Help buying Disc Brakes

Asar01

Hi guys and girls, quick question.

Im thinking about purchasing new brakes and ive taken a look at Avid XO but ive been told that the Hope brakes are good... I have no clue what to buy but im looking for something that will stop a 120kg guy without any problem

I have a cannondale rz one twenty 2 2011 and do some trailing but nothing serious

Thanks

cooldad

Shimano XT.

benpinnick

+1.

Asar01

Any links? Thanks!

Rushmore

+1 for shimano XT

Got them on my ghost AMR and they are fantastic...

tofu21

I love Hope X2 brakes, I run them on both my bikes. Hope customer service is brilliant, they are easy to work on and you can get all of the spares you need in a day or two.

I have riden the latest XT and they were good too. I can't comment on Shimano customer service, spare availablity or ease of service.

There is lots of debate on rotor size, but if I was you I would consider going for bigger rotors to help with the stopping.

See if you can ride bikes running different brakes to see what you think to them... don't take the word of a bunch of self opinionated idiots on an internet forum.

cooldad

Asar01 wrote:

Any links? Thanks!

Google

cooldad

tofu21 wrote:

... don't take the word of a self opinionated idiot on an internet forum.

FTFY

nicklouse

Formula.

cant comment on their customer service as i have never needed them.

chez_m356

aren't they elixr 3's on the 2, they should be good enough, have you tried new pads

simonp123

nicklouse wrote:

Formula.

cant comment on their customer service as i have never needed them.

They have some good deals on slightly older models sometimes. I bought some Oro brakes for silly cheap money a few months back. Great brakes and very fast delivery direct from Formula.

lawman

The reason hope's back up is so legendary is because their kit normally goes wrong at some point, I bet most members of this forum have had something from hope break...

got to be the Xt's, just replaced both my sets of hope's, one pair of x2's and one set of mini's, and they are superb, loads of power, easy to work on and can be got mega cheap from rosebikes

Asar01

Ok so here is a list of the upgrades i bought as the employee in Evans was very helpfull and told me what to buy and what not to buy.

Tech Evo M4
Shimano XT Rotors 203/180mm
Roval Traverse AL Disc 2010 Wheelset
Maxxis Advantage 2.1 70a Kevlar Tyre
Shimano HG740 SLX 10 Speed Chain
Shimano HG81 SLX 10 Speed Cassette

=£675.89

Are these parts any good?

101_North

Asar01 wrote:

Ok so here is a list of the upgrades i bought as the employee in Evans was very helpfull and told me what to buy and what not to buy.

Tech Evo M4
Shimano XT Rotors 203/180mm
Roval Traverse AL Disc 2010 Wheelset
Maxxis Advantage 2.1 70a Kevlar Tyre
Shimano HG740 SLX 10 Speed Chain
Shimano HG81 SLX 10 Speed Cassette

=£675.89

Are these parts any good?

If it was me I'd have thought about asking before buying but hey ho....I'd also have bought the new XT brakes from Rosebikes for about half the cost of the Hope! The SLX gear is very good.

101

al2098

I'm 85 kg with a heavy bike (orange 5) and have run Hope X2 and Avid juicy 3. Depending on what sort of riding your up to would make a choice easier.
XC, bit of DH or a mix? Trail centres? Wales or Scotland..
I ended up with Avid Elixer 5 with a big rotor on the front after putting up with major fading on Alpine downhills on the Juicy 3 and even worse on the Hope X2.
The Avids are perfect for me.
I would say if your nailing it on the downs, get a big brake with a big rotor. Maybe Avid Code, Saint, or V2 from Hope.
You will not be too bothered with weight so I would go for a tough brake and enjoy. The weak ones will do your head in.

IBISMojoHDamon

lawman wrote:

The reason hope's back up is so legendary is because their kit normally goes wrong at some point, I bet most members of this forum have had something from hope break...

got to be the Xt's, just replaced both my sets of hope's, one pair of x2's and one set of mini's, and they are superb, loads of power, easy to work on and can be got mega cheap from rosebikes

Couldn't agree more... Hope's in my experience are pony.

Shimano, you could bleed in a hotel room, which I've done before, Hope service and spares supply is good but I've never had problems since switching to Shimano.

lawman

101_North wrote:

If it was me I'd have thought about asking before buying but hey ho....I'd also have bought the new XT brakes from Rosebikes for about half the cost of the Hope! The SLX gear is very good.

This. Take the hopes back and get the Xt's, much cheaper, easier to setup, easier to maintain, less pad drag, and I never like to mix rotors and brake brands, only have my superstars because I ran out of money But honestly, I know the new hope brakes are alright, but the Xt's are much better value.

felix.london

Shimano all day long.

I'm still running a set of 2006 Deores and have used them on some pretty gnarly downhill tracks in the Alps (bigger rotor on the front) and they are fine. Plus all you need is a straw, a plastic bag & an elastic band to bleed 'em. Piece of pish...

When they do give up the ghost I'll be changing them for XT's for sure

Asar01

i feel robbed now

lawman

Asar01 wrote:

i feel robbed now

The m4's are a decent brake, quite powerful, easy spares etc, but there are setup issues associated with 4 pot calipers, the long pads can drag and setup can be harder than normal, they're heavy for the power they offer, I just now think that Hopes are good if you want bling and british... if not then go for the new style shimano brakes.

Frosticles

Have just upgraded my brake discs to Avid 185mm's front and back retaining the Avid Juicy 3's Calipers. Huge difference in braking now and declared chuffed. A 203mm front disc maybe overkill for trail/Leisure biking.

Asar01

Ok guys so here it goes, I cancelled the order but getting my fork, shock and bike serviced at evans. I need help from you guys as im thinking of spending £1000 on upgrading my Cannondale Rz 120 2 2011

I need help with upgrading these
Brakes
Wheels
Tyres
Chain
Stem
Cassette

Please bare in mind that this bike will be used on the turkish mountains as im moving there next month :P

IBISMojoHDamon

Asar01 wrote:

Ok guys so here it goes, I cancelled the order but getting my fork, shock and bike serviced at evans. I need help from you guys as im thinking of spending £1000 on upgrading my Cannondale Rz 120 2 2011

I need help with upgrading these
Brakes
Wheels
Tyres
Chain
Stem
Cassette

Please bare in mind that this bike will be used on the turkish mountains as im moving there next month :P

Brakes - Shimano (they just work, you can bleed them a piece of p*ss!)
Wheels - Hope Hoops (value / strength / less maintenance required)
Tires - Continental X Kings rock (imho) but look at the 1001 tire questions on here...
Chain - Sram (in my experience stronger than Shimano)
Stem - Depends on budget, but I'd go Thomson everytime.
Cassette - Shimano XT (good quality, lightish, just works) but again budget is a major factor, I'm sure SLX works as well.