Brakes - Are these worth the extra

ncn

I currently have some Shimano Deore M596 disc brakes fitted to my bike and the rear caliper has started to weep, contaminating my pads and rotor which is pretty annoying to say the least.

Any how I need a new rear brake and thought I may as well upgrade while I am at it. would like to stick with shimano and have picked these 2 but my question is, is the Zee with its 4 pot caliper worth the extra?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-xt-m785-disc-brake/rp-prod67208

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-zee-m640-disc-brake/rp-prod82434

benpinnick

Yes and no. Zees areawesome, but you may never need the extra power. They do also feel much nicer than XTs too.

cooldad

I wouldn't put the Zees on the back unless you are planning on swapping the Deores round.

Reading your other thread - are you sure it's the seals?
You said you have normal braking power, so that would indicate that the fluid is not leaking and the squeal is caused by something else.

ncn

Yeah definitely the seal, I can see the fluid bubbling and weeping out around the pistons edge. It's very minimal but it is coming out for sure.

I barely use my front brake, mostly my back, so thought this would be ideal. Then upgrade the front in the next few month or so?

EDIT** Thinking about this I use both brakes kind of together in fact. So would it be counter-efficient to have more power at the rear?

kajjal

In general your front brake gives a lot more braking force. Even round corners up to the point the front wheel washes out due to excessive braking. Do a quick test on the straight using only one brake and you should find the front stops you much faster, but be careful not to go over the handle bars

ncn

Yeah I have been having a bit of a think and can see that the front is the one doing more.

I may just grab another deore rear for cheapness and brake balance. Then upgrade both together.

Cheers

cooldad

My memory isn't great any more, but I seem to remember your bike is a Genesis Core?
Unless you are riding serious DH, and not on that bike, Zee would be serious overkill. IMHO.

Something to bear in mind - Deore 615 use different pads to 596, so unless you want to double up on pads, and you intend to change (I hesitate to say upgrade) the brakes sooner or later, you might want to look for some 596s.
I have both and they feel the same.

ncn

Yeh thats right buddy, a core 40. I am mostly riding steep natural techy stuff around the southern cairngorms. Also laggan and occasionally glentress.

I am of the heavier ilk though, +100kg, so the extra stopping power may come in handy haha!

I noticed the differnce with the 596/615 but can't seem to find the 596's in stock anywhere so just thought I would get the 615's they are chaeper as well and I don't mind different pads for a bit.

rockmonkeysc

I have Zee and Deore brakes. The Deores are really excellent, especially for the bargain price.
The Zees are brilliant but I wouldn't want them on my xc bike. They are extremely powerful but also very sharp. Prefectly suited to the higher speeds of downhill but they don't have the sensitivity you need for xc.

ncn

Roger that! I think il just go for the m615 as I can't seem to find a m596 anywhere and then I will grab a 615 for the front or upgrade both in time. Hopefully will have a new bike by then and this one won't matter so much.

CitizenLee

Just to echo the others, Zees are pure overkill.

SLX M675 generally offer the best bang per buck. Only £90 for front and rear (no rotors) on Merlin at the mo.

Sounds like you have a decent plan now though

poah

the Zee's use the same mastercylinder and pads as the M615 but you have 4 pistons rather than 2 so there is a different feel to the brake but I doubt you'd feel any different in power.

CitizenLee

When I had the Demo 8 I used to have Saints callipers (also 4 piston) with XT levers and they were a lot more powerful than my current SLX brakes, and I do mean power and not just "feel".

Saint & Zee for DH/FR and XT, SLX, Deore etc for everything else.

rockmonkeysc

I wouldn't say it's a big difference in power. It's the initial bite on the Zees which is what makes them good for downhill but a bit on or off for xc.

jsync

I you are going deore, I have a brand new M596 rear if you're interested.

ncn

Pm'd you j!