your advice.

I am making quite a big deal of it but only 'cos I bought an Avalanche 1.0 disc a couple of years back and it has been NOTHING but trouble. The frame is excellent and is really comfortable but the brakes, bottom bracket, cranks and suspension fitted need servicing on average every 15 offroad miles.

So I want to keep the frame and replace all the original stuff with better brakes. I think it's a choice now between Formula Oro, Avid elixir (what's the difference between elixir and juicy?) and stroker (my original choice).

Thanks again for everyone's opinion - your views help me as I won't have the time to shop around 'cos the Mrs is due to drop sprog number two in 6 weeks so I won't have the time / money / waking lucidity to shop around!

ritchieJB

Can I be a mega pain in the bum and ask just two more opinions on this subject please? Then I promise I'll shut up! :P

I phoned Rutland Cycles the other day who, based on my weight, type of bike and terrain, suggested Hope Tech M4 with braided hoses and 203/183 rotor set up.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'd love this setup, who wouldn't, but (as someone has already suggested) for XC and singletrack, isn't this serious overkill. At £350 it is almost double my budget.

Last Bit:

What about Avid Elixir CR (front and rear set £200 from merlin) - can I put braided hoses on these? I like the "oooh" factor and the fact that braided won't stretch, but I have heard horror stories of overblown seals etc with braided Avids, would braided Strokers be up to the job. I'm going to go with 183 front rotors, 203 would look like motorbike ones to me.

Once again, I'll shut up if I can get some opinions on this. Promise. Thanks chaps