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  • New brake dilemma
  • jonnyrockymountain
    Full Member

    I’am after some new brakes light, but powerful no more than £350
    I have narrowed it down to 3
    1. Hope stealth race x2 around £350 with rotors (probably 160)
    2. XTR race £330 with 160 ice tech rotors at Merlin
    3. Formula R1 £300 with 160 rotors at Merlin

    Generally I would go straight for hopes as I have run various hopes before and find them very good.
    But sometimes I feel like I want a change, I have had deore before and liked them also had some k24 but found them a bit of a pain to bleed and a bit fickle although fantastic stopping power for the 160 and 140 rotors that I used with them

    Anyone got any thoughts or recommendations on any of the above?
    Cheers Jonny

    cp
    Full Member

    What sort of riding will you be using them for? What’s more important – weight or performance?

    jonnyrockymountain
    Full Member

    I ride an st4 at 120 generally local trails nothing too hairy the odd trail centre gisburn, Dalby, landegla

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    Nonsense
    Free Member

    Shimano all the way. Much better than the Avid, Magura and Hopes I had previously. If you’re not too bothered about weight or bling then just get XT/SLX. Easy to bleed, loads of power and I’ve never managed to overheat them.

    danielgroves
    Free Member

    I have the Shimano M785 XT brakes, and absolutely love them. Plenty of power in them, and stakes of modulation once you get used to the feel of them, no other brake on the Market I would consider at the moment, so I can’t imagine the XTR ones would be worse.

    jonnyrockymountain
    Full Member

    Anyone for formula or hope race

    Stevo210
    Free Member

    Hi Jonny, you should have a blast with my V2’s daft stopping power and really nice modulation. They don’t grab and easy to feather the power. Not the lightest, but will never be under powered.

    cp
    Full Member

    I’d go Shimano XT, but I’d actually consider XT or SLX – they really are very very good. Just reminded today how good my XT’s are – single finger braking all day long.

    Not as light as Hope X2 Race or XTR race (and a bit less blingy) but quite a lot less money!

    HOWEVER, if I was splashing the cash and going for some bling – I’d go for the Hope’s over XTR. Simply as they are more serviceable. A new seal on an x2 caliper is cheap and easy. Blow the same on XTR and it’s new caliper time. A Hope seal will be a lot less money than a new XTR caliper.

    gasyz
    Free Member

    I’ve been using xt m785 for a few months now and love them,realy nice little levers feel just perfect for one finger braking which is all you need cause they’re so powerfull.Every one who trys them wants a set now.I’ve got elxir cr on my other bike and now looking to change them to xt. :mrgreen:

    andyrm
    Free Member

    I’d say XT Trail, save the cash for some other bits 🙂

    Just been out on a bike with X0 brakes today – almost as powerful as the Shimano, but lever shape is nowhere near as good.

    Really can’t recommend the new Shimano brakes enough.

    jonnyrockymountain
    Full Member

    I keep going towards the hope race x2 because of the reliability of hope and all the parts for servicing
    The Shimano?and formula? For servicing/parts?????? Anyone

    davidtaylforth
    Free Member

    Yes, shimano are reliable and you never need to service them.

    danielgroves
    Free Member

    Wouldn’t know how easy Shimano brakes are to service, mine are reliable enough that all I’ve ever had to do to them is change the pads, not even had to bleed them since I got them (when they came out).

    jonnyrockymountain
    Full Member

    No vote’s for formula then??
    Even bigger dilemma now HOPE OR SHIMANO??

    Scapegoat
    Full Member

    That’s probably as far as you’ll get to be honest.

    Someone will trot along and say you can get Hope parts at the local newsagent, whereas you’ll have to swap the caliper out if the bleed nipple cap splits on a shimano ‘cos they don’t sell spares, and then someone will say they can modulate their Hopes but you can’t modulate a Shimano, and then someone will say that you can modulate a Shimano unless you’re used to hauling on Hopes, and then someone will be rude about someone else’s riding ability and it’ll descend into chaos.

    I have Shimano on all my bikes, except the one that has Hopes on it, so I know knack all about it. 😀 Scapegoat jnr likes the Hopes on his Ragley. I love the SLX on my HT and XT on the bouncer, and I have to bleed Jnr’s Hopes every so often, and I don’t have to bleed the Shimanos.

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