Avid Juicy Carbon fitted – find them lacking in modulation and they do seem to lose power after a harsh run.

So I either get floating rotor @ smaller size or go for new brakes.

Short list is;

New Hope M4s
Shimano Saints (overkill but I like them)

Any thoughts?

I hope this time I get a reply because a bit stuck

PS riding is mostly trail centres and I am heavy to need decent stopping power.

There have been a couple of threads recently. The Hope M4's seems to get consistent thumbs up for power and modulation. The new ones are even better and just look the dog's nuts. I am trying to find an excuse to upgrade my Mono Minis to the Tech X2's, but they still work perfectly and have enough power for me

Edit – also, judging from my Mini's they are a piece of pish to bleed as well

Juicy Carbons have bags of power, I know a number of people using them on DH bikes, they should be fine around trail centres!

I weigh 16 stone and I find juicy 3s with big rotors great.

Halo, are these brand new fitted or have you been running them a while?

I'm thinking about the same two brakes and when I have the money I'll be going for the Saints. From what I've read they are stupidly powerful. I must admit the Hope levers look and feel great though.

I would go for Shimano, purely based on reliability. My Saints have been brilliant. You can never have too much stopping power

Hi,

They have been on the bike for a while so should be bedded in nicely.

Power isnt the issue – its the fact I cant get any feel out of them at all and find myself locking up when I need some finesse.

Lack of skill might play a part but I have tried turning the pad adjustment so that it takes a handful to get full engagement.

I also find they get hot fast and by time I finish my normal runs they do seem to be fading somewhat.

To be fair there is a 203 rotor on the back which doesnt help, but the heat is what worries me.

Example being rocky technical sections where previously I could gauge braking over rocks I find myself slithering no matter what.

As a reference point I used to have Giant MP3 brakes a few yrs ago and have to say loved them (apart from they just werent up to job in the end).

Merlin Cycles have the Saints with 200mm rotors for £300

Maybe a smaller rotor on the back would help. A fresh bleed through with 5.1 (I don't know if they have 4 or 5.1 as stock but both get old eventually). I've also known a few Avid's come through not very well bled.

What pads do you run? Sintered would help with the control as I find the organic (particularly Avid) very grabby. I know one of the American mags suggests using one organic and one sintered pad. However, if you do this, you need to keep an eye on pad wear.

In terms of the heat build up, do you drag a lot or do you remember to give them a bit of breathing space even on long runs so they can expand back into the reservoir?

I'm just about to take the plunge on new discs, and from what I've read, I can't find many reasons to get anything more expensive than the Avid Elixir R.

Light, more powerful than juicys, great modulation and pretty good value – on offer from CRC at the mo.

I'll be buying some on Tuesday (payday!)

SLX and XT are both worth considering.

Ok my choice in end was the new Hopes.

Got them with braided hoses and floating rotors – spent more than should but hey ho.

Will report back if anyones interested.

Not flogging the old carbons by any chance?

i have the new saints, 203mm front and rear. yes they maybe a bi overkill but i'm a big chap and have never suffered fade of any sort, either here or in france. truely flawless brakes. recomended 😀

Sshh dont throw a wobbler into my purchase choice or I will start regretting my credit card balance!

Carbons may be for sale – email me but mate has first dibs.

More money than sense, like.

My Juicy carbons were a bit worse on modulation than my Juicy 5's, until I finally changed the pads. I think they come with organics to keep the weight down, as mentioned by someone else, the sintered are less grabby.

I found Superstar pads were best for modulation IMO.

Good luck with a solution!

Power isnt the issue – its the fact I cant get any feel out of them at all and find myself locking up when I need some finesse.

Hopes then – set up to give much more modulation at the expense of initial bite.

However are the brakes you have actually working properly?

TJ just asked the same question I was about to, if you have the slightest bit of air in the system it'll lead to an inconsistent feel, and if your calipers are misaligned it wont help matters either. Forget the loosen,pull,tighten nonsense and actually have a look at how a new set of pads contact the disc, they should hit it perfectly square and at the same time as each other, if they're not then you won't get the best from them.