mate is after a bit of advice, hes seen some mega cheap RX brakes, currently has xt m775 with servo wave, hes not been that impressed with the xt’s over winter…i just wondered has anybody owned both? ive never used formula brakes, but have used the xt m775’s and thought they were bloody marvelous…

so is he going to be wasting his money going from xt to RX??? any one with experience of both appreciated 🙂

anyone 🙁

I have RX brakes, but can’t help you with comparing them to XTs.

I have XT M775s, and have had them near enough two years(ish). Great brakes and have never had any problems. I run them with 185mm Avid Cleansweep rotors.

Hope this helps

No experience of XT’s but currently using RX – can’t fault them. Powerful, controllable, maintenance free so far and pretty light.

ive got RX and initial impression are spot on real nice and progressive

What problems has he had with the XTs? I’ve got a few sets and really like them, my only grouch is that they tend to go super wooden in sub-zero conditions.

exactly that BWD, hes moaned about them feeling odd through winter….i said i cant really say why they should be unless its cos of the different oil they use….

i had a feel of them today and they feel spot on, as in the lever felt totally solid, but it was steady not just on/off….they stop him on a dime, dont make a noise and the likes, hes never bleeeedin’ happy!

im not sure he;ll be any better with formula’s to be honest, still he was getting a terrible warbling sound in the height of the cold which was odd, whether thats the snow or mega cold doing that i dont know, but its gone again now

I think it’s down to the piston seal material getting hard in sub-zero conditions or something like that and the pistons not retracting properly and moving freely – it seems to be a characteristic of the design regardless of how new or old the mineral oil is. It’s not great, but I rode a lot in the big snowy cold snap and just lived with it – it’s annoying but only seemed to be an issue at sustained sub-zero conditions, kind of -5?C or so.

I’ve not used the Formulas, so I can’t really comment on how they compare. I like the fact that Shimano uses non-corrosive mineral oil rather than brake fluid though.

I guess it depends how often he’s going to be riding in those sort of conditions and how much it annoys him.

There is an argument that says mineral oil brakes are a better long term bet because mineral oil lubricates better and therefore keeps things smoother for longer.

I cant give an exact comparison but I used formula k24 (precursor to rx) for a couple of years and found them good. Then one day I had a sudden brown pants failure followed by a stupid warranty hoohah with formula: the failure according to them was corrosion on 3 month old lever pivot / adjuster. They eventually sorted it but what a pain!

Since relegated formulas to the pub bike and fitted slx to the others. Noicably less faffing / bleeding /hassle – even at -minus 15!

They do feel different tho! There is a bit of a blank spot with initial pull with servowave brakes: after this they are fab ime.

I run K18s on one bike and SLX on another, not exactly the same but a similar comparison. The Formulas are good brakes but require more TLC than I am prepared to offer. After less than a year the whole rear mastercylinder had to be rebuilt and the front is now beginning to show similar symptoms. The SLXs are as good as the XTs I had before but still need ocaisonal piston unsticking which is a good deal cheaper than rebuilding mastrer cylinders. As soon as I am more solvent I am going to replace the K18s but would like something with minimal maintenance, so no decisions yet.

I had the servo-wave XT’s. They have a auto power-assist (best way to describe it?) thats love it or hate it.

I never got on with theses but loved my previous Saints (yes I do remember them fading sometimes). Still- they felt more reassuring.

The servo-wave thing just feels too odd to be confidence inspiring for poor riders like me who like to brake 😀

Had my first ride on the K24’s last week- the rear shrieked abit which made me back right off braking (as I don’t want people knowing Im braking).

They felt ‘right’ though. Hard to describe.

Had my first ride on the K24’s last week- the rear shrieked abit which made me back right off braking (as I don’t want people knowing Im braking).

Well so far this is the stupidest comment I have ever got to read on here.

As for the OP, I have RX and can’t fault them in any way. They have been perfectly reliable in any condition down here in the southern Alps. No brake fade, no bleeding needed, just change the pads when they are used and keep on going.

I wont chomp.

I’ve had both and I would be happy with either.

XT have more power and better modulation, but heavier and have had problems in cold as above. Seem to have stayed a bit “wooden” since the cold too, something I need to investigate.

RX are very light and still have plenty of power and modulation, nice split clamps and look great. Noisier in the wet.

Oh they are a beauty aren’t they? Beautifully made/looking things.

I’ve had a set of R1s on the race bike for the last two years, excellent all round – power, weight, feel. So good I’ve just bought another set for spare bike (after taking out a second mortgage for them). Think these are the same levers as the RX?
Only complaint is the floating rotors are now floating a bit more than they should so got some Hope X2 rotors for the new ones.
Been using EBC redstuff pads and will continue to do so.

iv had both xt and rx, i can say that the rx brakes are head over heels better

You really can’t compare Oro K18/24 with the RX – the RX is a completely new master cylinder with nothing in common to the Oro’s. The RX uses a radial master cylinder where the lever directly actuates the piston in the same axis as you pull the lever whereas the K18/24 use a conventional master cylinder where the piston works at 90 degrees to the lever action.

I’ve had K18 and RX and had no bother with the K18 but the RX is a noticeable step forward.