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Looking for some feedback/comments.</p>
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I need to upgrade my SRAM brakes on my YT Decoy (e-bike). The bike is heavy, terrain is fast downhill tech/rocky sections that are prevelant in my area.</p>
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Thoughts on XT,TRPs, or Magura?</p>
all will work, and have power, its more a person opinion.
Im a big fan of how the XT feel.
Sram mavin is getting rave reviews, and for some has almost TOO much power?
Get on a friends bike and see how some feel?
Also upgraign rotors to larger size, and metal pads REALLY changes the feel too
I like the Hayes dominion a4's over those options. Light action at the lever, plenty of power.
XT: wandering bite point is a deal breaker for me.
TRP: nice brakes. Good power. I'm not wild about the lever shape, but I can live with it.
Magura: great modulation. Decent power. Plastic lever body. Somewhat annoying to bleed.
I'd happily run Hayes, TRP, or Magura (or mavens). I won't run shimanos.
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Saints. Spend your money on rotors and pads. And adapters to run big enough rotors to make an difference.
I'm a big fan of Shimano, so I vote any four piston Shimano brake.
I have Saints on one bike, SLX 4-piston on another. Both have same size front rotors and rear rotors, and both have finned metal pads. Both have a 160mm Lyrik up front, one is full suspension and the other hardtail. Both are 29ers. I don't notice a difference between them in braking power or feel.
I’d point you towards Mavens. I took them off my Rail[emoji638][emoji[emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]][emoji640][emoji6[emoji640][emoji637]]] after a few months last spring because they were too powerful for most of the riding around town. But for a big enduro, DH or big e-bike on steep fast terrain, I’d run them for sure. Easy to find brake pads/ spare parts and bleed kits (compared to TRP or Magura) and although I don’t have quite as strong feelings as Toast about Shimano brakes, I’d steer away from those for your use case. I think Shimano is a little off the back for big boy brakes.
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Originally Posted by supermodel159
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How much do you happen to weigh? I got kinda fat last year and switched to bigger rotors for my Code RSC's to keep up. I've been wondering if different brakes would be smart.</p>
Hope T4V4 if you have the means.
XTR power and light touch with SRAM progression.
Let's just say that I wish my Maguras had my Shimanos' lever blade design.
I used TRP DHR-Evos for a few seasons and liked them, then installed a set of Freedom Coast levers and loved them. I was on all iterations of XTs and Saints since M-755s prior to that. I am now using Radic Kaha brakes, which while expensive are far and away the best brakes Ive ever tried. Of your choices Id opt for the TRPs, and if you had extra budget consider the FC aftermarket levers.
All good feedback guys, thanks.
Waiting to hear back what my local bike mechanical prefers to work on, and may include that in my choice.
Had not considered the Radic Kahas, may need to investigate.
My suggestion would be either Mavens with 200mm rotors or Hayes with 220s, for an ebike. The downside to running 220 rotors is they're a bitch to keep true - I experienced this, and every other guy I know running them has said the same thing.
You can more or less gravity bleed Maguras the same way you do Shimanos, if that's what you're worried about. Like, literally just put the syringe into the bleed port without the plunger in it, add fluid, and start squeezing and flicking. Although the caliper design makes the Park Tool piston spreader not fit. Do you not do any of your own work?
I would also say the Maguras take longer to heat up. I use fully sintered pads, so it's not great sometimes on a cool day when I start downhill. Could also be their stupid lever blade design requiring a longer throw to really get power. But I feel like my old SLX 2 pots get stickier quicker and can put on the power a lot faster. I don't have a perfect apples to apples comparison because the Shimanos are on my hardtail and the Maguras are on my full suspension. Rotors and the same size though. And the last time I rode my hardtail, it was a smooth and steep trail, so I got going very very fast, before having to dump all my speed heading into a very tight switchback. So yeah.
I briefly ran the MT7 after years of Code RSCs. I enjoyed the extra power and consistent lever feel, but constant dragging, expensive pads and broken lever body in a nothing crash killed them for me. I'm back on Codes, which have mediocre power but have proven reliable, have good spare part availability, and are relatively low maintenance.
^^^ agreed that Codes are pretty much the lowest maintenance, most reliable brake on the market at the moment. Not the most powerful, but they work well. And if they stop working well, both the lever and caliper are 100% rebuildable.
We're still on Codes for that reason. Easy to work on and reliable, and cheap now too! I wouldn't mind a bit more power but they do the job for me at 150lbs. Whichever way you go, as well as bigger, I'd also recommend THICKER rotors like the new SRAM HS2 (they're are on sale now) or something else 2.0mm+. Noticable difference in heat and fade resistance and staying true for me.
