I'm fed up with replacing pads on my Juciy 5's every other ride in wet conditions .. they work fine but just don't last !
So, should i go for the "Big S XT's" or stay "local" with HOPES ??
Mainly cross country/enduro, but do like fast, gnarly downs.. 185mm discs on bike already..

From your amusing post it seems you have already made your mind up to go local.

Buy British IMO

bobsoff2 – Daft question, but are you using sintered or organic pads?

Hopes do seem to suffer from premature pad wear less than others

Shimano are the best brakes you can buy, I see no reason why you'd go for the inferior hopes.

I find pad wear to be good, as well as feel being a lot better than the juicies you have already. And Juicy pads don't last two minutes do they? I've used mine for perhaps 200 miles and they're looking mighty thin.

Hopes are ok, but XT brakes really are quite good.

bobsoff2

Mite be able to sort you out a good deal mate e-mail me on sm61@btinternet.com

Jv

Using Genuine Avid "Sintered" pads and they're great in the dry..
But give them a sniff of Q/tox grit and they're off like a shot !
Hopes are about £40 more.. but have heard of a few probs with the latest XT variants, just sounding out the Massive !

Superstar- I'd be well impressed with 200mls… killed a set in less than 40mls ! They feel fine tho !!
jonnyvegas.. hope or Xt ??

Surely the problem lies with the pads and not the brake itself? Why not try a couple of different pads before shelling out on new brakes. Just got some of the kevlar type from superstar and they rock.

Avids = tesco value brakes

Hope = tescos finest brakes

Shimano = Marks and Spencer brakes

So its the big S

Got a set of XT M775 Levers and hoses if you're interested? £50.

two callipers offof CRC and you're looking at <£130

<sultry voice> These aren't just any hydraulic disc brakes…</sultry voice>

If you want great pad life them Magura pads last a lifetime (well a year or so) if beddded in properly

A question – the people who like XT's – Have you used the new X2 with tech levers as well as the XT's or are these comments just founded on bigotism 🙂 or anti-hope'ism. My sintered M4 pads have lasted ages and yes I do do a lot of miles on them 🙂

(Hand up) I haven't tried X2 + tech lever.

Having said that, I don't need to, cos my brakes work exactly as well as I want them to, and better than all the other brakes I've had in the past.

Does that count as bigotry?

Audio… am just about to try some HD pads from Aztec, courtesy of my LBS..(Which i think i've financed by buying pads over the last 12mths!) 😕
will see how they go on,then try and make a choice..
Hopes are on a cracking deal with Merlin at the mo tho !!!

I've used the new X2s. They feel vague and while they're powerful, aren't a patch on XTs.

LOL @ Banana – I wanted to know if peoples opinions were based on experience or just heresay 🙂

Banana.. You've almost swung it for me ! (In a sultry styleee !) 😛 😛 😛

Bob – are you able to try them out and compare?

Foxy.. no i'm not, but have riding "buddies", one on XTR's and one one Hopes,
Both reckon they're the DBLX, but one is kinda "Helped Out" by Hope and the other would say that ANY brake was best as it was on his "Be jewelled" plastic PIG ! 😐

superstar.. why do you say "Inferior Hopes" ?
Have you had any experience/probs with Hopes then ??

I've just fitted SLX to my FS after no end of good experiences with the Deore 525's on my HT, cracking brakes.

Don't really know if the XT are any better, being a single piece caliper may help, but they definatley look a bit blingier

I've nothing against Hope but XT are fantastic, and a fair bit cheaper, especially once you add in rotors, brackets etc. £200 for a full set of XTs with all the trimmings vs about £280 for the Hopes. The older Hopes I've used weren't a patch on SLX or XT, not tried the latest ones though.

But, it does sound like what you need is better pads, not different brakes…

mate soz for late reply..HOPE e-mail me thursday for pic ?

HOPE.XT ..Er never got on with them..
Now Hayes……………….

Lets talk.Stroker Trails OK,just got a Nice pair of Stroker ACES..Oh my oh my…
POWER,tons of it,Modulation A+++

All depends on what you all weigh in at too people ?

tbh, of all the brakes I've had over the years, hope, hayes, avid, formula, shimano, magura, even a pro-stop….

NONE of them were crap, they all had strengths and weaknesses, and a lot of it is down to personal preference.

