SLX calipers - with old (Non-servowave) Levers? will the world end?

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SLX calipers - with old (Non-servowave) Levers? will the world end?

7 posts & 5 voices | Started 4 months ago by cookeaa | Latest reply from cookeaa

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cookeaa - Member

I'm toying with a minor re-configuration of my "Mini-DH" bike brakes.

I currently have an old LX caliper (on an 200mm rotor) being pushed by an old style XT lever on the front and, a Deore (M555) Caliper being pushed by another old style XT lever (with a 160mm rotor) at the rear...

TBH the brakes are actually functioning perfectly for my needs but I can never leave well alone.
Having the LX and Deore Caliper means I have to have different types of spare pad, My XC bike has XTR calipers so across 2 bikes I have 3 calipers using the same pad and one odd one out, I'd like to be able to just worry about sourcing one type of pad and so I've started looking at changing calipers about on the DH bike.

I'm fancying putting an SLX caliper on the front (Maybe an XT or even an old 2-pot Saint if I can find one) and swapping the LX to the rear (which also uses the XTR shape pads).

So Is there any real problem pushing a newer style SLX caliper with an old model XT (Non-servowave) lever?
Has anyone already attempted this?

Posted 4 months ago #
cruzheckler - Member

be fine

Posted 4 months ago #
greeble - Member

I'm running servo wave slx levers on old saint calipers and have no problems.
don't see why running it the other way around wouldn't work.
though for the price of the claipers you may aswell buy a whole system on rose bikes

http://www.roseversand.com/products/bike-parts/brakes/mtbatb-brakes/disc-brakes/

Posted 4 months ago #
retro83 - Member

works perfectly, I did the same thing with SLX calipers onto old style LX levers after one of my LX calipers got damaged.

Posted 4 months ago #
cookeaa - Member

greeble - I'm really just after the cheapest route so I'm not buying a whole new brakeset when a new ~£35 caliper would do, swapping/bleeding calipers really doesn't bother me, as you might have guessed from my current mish mash of components, I'm not worried about assembling brakes or colours matching...

Sounds like I'm on the right track, thanks all...

As an aside why does the M666 (Icetech) caliper appear to pop up for about the same price as the M665 (Standard) in various places? (on a quick google search)...
It's a bugger because it kicks of the idea of having posher a brake for the same sort of money but then I'd still be lumbered with the pad compatibility issue... Is there any real benefit to the Icetech pads (I don't do loads of huge long brake cooking descents TBH)...
I'll probably only bother with M665 TBH, but I just happened to notice the single caliper prices are pretty much the same...

Posted 4 months ago #
sv - Member

There are non-finned M666 pads.

Posted 4 months ago #
cookeaa - Member

Nope it's no good I've gone off on one...

M666 has the retaining pin through the middle, M665 has the Pin through one end ("standard" XTR shape pads), looking at the pictures the pad material apears to be a similar shape and area too for both types, so it's just the heatsinked backing plate, that makes a difference...
Oh hang on XT and above have Ceramic pistons available now right?

Hmmm, but none the less an enterprising individual could easily make an "old shape" XTR/XT/SLX compatable heatsink backed pad or for that matter any other caliper that uses a rear loading pad configuration...
What sort of Patent infringement nightmares would they find themselves battling though??

Bosh - bit of reasearch and you run up against:

US Pat. 6206151 - Filed 17 Apr 1999 - Issued 27 Mar 2001 - "Ventilated pad for a bicycle disc brake" (No doubt there are other similar submissions to other patent offices around the world)...

Looks like Shimano had the basic concept of integrating heatsinking features into a disc pads backing plate patented about 12 years ago, the Patent drawings suggest they were considered this originally on the old XT 4 pots...
Different excecution same principle as the current "Icetech" pads...

There's no heatsink pad available on the current Saint 4 pot though is there? Again Hmmm, the ruffty-tufftiest of all Shimanos groupsets with the most pistons, all clearly aimed at the "Gnarr-Braah" crowd and yet no need to stick a heatsink on the caliper? If there's one brake in the range that you would expect to develop a heat management issue under it's intended use it's the saint... part of the next saint facelift surely?

All of this makes me think that the current non-Icetech old style pads in the XTR/XT/SLX groups will be retired with the next round of groupset updates, but also question just how critical to the performance of their latest brakes having heatsinks/fins on the pad backing really is?? Someone tell me I'm wrong and that the posh pads are a billion times better...

Posted 4 months ago #

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