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I recently switch from Dominion A4s to the TRP EVO. Night and day, I love the TRPs, I hated the A4s. A4s had amazing lever feel, and very adjustable, but they just didn't work well for me. The TRPs are stupid easy to set up, seriously do it yourself, I did mine in the back of a van in less time than it took to remove the A4s, the TRP lines come pre-bled with instructions written for a cave person. I would describe them as "brakes". You put the lever where you want and they stay there, want to stop more? Squeeze harder, stop less? Squeeze softer. No fuss, no noise, no adjusting, nearly unlimited power.</p>
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Edit to add a bit more: The thicker rotors aren't a gimmick, they feel thicker, and stay stright. I was always adjusting rotor true on my previous brakes, the TRPs are still true despite a few hits I was convinced would mess them up. Pads are readily availble unlike Magura or Hayes. I am a fiddler, I'm always adjusting something, and these things are set up the same as I set them in the back of the van, that alone is a testimate to how "unremarkable" they are, which in this case is a compliment.</p>
Can we agree that all of the discussed brakes here are super powerful and work great? And that it’s much more a matter of preference than people tend to admit?
Don’t forget to be a dick about it when you finally decide.
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Agreed.Quote:
Originally Posted by jm2e
Except for shimano, which work great until they don't.
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I rest my caseQuote:
Originally Posted by toast2266
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After a discussion with my local bike mechanic and the valued comments here, I went with the TRPs. I'll report back once they get installed.
If anyone wants some Codes, let me know, they are coming off.
The 7120/8120 levers are way way better than the 8000 levers of olde. I have yet to experience wandering bite point.Quote:
Originally Posted by toast2266
Then again I only have a season on each of my sets.
Aye.Quote:
Originally Posted by jm2e
My XT's loved to play engagement point roulette.
Yesterday I had to pry, with a wedged tire lever and 3 strong kicks, the jaws of an MT7 caliper from the rotor they'd decided to start chewing on.
Mavens felt like I might go OTB if I looked at them funny.
And my A4's continue to add at least 30 watts of training resistance no matter how much laser precision I use to set the caliper
Pick your pitfall.
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Wanted to throw my experience in here too even though OP decided already.I've used Shimano SLX and Deore (which are the exact same function as XT) for years and really liked them. But last year I upgraded to DHR EVO and it's night and day better. The 2.3 rotor really makes a huge difference if you ever throw your bike on a rack, over a tailgate, crash, lay it on the side while doing trail work, bump literally anything into it in the garage. I was truing my 2.0 rotors all the time with the old brakes and still getting the TIK TIKTIKTIKTIK while riding. Since upgrading to TRP 2.3's I haven't had to touch them. Also, the TRP just feels more refined, great power and awesome feel.
Do TRPs all still come with four finger levers? So retro!
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Originally Posted by jm2e
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Looks like they fixed that per Blister review of the new release. But yeah, the old lever sucked. The aftermarket replacement from Freedom Coast made them my favorite brakes.</p>
Just noticed that TRP just dropped a Pro version today.
Both of them could put me over the bars if I locked up the front. The XT s did the first day I rode them when converting from old 2 bucket XT s! That said, I am not a chair lift guy, and my longer decents are around 3 K.
Some of y'all need to use sintered pads.
Anyway. Can I be a dick about mineral oil v DOT fluid? I'm not even talking about performance. I'm talking about not using something so toxic and corrosive on my bicycle. It's insane that anyone still uses DOT brake fluid.
Dot fluid is superior.Quote:
Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn
1) it's available anywhere for cheap.
2) it's standardized so you know what you're getting.
3) it's hydroscopic, so you don't end up with free floating water in your brake line that has a (relatively) low boiling point.
I'm not particularly concerned about DOT fluid's toxicity since I'm not drinking the stuff. It's a mild skin irritant, which is pretty much a total non issue for the handful of times a year that I'm working with it. I take some mild precautions to keep from dumping it all over my bike, which negates the issue of it messing up the paint.
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the best brakes/$ are Lewis, by far not even close. LH4s have massive power and build quality, and are light too (especially for a 4 piston caliper). Uses Hope pads.I strongly encourage you to check them out.
What is their lever like? From the pics, I can not decide if it is going to be a nice dainty one finger blade, or a big butter knife.Quote:
Originally Posted by SJG;
And how do you order them? I couldn’t figure it out on their site. Low tolerance for unintuitive shopping.
I kind of liked the lever on the 4-pot TRPs on my costco covid bike.
The little dimples/holes felt nice on my fingers.
Yeah, I dont mind them either. I dont have huge mitts, and was prepared to get the FC levers before I bought them based on internet chatter, but the stock TRPs have worked out well.
Hopefully this helps? LH4 Lever and a tape measure.