But back to the OP, you need to try different pads, the brake itself (unless rubbing like a beehatch) is not the cause of excessive pad wear.

Are you a brake dragger? And I dont mean that in a derisory way, but there is a heck of a difference in pad life if you are a brake dragger versus a brake grabber.

Matt

I've had both.

XTs were great – really powerful and nice modulation and lever and bit point adjustment (good for my little hands!) I MUCH perfered them to my mono minis.

However, then got some Hope X2 on my new bike and really liked them – much better feel than the minis and loads of adjustment too.

XTs still great, but due to friends and hubby having Hopes I kept then for ease of service and spares.

On balance I think the XTs were probably a bit more powerful but I like the X2 lever more… I guess what I'm saying is you're unlikely to be disappointed with either!

I've never owned a hope brake that's worked as it should, and know of very few of my riding mates who have them that've behaved.

My mate runs X2s and has had them since June and they're already playing the spongey feel card on the back.

I've never owned a hope brake that's NOT worked as it should, and know of very few of my riding mates who have them that've NOT behaved.

so really does depend on personal experience

don't get me wrong, I have Hayes and Shimano brakes as well so im not being pro-Hope or anything, I'm just saying my experiences don't reflect superstars…

A lot of it seems to come down to how well they are fitted and bled, true of any brake mind you.

Bleeding does make a difference, but fitting won't- you bolt on the brake, align it, squeeze the lever and ride it. "bad set up" doesn't exist on a new brake unless it's a factory issue.

align it,

was specifically referring to that bit ^

alignment does make a BIG difference to the feel of a brake, obviously it's easier nowadays with post mount adaptors but I bet you'd be surprised how many people don't face disk mounts before fitting or pay proper attention to alignment.

And even factory fitted brakes don't always come set up perfectly, I've seen some appalling setups leave bikeshops over the years.

owned both 🙂

currently have XT's, much better braking all round imo, it feels more controlled has a better bite (could be the pads though) and i love the feel of the lever, some would probably say it feels softer or squishy but once you get used to it it feels way more controlled than the sort of on/off feel of the x2's….they are also quiter in the wet too 🙂 i cant really fault the x2's too much though, i am happier with the xt's though and ive just ordered some rt76 rotors (the equivalent of hopes floating rotors) just hope they fit now 🙂

over all id go with xt's bit cheaper too! i sold my x2's and they bar 10quid paid for a brand new set of xt's!!!

I think another 2 things that makes a huge difference are:

Pad alignment – i.e. if the pads are not equidistant then you will start to get breaking on one side before the other giving a spongy feel.

The other is pad contamination and glazing. Some people prob ride in areas where material gets onto the pads (not just oil based) and reduce braking friction.

Replacement of pads and proper pad contact usually eliminates bad braking experiences and if not maybe try a bleed – Air in the system after poor bleeding is also a major contributer and not following guidelines – esp hopes online tech vid can result in very spongy brakes 🙂

Why not try some different rotors, I'm convinced my pads last longer since I've been using Hope floating sawtooth rotors with my XTR's (I think its due to the larger holes in the Hopes clearing the Quantocks grit from the pad surface more quickly).

Avids = tesco value brakes

Hope = tescos finest brakes

lol…how experiences differ.
IME Avid = Saville Row suit. Hope = England football shirt, 3/4 length trousers from Primark, and Crocs. And a pint of Magners.

not sure there is always any rhyme or reason to pad wear.

I am no expert at bike/brake setup neither am i particularly dilligent about bedding pads in properly. Nevertheless:

-i had a set of juicy fives for a year and i never changed the pads they came new with. That includes a couple of wet rides in the quantocks and dozens of filthy ones in the woods.

-Mrs julian is also still hardly into the pads that came new on her juicy 3's after 8 months and rides/races in all weathers. And she has never changed the ads on her bb7's which unlike our other juicy brakes howl like crazy (but stop as well as the other avids)

-my mates who ride far better and brake far less go through juicy pads all the time though.

-I have however demolished stock formula pads in a gritty ride with a sticky piston on the back one whilst the non-stuck-pistoned front one went on for months after the back one was freed up and pads replaced.

I read terrible things in bike press about early shimano resin pads, but always got loads of life out of shimano's own resin ones on my old 525's (which are still doing fine age 6 and bled once, never serviced on a mate's bike)