Hydraulic Disc Brakes

_jon_

Hello,

I am currently using the "Shimano M416, mechanical disc, 160mm CenterLock rotors" that cam on my Gary Fisher Wahoo 2009.

These seem to be very on/off and also need adjusting frequently due to pad wear.

I am therefore looking to replace these with hydraulic brake. I want ones that have good modulation, require little maintenance and are also easy to maintain. I also want ones that keep the braking power/quality even in bad weather (as little degradation as possible anyway).

I have mainly been looked at Hope brakes but have just come across the following shimano brakes-

Shimano SLX Disc Brakes M665

The bleed kit also seems to be a reasonable price.

Shimano Bleed Kit & Oil



They seem to have very good reviews and are a reasonable price. What do people think of them?

Also, would I be better buying new rotors or should I keep the existing 160mm rotors that came with the bike? Would I need adapters in order to fit them to my bike?

GHill

They're supposed to be very good brakes for the price. I would replace the rotors that came with the bike, the cheap Shimano ones are pretty naff and can only be used with resin pads.

Hard to say if you'd need adaptors without seeing what you've already got. Try finding a download of the manual of the SLX brakes to see if that helps with adaptors.

_jon_

Thanks for your reply.

Are there any compatibility issues I need to think about when buying new rotors?

I currently have Shimano RT53 rotors and Shimano M65 CenterLock disc hubs.

I'm guessing these would be compatible?

Shimano Disc Rotor SLX Splined RT64

From what I understand, the larger the rotor, the more stopping power. I am only 10 stone and my current brakes seem to stop me Ok (I do cross country riding / off-road trails) so I'd guess I'd be Ok sticking with 160mm rotors front and rear? (also avoids mounting problems?)

GHill

Those rotors should be compatible. You will probably get a bit more power from the SLX brakes, so I'd imagine 160 mm would be fine.

davewalsh

I used to have a 2008 wahoo and upgraded it to hydraulic brakes due to the issues you've described.

GHill is spot on with the rotors, you'll probably see that they're stamped up RESIN PAD ONLY. If you do want to keep them then make sure that the brakes come with resin / organic pads.

The calipers will bolt onto your existing adaptors as both brakes are post mount.

Also, you may not have realised that you'll need new shifters as well, as your current set-up has integrated shifters & brake levers. These should do the job:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=38697

_jon_

Thank you both for your help. I have just put the order through.

GHill is spot on with the rotors, you'll probably see that they're stamped up RESIN PAD ONLY. If you do want to keep them then make sure that the brakes come with resin / organic pads.

I didn't actually realise that (yes, they say resin only). I currently have sintered pads, they seem to work Ok, I'm guessing they will damage the rotor with long term use? it's not worth changing them now though as I'll have the new brakes/rotors soon.

The reason I went to sintered is so they'll last longer in bad weather and so I think I'd prefer to have rotors that support them.

Also, you may not have realised that you'll need new shifters as well, as your current set-up has integrated shifters & brake levers. These should do the job:

Thanks for pointing that out, I didn't think of that. there seems to be very limited choice in shimano 8 speed shifters around. I have ordered the ones you have pointed out form merlin cycles as CR only seem to have the right-hand shifter in stock.

Thanks again,
Jonathan

PaulBarman

You may want to consider a system that uses proper dot brake fluid (such as hayes, hope) if you intend to use sintered pads. Metallic sintered pads conduct heat into the caliper moreso than organic compounds & the fluid in mineral oil systems (shimano) won't deal with the heat as well.
You could get some hayes stroker ryde for the same price as the shimanos you mentioned.

EDIT: oops, too late!