Brakes..

The Northern Monkey

Right.

Avids had fallen apart after 3 years use so they are good for the bin. I need a good set of stoppers that are powerful enough for me and the Canyon.

- Ideal brake set that I can't afford - Saint callipers and XTR lever.
- Really don't want Shimano with free stroke as I don't get on with it. Its too vague so I tend to drag the brakes.
- Don't want Hope.

So shortlist in order is:

Formula RX - light, good modulation and feel. But powerful enough for DH?
Formula T1s - same as the RX, but more powerful + £35 more expensive.
Formula R0 - Mad power. £100 more than the T1s
Saint/XTR - perfect. Too expensive.

Thoughts?

nicklouse

T1s

peter413

Have you tried the newer Shimano's with Servowave? Never once found them vague or inconsistent and I've got 8 of them in total: 5 Deore's, 2 M820 Saint's and 1 XTR Trail Lever/Saint M820 Calliper concoction. Only time they've had problems is when they need a bleed but that's so easy to do, it only takes a few minutes to do it in the car park to do a quick one.

The Saint's are stupidly powerful. So much so that I've downsized to a 180mm rotor on the front of the Marin with the XTR/Saint. I weigh over 100 kg and they stop me like nothing else. Personally I wouldn't run a new Saint on the back of anything but a DH bike, XC tyres just don't have the grip to make use of all the power on offer. Far better off using a Deore/SLX/XT/XTR on the rear.

Maybe that would help with affordability if you got the XTR/Saint combo for the front and an XTR/Deore for the rear. That way you get the XTR levers (I'm assuming you're looking at the XC's without the Servowave) but the cost comes down a fair bit with the Deore caliper. A Zee caliper would save a little more and I can't imagine the performance would be any worse, just a little heavier.

The Northern Monkey

Sorry thats what I meant, not freestroke. its the servowave I don't like.

dusk

I've got XT and R0's, XT are very good but R0's are in another league

supersonic

Budget Shimano Alivio. Surprisingly good. 60 quid a set.

lawman

supersonic wrote:

Budget Shimano Alivio. Surprisingly good. 60 quid a set.

Alivio on a DH bike?! Rather you than me!!!

Might be worth finding an older pair of shimano levers to new saint calipers though tbf I think the XTR race brakes with 203mm rotors would be more than powerful enough, I think CRC have them for £125 each. Formula brakes are ok but eat pads and the levers are proper weird!!

The Northern Monkey

I think...

As I'm strapped for cash and the plan is to sell the Spesh anyway, I'm going to chuck the Deore 596's on the Canyon for the time being and split the Spesh for parts.

That way I still have a working bike, but can save for some new brakes too.

lawman

You need a nice longish travel hardtail again :P

supersonic

They are tough, powerful, reliable brakes.