Which XC brakes.

[topher]

Hey
Firstly i know this should be in parts and stuff, but i figure putting it in here i will get the information i need rather than, OMG these brakes are the shit on my dj bike.

Well here it is, ive been riding juicy 7's on my xc bike for awhile now, although they are good brakes, when something goes wrong with them it seems to be complicated to fix the problem. Along with the pulsating rear lever and the horribly bad stock pads, i've almost had enough of these brakes.

What can you guys recommend for an xc bike, that will be used for general xc riding and racing. I need something that is extremely reliable with some decent power. Heres what im thinking, some shimano XT with regular levers and 6 bolt xt rotors. Has anyone had experience with these doing xc riding or racing? How are the stock pads for xc riding? What is the lever feel like? Comparable to Juicy 7's or better? Are they lighter than Juicy 7's? Feel free to give opinions on other brakes aswell if your love them. However they must be extremely reliable, easy to setup and bleed.

Thanks for all your help
Chris

 

[Techno Destructo]

Are V-brakes an option?

Lightest solution out there, and plenty of power for what it sounds like you need. Plus, easily maintained in the field with basic tools.

If you look at the top XC pros, you'll find many (most?) of them running XTR V-brakes.

 

[craigb]

Are they lighter than Juicy 7's? Feel free to give opinions on other brakes aswell if your love them. However they must be extremely reliable, easy to setup and bleed.


why not keep the juicy sevens and change the pads you say the pads are no good well save a heap of money and get new pads. what problems have you had with the juicy's when it comes to replacing parts? if your still running stock pads you should'nt be wearing out parts on them! maybe whoever is seting them up is'nt seting them up corectly. ive had mine for almosy 2 years and have never had 1 problem with them they are powerfull and lever feel is fantastic. if you must change brakes and you have plenty of money get xt's they are nice but they still wear out parts like every brake

 

[topher]

Techno V's aren't a possibility as my forks/frame/wheels are disc only. I've had huge issues with pads rubbing on rotors, and done everything to fix this issue, bleed them to fix and it, i had to take the calipers apart and fix them.

Craigb: There has been no issue for replacing parts at all. As for saving money, i would be getting xt's rediculously cheap they take up vast amounts of time bleeding, ive had my rear brake seize up on my for a unknown reason, after inspection there was nothing "wrong" with the caliper or lever itself. Basically i want something that is easy to do everything with, bleed and fix/repair and clean. So far the avids have been the opposite to that.

 

[Fatman]

I'm with techno,

I run XTR V's on my XC race bike on ceramic crossmax rims and they can pull a fat bugger like me up in good order. They have great feel and modulation are light as well. I have also used Magura Marta SL's, very light and powerful little brakes but they can be problematic like most Maguras. I've serviced a few of them with issues but I never in two years had a problem with mine, I did have to change the pads once though. They were silent and had absolutely no feedback or shudder through the lever. Stan's make an alloy rotor with a ceramic coating that combined with Martas are the lightest disc brakes available. Also very expensive.
XT disc's would be my choice for XC work after the maguras, they work well and are easy to service, also affordable.
Don't get me wrong though, for all round use I love the Juicy's but some people still aren't on the programme. That's why there are many choices out there I guess.

*edit* Sorry, your reply about V's came in before mine.

 

[Bike_freak]

not as cheap as XT's but look into Hope Mono mini's and Magura Marta's. I personally LOVE my martas, and after seeing numerous problems with my mates Juicy brakes, i am glad to be using the Marta's.

With most brake systems, it is vital that you get your disc tabs faced properly, otherwise theres a good chance the brakes won't work well (does not matter for Juciy brakes).

 

[majura]

How long is a "while"?

Maybe you've got a defective rear caliper... so it might be worth trying to get it fixed/replaced under warranty. That and Avid will probably do something (like a swap) for a small fee.

Otherwise another vote for replacing the pads.

Good luck with it all.

 

[Grover]

while mini's and marta's are very nice brakes they seem to be a hit and miss thing - sometimes you get a good brake that is trouble free forever, other times they're nothing but problems. this is definitely more so with the marta's.

i'd say just go with anything from shimano. even deore brakes are amazing for what they cost. me personally - xtr calipers, xt levers, xtr hoses (might change to goodridge for the hell of it) and some very trick rotors. simple to set up, never break down, easy to get parts for, relatively cheap compared to some of the other offerings in the top end brake market and the same weight as mono mini's.

you're xt brakeset would be around the same weight as juicy 7's, being low to mid 400grams per end. they are the same caliper as the saint's which are marketed as shimano's most powerful brake so you'll have no worries in that department.

the only other thing i'd say is keep a look-out for a set of shimano's m755 brales (with m756 levers and not braided hoses). i think these are still just about the best brakes ever made. i've got a set on my single speed and they won't be sold for anything. just a little heavy for my weight weenie race bike being mid-high 400 grams per end.

