Which disc brakes circa £65

abarth_1200

Hi guys, getting fed up with my Avid elixir 3 discs brakes, they have decent power with the pads I have in them but they are constantly going out of alignment and rubbing. Every ride ends up in getting annoyed with the brakes. Other than giving it to a bike shop for them to do the same fiddling I've done I'm going to get something else.

I've seen a front Avid Elixir Trail for £65 no rotor but unsure on Avids now. My rotors are fine so no need to replace.

Anyone use trails? It says they don't use the cup and cone washer mounting system so does that mean they aren't adjustable.

How about shimano XT, same price but not sure how they would fit, current forks Sid with post mount and 180 adapters.

Any help guys

chrisw333

I think the universal advice on here would be XT if you can afford them, SLX for better value and Deore for best value.
All similar power, Deore slightly heavier and less adjustable without tools.

They will fit post mount and you should be able to reuse discs etc.

great price here
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-br-m675 ... 5360535504

RockmonkeySC

Never buy Avid brakes. Shimano are excellent. No difference in power through the range (except Saint & Zee) more expensive models are just more adjustable and lighter.

slt76

I'm in the same boat - after much head scratching and looking at various posts on here I don't think you can go wrong with the SLX's.

I found them a bit cheaper at Ribble's (£89.99 for a full set).

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/mtb-bm ... 3000000000

They are also doing a full DEORE set for £69.99

raldat

slt76 wrote:

I'm in the same boat - after much head scratching and looking at various posts on here I don't think you can go wrong with the SLX's.

I found them a bit cheaper at Ribble's (£89.99 for a full set).

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/mtb-bm ... 3000000000

They are also doing a full DEORE set for £69.99

I did the same thing. I have Deore running on Avid G2 rotors and love them to bits.

kajjal

When I went from avid's to XT there was a noticeable improvement in power and control. Also they are very quiet in comparison. I also got the XT rotors.

abarth_1200

So shimano it is then.

Is there really not much of a difference between the slx and xt range, something in the back of my mind is telling to spend as much as I can on brakes, after all they are going to come in handy on a few occasions.

If all you guys are saying don't buy avid, how are they still managing to sell their brakes to guys like us. I just can't get my head around a company like avid selling a poor braking system when comparing them to mid range shimano slx?

supersonic

When they work, they work. But when they go wrong they often do catastrophically, and Shimano's tend to be much more reliable and easy to service.

Even the most basic are great:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-2014-Shim ... 338df54f1a

holiver

Wow those Shimano's are cheap! How would they stack up against the Avid DB1, which I assume are just rebranded Elixir.

abarth_1200

Ok guys about to get a front xt kit, I'll get the rear in a couple weeks when I get paid.

However what is this I spec compatible thing, is it so you can attach them to your shifters? How do I know which version I need.

ej2320

The I spec B or whatever they call it is so you can, in theory, attach your I spec B shifter to your brake lever and potentially de clutter the bar.. The only advantage I can see with this is that is gives you more room for a dropper post lever

But I run Standard XT shifters with Standard SLX brakes and it works perfectly with the shifter pushed snug against the brake lever

So unless you have I spec shifters and have a some sort of Handlebar OCD I'd just get the standard ones, the I spec also have the potentially to go wrong or snap

abarth_1200

Ah right. Maybe it's more for oem builds or something, rather set up my cockpit the way I want. Ah nearly clicked buy and XTs just can't get over the SLX price!

holiver

I have a similar budget for some hydraulic brakes, as I am not a fan of the bb5 brakes on my jump bike. I have found the following hydraulic brake sets that are within my budget and have appropriate hose lengths:

Avid Elixir 1 for £40
Avid DB1 for £47.50
Shimano M615 for £70

Is there any difference between the Elixirs and DB1? Are they good performers?

I like the look of the Shimanos and they are highly rated, but the 2 places where I have found them each have their own complications. At CRC the hoses would need significant shortening, which I am not sure I can be bothered to do and I am not paying someone to do! At On One, the front brake stated as being is 180 post to post. I am not sure whether this would deny me using my existing 160mm rotor and IS mount that's needed to fit the caliper to the fork? I don't need to run a 180mm disc up front and don't want the additional expense of a new disc and IS mount.

It would be great to get some feedback.

Thanks

supersonic

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-2014-Shim ... 1424996122

holiver

Yeah I had studied those and some of the others that seller offers, but the front hose length is too short. The 85cm of the DB1 from the same seller is probably borderline. The current cable length is 90 cm from caliper to lever.

The brakes from On One (Elixir and Deore) have 90cm front hoses too. I am just a bit concerned about the 180 post to post they mention for the Deore:

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/BCSHIMDE/sh ... hout-rotor

RockmonkeySC

Shortening hoses is a five minute job, no need to bleed them. It's worth it for a much better brake.

cooldad

This ^^^^^^^^

Not a good reason to reject good brakes - buying some with ideal hose lengths is pretty difficult.

holiver

The guide here was provided by some kind chap in the Workshop forum

http://www.epicbleedsolutions.com/blog/ ... -bleeding/

I will consider it I guess. However, the 90cm/140cm hose length sold by On One is pretty much bang on for my P1.

Does anyone have any idea about the 180 post to post they mention?

Are the Deore's likely to be noticeably better than the Elixirs?

Thanks

cooldad

All Deores are the same AFAIK, so it's likely just a random (and common) On One typo. But you couild email or phone them and make sure.

cooldad

ps looking at the ad I assume they mean they come with adapters, either 180mm post (front) or 160mm IS (rear). Without the mount the front will be 160mm.
They are PM as standard.

RockmonkeySC

I went from Avid Elixir X0 (£400ish) to Deores (£70ish) and the Deores are better in every way except weight.
With the current ranges of Shimano and Avid brakes I wouldn't even consider any of the Avids.

holiver

Oh wow that is a ringing endorsement!

I have emailed On One in any case to find out what they mean regarding the post mount.

The Rookie

I'm with RM, all Shimano brakes feel like they could be XT, all Avids feel like they should be badged as Juicy1's......

I had test rides on two bikes with X0 and preferred my 2006 M765's, the X0 felt no different to my 2008 Juicy3's.

holiver

Interesting. I don't need downhill levels of stopping power for a bit of street and dirt, and will be comparing them against the Hayes Stroker Ryde brakes on my Scandal, and obviously the BB5 on my P1.

I just want a nice firm feel with a short lever throw.

photonic69

I think using a wooden clothes peg on your rotors will be better than the Hayes Ryders. Terrible pads that heat and fade badly with a lever feel that inspires no confidence. I'll be changing mine to M615s as soon as my collar bone has healed.

holiver

LOL

I must admit I don't have a lot to compare them with, but I have been fairly happy with mine which are fitted with Superstar sintered pads. Plenty of retardation. One of the levers has always rattled a bit though.

holiver

Email back from On One confirms the presence of an adapter to make the brake fit a 180mm rotor. So they'll be fine with 160mm rotors with the adapter removed.