• This topic has 28 replies, 21 voices, and was last updated 9 years ago by poah.
Viewing 29 posts - 1 through 29 (of 29 total)
  • Brakes. XT vs SLX vs sram guide r vs elixir trail 7s
  • adrec
    Free Member

    What’s the thoughts chaps? I’m expecting a fair amount of avid bashing, but I’ve heard that new guides are much better. I’ve got about 150 max to spend, so hopes are out.

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    Have the guides been out long enough to tell? Meant to be a complete re design so comparison to Avids are a bit premature.

    adrec
    Free Member

    They’re meant to be the elixir trail calipers with a new high volume lever, so if a bit of air finds it’s way in it has less of a problem

    batfink
    Free Member

    take one for the team….. buy the Guides and tell us what you think 😀

    timc
    Free Member

    You already have a set of shimano & ‘avoids’ & don’t know the answer! 😆

    Keep saving for the Hopes 😉

    adrec
    Free Member

    The nicest brakes I’ve got on any of my bikes are the juicy 3s on my old rockhopper. Granted they’ve not had the use the others have but still.

    gardron
    Free Member

    Shimano any day of the week. Even mates of mine who prefer the lever feel on sram are getting to that ‘sod it’ point with them and moving over because they’re boring of re-bleeding or fixing their brakes in other ways and just want something reliable, which the shimanos are. XT vs SLX…. nothing in it really. Minor weight saving on XT, that’s about it. Occasionally (when the SLX’s get a good magazine write up) you can find the XT’s for the same price or cheaper than the SLX’s, which is nuts.

    The guides feel like nice brakes, but given avids history I need to see people running them for longer before I’d put my own cash down.

    nickdavies
    Full Member

    My Elixir 7 4 pots knock spots off my shimano XT’s & SLX’s in every way, apart from being a bit more difficult to maintain. Mainly in that I need to bleed the avid’s when I change the pads and I don’t always get a good bleed first time.

    Shimano i’ve never got a bad bleed and do it less frequently – I’d prefer not to have the extra faff but when they’re working the 7’s are a lot better. Probably a better comparison to saint/zee?

    deviant
    Free Member

    I have both Elixirs and Shimano on my two bikes….because thats what they came with!

    The Avids have more lever travel, a softer feel, less intital bite but will ultimately lock the wheels with enough pull….i suppose they have what people call modulation but its all very subjective, i dont have a problem with them but they do feel weaker than the Shimanos.

    The Shimanos have less travel, more intial bite and will lock a wheel in a blink of an eye…i like this, i find it confidence inspiring, i know others dont, it means i can just use one finger breaking.

    Bizarely both have been maintanence free over the last 12 months.

    dbukdbuk
    Free Member

    In the past I’ve pretty much always gone with Hope. XC4s, C2s, Enduro, M4, E4 etc.

    Lately though I’m using XT. They’re pretty ok looking, fairly cheap and work well. Have Avids on new bike but don’t really like them.

    rickon
    Free Member

    Slx are better and more reliable than XT in my experience. The lack of servowave and freestroke which are both pointless.

    Weight is pretty much the same, have a look on weight weenies.

    If you dont mind running Deore, they’re identical in performance and a bloody bargain.

    philholmes
    Free Member

    I have Trail XO on one bike and Trail 7’s on another. They are without a doubt the best brakes I have owned. Preferred them to the V2’s on my DH bike and I didnt really feel the SLX love which is now sat in a box.

    I had Elixir 5 on my old bike and again these were faultless.

    I really don’t understand the hate for Avid. So far they have been superb.

    Easy to bleed following the instructions and never had to bleed them twice.

    rickon
    Free Member

    That said…. ive a set of Shimano Slx brakes, on brand new the other a couple of months old in the box. Would sell them for £65 posted if youre interested 🙂 ive also got XTs of a similar condition for £100 posted.

    curiousyellow
    Free Member

    Isn’t the freestroke for nervous brakers? That way you can curb yourself of that awful habit of braking for no reason right?

    rickon
    Free Member

    Freestroke actually does nothing on Shimano brakes. It should be the same as pad contact, but it really doesn’t work.