 

[topher]

The particular model of XT brakes that im looking at are m - 756(?)lever with a m- 765 caliper. Thanks for all the advice everyone put in so far! What sort of rotors do you suggest? I'm thinking of using maybe XT 6 bolt rotors. Also, how much would i be able to get for my juicy's, there about 6 months old MAX, with about 80% pad left.
Thanks
Chris

 

[Dumbellina]

I love my Martas - but they are costly. Pads are pricey as is the bleed kit. The parts on the brakes are ridiculously small (like tiny T7 screws on the reservior cap and a 2mm pad bolt) which are so easy to strip and give expensive nightmares.

But set-up nice they are sweet reliable and stop you on a one cent piece. Also they don't fade on long decents.

If money is an issue, Deore hydros are the best value brakes around. Cheap to buy, pads are cheap, they are dead easy to bleed.

 

[Bodin]

Shimano all the way...

In a recent magazine shootout between Magura Marta, Shimano XT, Hayes El Camino and Avids, the only reason the Shimanos weren't up there or ahead of the Maguras was purely that the Maguras were slightly lighter... The Hayes and Avids weren't in contention for the top prize.

I've been running the same set of XT brakes with LX levers for a while now across a number of XC bike set ups and they are the business! Never need any kind of adjustment and power is always smooth, reliable and they are super quiet. I reckon they look the goods as well.

My experience with these convinced me to buy a set of Deore brakes, which took one short ride to bed in and have been perfect ever since. They just don't look as good as the XTs and are probably a touch heavier...

 

[Turner_rider]

My only critisim of the Shimano brakes is that the resin pads wear very rapidly in water. This may not be an issue for most but worth noting if you ride in wetter areas.

 

[DJ_Robbie]

Just for your info, changing the rotor to a hayes 6" on my juicy 5 eliminated all pulsating and noise.

 

[topher]

Yeah, i know about swapping the rotors, however i am just unhappy with the brakes in general.

 

[DJ_Robbie]

Yeah, i know about swapping the rotors, however i am just unhappy with the brakes in general.

you must be one of the very few then, every single person i have talked to has said they are the greatest brake available, and sooo much cheaper.

Im assuming (excuse my ignorance) you have thoroughly cleaned the pads and rotors too?

 

[topher]

Yes i've cleaned my brakes thoroughly(sp?) atleast twice a month during the 6 months ive had them. Don't get me wrong they are great brakes, however i just believe that with the horribly expensive bleed kit, the somewhat complex bleed system compared to other systems eg hayes, shimano, the below average stock pads and rotors.

I was turned off them because i want a easily maintained set of brakes, which are easy to bleed and are set up and go. They are a great performing brake however, they are too complex and i have to little time to spend on fixing my bikes at the moment.

 

[DJ_Robbie]

Shimano XT's then, insane performance, easy to maintain, come as a full set, cheap and look trick too. cant go wrong.

 

[freeride_sweet]

if you don't mind mind getting something a little older, look into the xt 4pots, i have one of them on my bike, and since ive have it about a year now the only thing thats needed fixing was a new set of pads, they are power full and have great modulation, imo if you do get some get the red ebc pads, they say dh specific (sp) but the are great,

but any shimano brake are great,

 

[Cúl-Báire]

Not really going to be all that much of a help- but I have been running Magura Marta's for the best part of two years now and I have found them to be a great, and very relaible disc brake system.

Down side for most is they are quiet expencive- but they can be had cheap from overseas... This is going to start a warrenty war and the like; But there is effectively no service / distributership in Australia anyways- the company that distributes Magura didn't want to know about them, at least when I contacted them. Another reason to buy from overseas I guess.

The have however been problem free- and have pulled me up every time when required. I haven't really touched them, although I am chaning pads in the next week or so.



If the Magura's are a little rich for your blood, I'd go XTR's or XT's. The XTR brakes are quiet cheap in comparison to other systems, and are pretty easy to maintain. The newer models have been quiet reliable too.

 

[Mo]

great thread...im also looking at some shimano brakes (xt)
/off topic
how much do they cost per end including everything?