new disc brakes for a 2005 marin alpine trail

Silent

hi

need some decent hydraulics to replace my hayes crap on my bike. i've been recommended shimno M596's as my budget is low and they are pre-bled and ready to go - not very mechanical me.

my budget is £150 top. what should i get?

also, can i use my current rotors?

Bhandylegs

2012 Xt brakes from rosebikes for £135 delivered best for the money in my opinion

Clank

They are an absolute steal for the price, but Rose only seem to sell European configuration brakes (front left, rear right), so the OP would need to swap the hoses, which will add some faff.

Merlin Cycles will do the 2012 M666 SLX front and rear set for 150 and they're a mighty fine brake.

The existing rotors should still work, but you may have to make sure you've got the right adaptors for the brakes (they'll come post-mount as standard front and rear).

Silent

thanks guys

the slx seem good. what adaptors do i need and what are they? sorry for sounding thick.

Clank

No such thing as a dumb question - only dumb answers!

If memory serves me correctly, the Alpine Trail and fork had 'IS mounts' front and rear and calipers to match. The SLX (and most other modern calipers) are designed for 'post mount'. So if you don't have an adpator already, you'd need ones to go from IS tabs to post mount and that match the diameter of your rotors. There's some piccies below that should help you identify what we're talking about.

There's a good chance that you may be able to use your existing mounting hardware, especailly if the brakes have been upgraded in the past.

IS Mount and caliper


Post mount and caliper


IS Mount frame, Post mount caliper and IS to Post adaptor


Grab a piccy of your current set-up and we should be able provide a more definitive answer - also, what diamter are your brake rotors currently?

Silent

my ones seem to be is mounts according to your pictures, they connect directly to the frame and fork without a adaptor.

leaflite

Im guessing that you have 160mm rotors front and rear then currently.
You can use your current rotors if you get a 160 is to post adaptor for front and rear

Silent

ok, many thanks. will the original spec sheet tell me the rotor diameter?

i assume they are standard. i may get new ones as they are 8 yrs old. or keep them and get the SLX instead of the deore ST's which are £100 the pair.

if they are pre-bled, do i need to cut the tubes which means they need bleeding again?

Clank

I've never bothered cutting the hoses - just kept them at the standard lengths and it's not been a problem. This means no brake bleeding - so I'd not be worried about that.

Your front rotor is currently 160mm. If you're going for new rotors, you can pick the size you want, and then the IS to post adaptors that suit - makes life easy!

The Deore brakes aren't bad at all (running them on SWMBOs bike), so you could save yourself a few quid and still end up with a good brake set. We're both running 180mm rotors front and 160 rears, for info.

Silent

thanks again. so i will get the deores as i can only spend 100 now and keep the rotors i have and get 160 is to post adaptors and happy days!

i appreciate all your help guys, i may be back!

386ka

PS, your current setup looks poorly aligned. You can see that there is unused braking surface at the perimeter of the rotor and instead, the caliper was braking on the rotor arms.
Just saying.

Silent

My local bike shop serviced it all last yr and it wasn't that good. Aparently I need one of each type of brake mount for front and rear according to wiggle. I'll get my back pic up for your perusal

386ka

For the front brake you need IS to Post mount adapter (for the correct disc diameter), and I wouldn't think that the rear is different. Rarely you can find Post mount rear frame mount, given that the frame is pretty old. But, attach pics to be 100% sure.

Silent

thats the rear

Clank

Yup, definately requires an IS to post adaptor. Thats 160mm disk too.

Silent

right about to order and i will get some new blades to, 160 mm one.

shall is get deore XT front and rear or new SLX M675's:

http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/shim ... aid:591869

slightly cheaper. not sure what blades to get as my front is worn.

Silent

and what disc rotors would be best, SLX's or XT's?

Silent

hi

i got the deore's and now finally want to fit.

hgowever, the hayes sole handle bar nuts have worn and shorn so i can;t get them off. i have sawn one off but is there an easier way of removing stubborn nuts.

YeehaaMcgee

Silent wrote:

and what disc rotors would be best, SLX's or XT's?

There's no measurable performance difference between discs. Just get anything.

Silent

sticking with my originals and will clean them up.

how can i get the nut off from the hayes handle bar brake caliper without sawing it off? allen key won;t grip.

Giraffoto

Silent wrote:

How can i get the nut off from the hayes handle bar brake caliper without sawing it off? allen key won't grip.

This is the point at which I reach for the Dremel . . .

Silent

yes, its drill time.