Currently running Formula C1 180mm set up but would like to upgrade. Any recommendations ? Best brakes to go for ?

Shimano Deore/SLX/XT (pretty much the same minus some bling and reach adjust). Done.

Shimano slx or xt not sure I would even consider anything else for the price

Thanks chaps, which are better SLX/XT or Deore ?

Saints on both my bikes.

Flying down into Aosta from Pila last year gathering pace despite pulling the levers as hard as I could on my Formula R1’s convinced me that I needed better brakes.

To be fair, Zee’s will do the same job.

Any views on Avids?

There may be one or two opinions on Avids…..just a hunch.

For what it’s worth, I had some juicy 3s, if that was the most basic one, and they were fine.

Hope tech 3 X2, so much control and progression, or all out raw stopping power if required, best brakes i’ve ridden…

http://www.hopetech.com/product/tech-3-x2/

Avids have in general proved to be unreliable; especially the hydraulic Juicy / Code brakes.. Sweamrs2 just recent changed from Juciys which required no end of TLC to work properly. The Guide series is a new line that may be better but I’d personally give it a year…

For the price I struggle to look beyond Shimano in one flavor or another…

Any Hope!,great feel,great after sales service and everyone stocks the bits,

Hopes here on 2 mtb’s. Ancient M4’s on the HT & X2’s on the 5. I know nothing about their allegedly fantastic service cos I’ve never needed it. Can’t remember the last time either were bled & even then it was a piece of piss. No brainer.

I’ve got 3 Orange bikes with hope x2,m4 & new tech3 x2”s they all feel
& operate mint ,you couldn’t pay me to have acids,& shimano a are like a switch !.cheap tho ,for a reason ..

Shamano here. Great brakes. No spares available for a reason. Cheap to buy then fit and forget.

Still running Hope M4s after 8 years so would recommend Hopes every single time. Will be upgrading them next year to the latest iteration without a doubt. Might be expensive to start with but mine have been hassle free the whole time I’ve owned them.

So generally speaking bearing in mind that I am a bit of a noob to mtbing, Shimano are cheap and cheerful but do the job, Avid are a bit shit and Hope are more expensive but you get what you pay for ?

What would be considered to be the Rolls Royce of Brakes ? I don’t mind spending a fair bit if they are truly worth it.

francob80 – Member
Any views on Avids?

Yes, they’re Shit.

Just buy any Shimano ones and be done with it.

What would be considered to be the Rolls Royce of Brakes ? I don’t mind spending a fair bit if they are truly worth it.

Shimano XTR IMHO…

Another -1 for Avids. Ive had Avid Elixir 3’s for over 12 months and had nothing but hassles. They are a pain to bleed and set up. The tri align calliper system just makes it harder to align everything. I had to send the first set back due to sticky pistons out of the box.

They seem to have decent braking power, but I am always having alignment problems whilst riding. They need to “warm up” before aligning properly and not rubbing on the disk. After half an hour of riding they are usually perfect.

Just ordered a set of SLX. Cant wait till they arrive. The Avids will be relegated to my day bike.

francob80 – Member

So generally speaking bearing in mind that I am a bit of a noob to mtbing, Shimano are cheap and cheerful

no, they’re cheap, and very, very good.

Avid are a bit shit

no, they’re completely shit.

Hope are more expensive but you get what you pay for ?

no, they’re much more expensive, and if you’re lucky, they’ll work as well as shimano. some people like the way they’re made.

I’ve heard good things about Formula, but they’d have to be amazing to look past shimano.

I was out with a mate the other day and was thinking random thoughts as you do and one of them was, ‘ we never seem to have to stop and fiddle with Mick’s bike these days’. Then I remembered, he now has Shimano brakes.

I always seem to recommend used Formula The Ones, they’re still the best brakes I’ve ever used by a fair bit, and totally (if a bit expensively) servicable. XC weight, DH performance and everyday reliability, holy grail really. But they do have their own feel and not everyone likes that- much like Shimano in that respect.

I’ve got a set of shimano deore’s on one bike and formula rx’s on the other.

The shimano brakes are cheap and reliable but I don’t like the way they feel, the lever is very light to pull but there is very little modulation, they are either on or off. Not so great in mud, or when your going through rough stuff and want a little dab of brake.

Much prefer the feel of the formula’s, but they do seem to lack in stopping power a little, I think I’ll go for a set of hope’s when I can afford some!

Thanks all, all good to hear. Will pop down to my local Leisure Lakes and check a few of these out.

Just to throw another one in the pot, I fitted Magura MT 8’s on Intense Carbine build earlier this year and find them pretty damned good.

I’ve also got XTR on another bike: they’re good also, but the MT8’s just edge it I’d say.

I think the MT6’s are cheaper but just not as light.

Shimano – For those who want minimum fuss and brakes that work well and work consistently. Not really serviceable though.

Hope – Look great, made in England, last a long time as they’re serviceable, expensive.

Formula / Magura – Don’t know anyone running these so can’t help.

Avid – One for the masochists (although I hear that their high end stuff is ok).

I’ve worked on a few brakes over the years.
I seem to have worked on a lot of shimano xt just lately. I like the shape of the levers and that , due to the servowave, you get a lot of clearance between the pads and rotor. I don’t like the fact that the stroke adjustment doesn’t actually do anything and I really don’t like the way the master cylinder seems to gum up after a couple of years but you can’t get to it to do anything about it.

What’s on my personal bikes? Hope. And on the wife’s bikes and on most bikes where I’ve had an influence over the build. Easy to work on and spares are easy to get.

The feel is different to shimano. Shimano seem to come on hard with lots of power and a firm feel, great for stopping in a hurry. I prefer the softer feel in my hope brakes. I might have to squeeze a little harder to stop like shimano but I love the way the hope feel builds up as you squeeze. Makes it so easy to correct my speed to exactly what I want it to be.

Thank again folks.

Onzadog – So for Hope, X2’s are the ones to go for ? http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/hope-tech-3-x2-disc-brake/rp-prod112988?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Shopping&utm_name=UnitedKingdom&gs=1&gclid=CPuant3rwMECFQHlwgodgEkAbQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

What are the benefits for braided over standard hose?

Cheers

Mark

Shimano, fit and forget as others have said.
With any brakes the more features there are then the more things can go wrong so I tend to stick with basic Deore level brakes (about £75 a pair) and fit decent Kevlar pads instead.

The way some people talk of the initial bite you’d be forgiven for thinking Shimano brakes fire you over the bars as soon as you pull on the lever!… This is of course nonsense, reach forward with one finger for a lovely gentle action, grab a handful for that ‘hitting a brick wall’ effect… It’s easy, I sometimes wonder just how hamfisted some riders are!?

The fact I can scrub off speed with one finger braking is awesome as I like most of my fingers on the grips when things get steep, fast or technical…. why on earth you’d want a brake that requires more input than that is a mystery to me.