there are so many fish wives tales about how to make shimano XT disk brakes work well, I have 4 bikes with identical shimano xt brakes - some ride really well, others are sh*t. help me with your tips.
1. pop out the pads, sand paper them down
2. bake the pads in the oven
3. rub polishing compound into rotor
4. use copper grease behind pads
5. use bigger rotors
6. use formula rotors instead of shimano ones
add any other tips.
I use superstar Kevlar pads which seem good.
Also wind the freestroke screw right out makes them nice and sharp
1) sell XT brakes
2) Buy Formula Oros.
WEll, that's not entirely fair but my XTs were pretty inconsistent, which is worse than being consistently bad I reckon. So I replaced them with Oros, which are cheaper, more powerful, more reliable and have almost as good feel- and work the same, all the time.
Cable tie the levers to the bar over night - it can only improve them
Fit them.
Change pads as necessary.
mine have been pretty much fit and forget. New pads once in a while, but no other drama... except they went a bit wierd when the temperature went waaaay down in the winter, but that's dim and distant now 
Remove the levers from the bars.
Remove the calipers.
Put the entire assembly in the boot of your car.
Drive to a cliff edge
Throw the brakes as far as you possibly can. Maybe beat them up with a ahammer before doing it to mnake sure nobody who fnds them, maybe in a diving club, tries to use them.
Go home.
Order some decent brakes from a shop.
Fit the decent brakes.
My XT's have been a pain from fitting. Their biggest issue is they continually seem to lose pressure. Levers all the way to the bars, front and back, but they're not losing fluid and no air seems to be getting into the system. I've had them serviced. (Not me, I got a professional to do it). They were great for a few weeks. Then back to normal.
> cable tie the levers
is that because storing with the reservoir "open" will allow any bubbles to rise up to the top? can't think why this would be better.
Mine have been okay but far from excellent. Very inconsistent and dependant on the rotor fitted with them.
Seem to have got them to a good point now although I think there is some air in the system and I'm going to have to bleed them and probably balls them up again!
rapiddescent - Memberis that because storing with the reservoir "open" will allow any bubbles to rise up to the top? can't think why this would be better.
You'll get a load of different explanations of why it works, doesn't matter really, main thing is that it works. Personally I reckon it allows the bubbles to gather against the piston, then when you undo the lever it passes into the reservoir but that could be absolute bobbins.
Air in the reservoir's not ideal obviously but it's better than air in the active hydraulics.
My biggest issue is it's always the rear brake that seems to be at fault. My rear is like Trigger's broom, I'm on my Third front lever and second caliper. Shimano really needs to address there environmental status as having whole calipers and levers as consumables is ridiculous!
I find getting the best performance is to remove the brake from the bike and bleed it vertically, I always just crack the bleed nut on the caliper and let the oil flow naturally through the system works best.
Mine have just started leaking on the lever near the lever adjustment again!
I'm seriously considering moving over to magura
Like the OP, I could use some advice on this. I have spent weeks servicing my XTs and they are still not where I would like them. I suspect it is the discs (new pads went in recently), and have bled them soooooooooooo many times.
I'm using original shimano discs - any advice also appreciated on how to smarten these brakes up.
As a final resort - a recommendation on what brakes we should get instead may be useful...
Ta
J
Get the 2012 xt's
D_R: bleed them this way only and make sure you remove the brake from the bike and hang vertically. Also let gravity more displace the air rather than pumping the lever. I guarantee it will work.
I find swapping them for Maguras works best....
I bleed mine from the caliper end. It forces the air to the lever and seems to make them work well.
Pete, you at home this weekend? I'm nearby and was thinking of saying hello!
DrP
timbur - do you push the fluid to the lever with a syringe? When doing this do you need the lever pulled to the bar?
Interesting. I've never had a problem with mine, unlike the 4 pairs of Hope brakes I also own.
Yeap, syring and a bit of tube through the bleed nipple on the caliper. I push the pads out as far as they can go in the caliper as well before starting.
Have the resovoir open on the lever with the gubbins out. Make sure the lever is level. Force the fluid in the caliper and watch it come out into the lever resovoir. I normally let mine overflow to ensure all the air is out of the system. Best wrap a teatowel around it or similar. No need to do anything with the lever. Do up the nipple, replace the diaphram (sp?) and cap on the resovoir and off you go.
It works for me but I'm sure someone will be along in a min saying I'm risking my life and will soon crash and cause havoc to the work.
Oh, LHM fluid here as well. Cheap and effective. Been using it in all my XT brakes for years.
Tim (taking risks and cutting corners since 1974)
timbur - MemberIt works for me but I'm sure someone will be along in a min saying I'm risking my life and will soon crash and cause havoc to the work.
Nah, standard way to bleed an open-top system, I used to dick around with suction pumps but bleeding up is just common sense, air wants to rise after all.
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