the age old 'which brake?' thread.

[a.davis12]

well ive done this before on farkin, and now im doing it again.

im currently tossing up on whether to build a full rigid super fast, super light, city/street mtb.
ive chosen the frame, the forks, the wheels (trusty hopes) and the drivetrain(slx cranks, ss for a while and then 1 x 9 sram x9 gearing with a 46t up front and road cassette).

and once again, like on my last mtb build im stuck about which brakes to buy.

ive tried hopes, and i like theyre simplicity and coolness, just not that impressed with there performance.

i tried avids and they sucked. i hate the months of planning that has to go into bleeding them:p and there unreliabilty. i have however recently discovered the avid elixir and signs seem promising.

im looking at XTs (or even xtrs) currently but would really like to know the weight of them before i purchase.

so basically, i want people to give me ideas for brakes.
this time however the most important criteria is price. im trying to spend as little as possible on this bike (hence only going ss for a while) as i want cash throughout my final year of school without having to work.

so please, fire away!

[Justin Fox]

I think any hydraulic brake will be fine? Say the lowest spec Shimano hydros should do the job on a city mtb.

If you're going for weenieness though you've put yourself in a tough spot as weenie and value for money don't go hand in hand too well.

[a.davis12]

I think any hydraulic brake will be fine? Say the lowest spec Shimano hydros should do the job on a city mtb.

If you're going for weenieness though you've put yourself in a tough spot as weenie and value for money don't go hand in hand too well.


i forgot too mention that im only going to run a front brake.
also that i can get avids at cost price, and i will buy from OS.

and yes i am in a tough spot! 7.6kg FTW!!!

[crank]

I'm running Avid Juicy 5s on the Nomad and DeVinci and Shimano XTs on the Anthem and singlespeed.

Both brake sets are excellent. The XTs offer more modulation and power is the same as the Juicy 5s. Both models have been used on extended downhills and not faded. I initially prefer the lever feel of the XTs but after a few minutes of riding the Juicys are comfortable too.

Set up properly you shouldn't have any issues with either brake. The Elixers look nice and if they are reported as being better than Juicys then they must be pretty good i reckon. XTR brakes feel very nice but don't have the stopping power like the XTs or Juicys. For a city bike they should be okay though. You'd possibly run out of traction on the ground before wanting more brake power if you're running slicks.

[LordOnOne]

Hope, Hayes and Formula are the only brake companies I would trust.

[a.davis12]

Hope, Hayes and Formula are the only brake companies I would trust.

have you ridden formulas?
i almost got a set of k18s for my last bike. they are quite tempting, as they are blaaaaack!
:p

[Clifton]

Ridden Avid Elixir CR and R.. so far they are great. Modulation and power!

[a.davis12]

Ridden Avid Elixir CR and R.. so far they are great. Modulation and power!

im looking at crs i think, but they are quite exxy.

[a.davis12]

what do people think of xtr brakes?
they look quite nice, and i like shimano stuff.

[singletrack]

XT's are teh bomb. and cheap too ;) just make sure you get sintered pads what ever brand you get ;)

[Jing]

for your info the xtr set shoudl weighg around 800-900g depending what rotor setup you are going for

[Lorday]

Shimanos or hayes (i.e the new stroker trail)

XT's are awsome, XTR's are more awsome but at a higher price.

[a.davis12]

thanks to everyone, jing has pretty much convinced me to go with xtrs.

[jimmy]

i have been running Marta sl on my superlight.
light and loads of power

[rhys]

I have elixr r's on the glory, they're pretty good but after actually riding dh today i'm thinking i'll have to save for something a bit more poweful (at least on the front). They're great for riding around centennial park etc though.

[Tommo]

Hi all,

Would like to upgrade the brakes on my Diamondback Zetec 2.

1. What disc size should I be looking for?
2. Fitting hard or could I do it myself?
3. It seems that Juicy7s or XTRs are the go... any preference? Both seem similar in cost... a lot of people have said the Juicy7s aren't as good in initial pedal feel as the XTRs, pushing me towards the XTRs.
4. Also with the XTRs, how much better are the M975s over the M966/M965? Is it like comparing the Juicy 5 vs Juicy 7?

Thanks for your help,
Tommo.

[Jing]

get elixir they are much stronger and modulate much better than the others u have mentioned.

[Tommo]

Cheers - i'll check them out.

Normally I'd assume the bigger disc is better... however do they get in the way and end up being more prone to damage during accidents? Just trying to establish why there are three disc sizes :)

[crank]

The bigger the disc the faster you'll stop and th eless heat will build up during prolonged braking.

I like both brakes but would go for a set of Shimano XTs. 6" discs should be fine on a hardtail, but chuck a 7" on te front if you think you'll need more stopping power. The XTs are a bit stronger than the XTRs from my plays with them. The Juicy's are good too, but the XTs are better. They both have a different feel at the lever, so check them out on a bike if possible. Just make sure they've been bled properly or the lever will come in too far, especially on the XTs.

[a.davis12]

well i now have elixir CRS.
goood:D