Review: Shimano’s Powerful Deore XT M8020 4-Piston Disc Brakes

BrakesRecommendedReview

by ago 0

I’ve been a fan of Shimano brakes for quite a few years now.  After trying numerous different brands I always seem to gravitate back to the modern Shimano’s – their predictive feel and ease of maintenance being hard to beat.  My go to brake of choice was Saint for their amazing ‘dropping an anchor’ power, but due to recent bike builds involving internal routing and non-compatibility of levers / callipers, I’ve been running XT’s for the past year or so. The XT 2 pot brake offers good performance, but I found myself missing the additional power of Saint’s on long steep descents, and their ability to get you out of trouble when needed.  So when Shimano announced the new XT four pots, they went straight to the top of my list of ‘must have’ test kit. Did they live up to the expectation? I’ve been riding them since mid-April to find out! Shimano Deore XT BR-M8020 Disc Brakes Feature New 4-piston brake designed for trail, enduro and e-MTB use 20% more powerful (claimed) than Deore XT 2-piston brakes 15/17mm diameter ceramic pistons Ice Technologies H01A resin brake pads Mineral Oil BL-M8000 levers w/Servo Wave technology Tool-free adjustable reach Adjustable Free Stroke BH90 high pressure hose with banjo fittings Confirmed weight including lever, calliper, pads & full-length hose: 317g (rear) & 301g (front) RRP: £159 per end The new 4 piston M8020 XT brake has been designed for trail, enduro and e-MTB use. Using the same lever as the current M8000...
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