    Plus it means lots of people forget to wind it out when bleeding and wonder why theire system is stil closed and oil doesn’t go anywhere.

    Pointless.

    Scamper
    Free Member

    I’d just get Deore rather than SLX/XT. £30 out of your budget, but Zee are oh my god powerful with more feel. Heavier than Deore though.

    Ecky-Thump
    Free Member

    I can’t give any comparisons as I’ve only got XT….
    ….but….

    I’ve got XT on the 456ti with 180 rotors & sintered pads
    I’ve got XT on the Liteville 301 with 180 rotors and sintered pads
    I’ve got XT on the Patriot with 203 rotors and organic/kevlar pads

    So I guess I can comment on XT at least

    Can’t fault them for the money. Plenty light enough for the XC bike and plenty powerful enough for Fort Bill or the Alps on the Patriot.

    Functionaly, there’s no difference between Deore/SLX/XT though, just more things to twiddle with.

    rickon
    Free Member

    Functionaly, there’s no difference between Deore/SLX/XT though, just more things to twiddle with

    Well, yes there are functional differences.

    – Servowave – XT (pads retract further back, and progressively extend further the more you pull the lever)
    – Freestroke – XT (a pointless screw which turns back time)
    – Reach adjust on SLX and XT

    There are lots of non-functional differences too:

    – Weight
    – Shininess
    – Bragging rights
    – Cost
    – Usability (see functionality above)

    Brake-neck
    Free Member

    Rickon, you’ll forgive me if I disagree, deore are not identical performance. I can cook a set on a 20 mins descent, never had that with XT, SLX or the T1s’s I’m using just now.

    rickon
    Free Member

    Rickon, you’ll forgive me if I disagree, deore are not identical performance. I can cook a set on a 20 mins descent, never had that with XT, SLX or the T1s’s I’m using just now.

    How so? Were you using the exact same pads, rotor, mineral oil, wheel and bike?

    The finned pads make big difference, plus any air in the system will obviously cause issues.

    Scamper
    Free Member

    Latest deore take finned pads too. 😀

    rickon
    Free Member

    ^ that’s my point 🙂

    brassneck
    Full Member

    I think my deore are actually better & more consistent than the XTs on the other bike. But they’re heavy and don’t look so bling so obviously I’m not going to promote them 🙂

    eltonerino
    Full Member

    Deore (from m615) have servo wave too. And reach adjust (although, it’s not tool free. How often do you adjust reach?)

    evillittlegoat
    Free Member

    No real weight difference between SLX and XT and from what I could see the M615 is only 20-30g heavier. The finish on the Deores is nicer than the plastic chrome on XTs IMO, particularly once theyve had a few knocks.

    Deore on the back, Zee on the front = maximum bang for your bucks.

    mindmap3
    Free Member

    I think my Deore brakes are better than the XT’s on the bouncy bike – better lever feel and no raised lettering etc to get pulled off in a crash. My XT’s work well enough but have always been slightly mushy at the end of the travel – even the factory bleed.

    I don’t fiddle with the reach adjust, so that seems pointless and the freestroke does naff all.

    Looking forward to seeing how the new Avids turn out (not brave enough just yet).

    jsm
    Full Member

    I’ve just swapped from xt disc brakes after 2 years to some guide rs. So far, so good. A million miles better than my old avid juicy carbons.

    Anyone used the guides for longer than a few weeks? they seem to be not a million miles off the old xt brakes.

    rumple
    Free Member

    been using the guide rsc brakes for around month and they are awesome!! really power with the 4 piston calliper and loads of adjustment on the lever for a custom tune.

    buuuuuut i’d probably go for the XT’s

    poah
    Free Member

    Servo wave is on XT, SLX and deore. XTR race levers don’t have servo wave.

    I’d get a set of Zee’s from the germans

    http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/shimano-zee-disc-brake-br-m640-b-set-86999?currency=3&delivery_country=190

Viewing 29 posts - 1 through 29 (of 29 total)

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