Which brakes are there that don't squeal like a raped pig when you apply them, don't rub and grate as soon as you approach some mud and don't randomly adjust their line up with the discs?
For my SS Carver which is mainly used for XC so I don't need DH monster brakes. I have Avid Juicy 5s on my Carver which neither the LBS or I have been able to get set up reliably so they don't start rubbing at some point during each ride.
I have set my bike up to be a quiet and peaceful as possible so I get stress free riding and can also watch the wildlife rather than scaring it off. No suspension, no gears, no free wheel and then the bl00dy scraping brakes start.
I have some Shimano Deore or XT on the Scott that seem okay. Will XTR be better and last longer or just more expensive and break quicker?
Anything better that Shimano for functional reliability and lack of noiseyness?
I've only got XTR on one bike but that's needed no maintenance since it was fitted. I've Deore on a couple of bikes and they've been better than the Hope Mini's I've got on my remaining bikes.
All my Hopes are rub free and squeal free at the moment. I have to say this is perhaps rare and it took me a while to learn how to get them like this. They have all been like that for quite a while now without and further fettling.
Centring the pads as in the hope video and well lubed pistons is the key
my shimangos always seem to eat pads when it's muddy, but they never squeal. My 5 year old hopes squeal sometimes but never use up pads. I've found that the noisiness depends on which rotor you use. My front hope quietened down when I got a floaty rotor.
Old M4's on mine. Only bother I've had with noise was cos I didn't clean any road salt/general crap off then left the bike for 4 weeks, Freed the pistons off, gave the pads a quick wire brush up & put a smidgin of copperslip on the back of them......silence.
I'll second what TJ posted.I only use Hope brakes.
My Shimanos (I have Deore, XT and XTR) are only noisy when cold and wet. Once warmed up, they are just fine, need no fettling and pad life seems to be just fine. Are the more expensive ones worth it? Well, I reckon they have a better feel, but all are powerful enough.
Anyone want to buy some Juicy 5s?
I might as well go for the same Shimano brakes on both bikes. They really were just 'fit and forget' when I put them on the Scott.
Well maintained ones 😉
The 'Servo-wave' feature on the new shimano brakes means the pads sit a little bit further away from the disc than other brakes, I would say they're your best bet. Unless you're a weight weenie, SLX perform as well as XTR
Old saints. Other than changing pads, I haven't touched them since the day I fitted them.
xt here and fuss free esp compared to the juicys.
I have same issues on one bike I have with avid 5 juicy.hope or magura for non rubbing issues. Not a fan of shimano brakes get used to bleeding shimano.
knottme - The Hope brakes I had were squealers. Never tried Magura. Never bled my Shimano, they just work.
knott4me - Member
I have same issues on one bike I have with avid 5 juicy.hope or magura for non rubbing issues. Not a fan of shimano brakes get used to bleeding shimano.
I have a set of 5-year old Shimano Deores which have never been bled. Same with my other Shimano brakes. Fit them. Use them. Done.
Shimano it is then
Again, anyone want some Juicy 5s? Never been tinkered with. Make me an offer.
that's what the classifieds are for.
Another happy Shimano user I use the lowest of the range; 525's. same experience as Onion, no bleeding, no squealing, cheap pads, still powerful. Best combo I've used. I'm beginning to think though, it's find a decent pair, and stick with them, like TJ's Hopes, and Druids Shimano, mine are well fettled and looked after, and they last and last...
Go on, I'll say it.
BB7s.
Been using new Deore (595) which came fitted on new bike and have had no end of trouble with them, rubbing, random pad re-alignment, massive changes in lever feel and loud wet weather squealing. When funds allow they will be the first upgrade.
we try and play tunes with our brakes on night rides as they squeel so much - I've got Formula RX and the other guys all got Avids.
Seem to go away when pads nice and hot though!!
I only use Shimano and Hope and can set them up rub free and are on the whole maintenance free, best thing I ever did was out the Avid's.
XTR
got avids and xt, XT all the way..
The thing with the hopes I have is that all were bought secondhand and all are a bit mix and match - 2 sts of mono minis, one set of minis and one set of 6Ti
It took some time to get them all working right - all calipers had the pistons lubed and all are bled thru with new fluid. However all are now rub free and only squeal occasionally when cold and wet. Lots of squealing is polished or glazed pads IME.
I don't believe its good and bed sets with the Hopes - I believe its good and bad set ups. The key thing was discovering the hope method of centralising the pistons - that and well lubed pistons. Good quality pads and clean pins helps as well.
All of mine are powerful with single finger lockup of the wheels available and still plenty of modulation - altho one set of minis is more powerful that the other. Different pads in them tho. Anyone struggling with hopes in the Edinburgh area I offer to set them up for you.
I have mono-minis on my Five which have never squealed in the two years I've had them. And the Shimano 525s on my old Rockhopper have always been excellent. I think I've bled them once in six years, and that was just because they were my first hydraulic brakes and I was curious to see how to bleed them, they didn't actually need bleeding. Haven't had alignment issues with either.
The wife's Juicy 7s had about 4 years of hassle-free running then suddenly went pear-shaped, rubbing constantly and squealing. Took a bit of fettling but they're back to normal now.
I have a set of Mono Mini's I bought when they just came out, they don't squeal or rub, are easy to set up and a cinch to bleed...wouldn't swap them!
My wife has shimano deores, b%^^&%$d to bleed, need constant re-aligning, and seem less than powerful.
I won't get another set of Hopes I just won't get rid of the ones I've got!
Although I did have a set of Hayes nines on another bike, and they were so easy to set up and at least as powerful as the Hopes, and easy to bleed!
Jay
Another vote for basic Deore brakes here. Cant see why you would want any more unless you want to save weight, or bling is important to you.
IHN - Member
Go on, I'll say it.BB7s.
That's what I use and I'm still to be convinced to change to something better. Only really tempted by Formula R1s but they'll have to be damn good for that price
No probs with new XT or last generation M4s. Loads of squeals from the last Deores before the current ones.. when it starts getting wet... same with Juicy 7s and the first M4s.
Maguras....................simply the best in my experince, used shimano/hope/hayes/avid.....will never never use avids again useless. Maguras all the way
aurigas, powerful enough for most xc stuff and only squeal when salty and i've never needed to adjust them at all. the only time i've needed to do anything to them is when i snapped the lever.
my maguras are the quietest although they still make a little noise sometimes.The shimano's are a close second, although I run non standard pads on these. IIRC they were pretty much silent with shimano pads.
so really shimano.
My Juicy 5s seem to run ok, sometimes get a bit of rub on the front one but nothing too severe.
The BB7 I had actually doesn't rub at all, great brake for a cable - 1 finger endos are easy!
My Magura Marta's have bloody squealed since the day I bought them. Tried everything to stop them. Soft and spongy even after constant bleeding.
compared to juicys just about any brake on the market is fuss free - even cantis !
horrible horrible things - cheap though
elixers seem to be much better quality and design although a bit hit or miss with will they work for 2 months or 12 months in my experiance.
My servo wave XTs havnt missed a beat in a year - but i have killed the caliper seals on the pre servowave model 🙁
my xtr's have been great, long life from the pads and absolutely no faffing required in over 2 years
Hope Tech M4's here - faultless.
+1 for BB7s
aurigas, powerful enough for most xc stuff and only squeal when salty and i've never needed to adjust them at all. the only time i've needed to do anything to them is when i snapped the lever.
I've got these too, (Auriga Comp), and whilst they work very well (and the only thing that's gone wrong is the pad wearing out), they seem pretty squeaky on wet rides.
Joe
xt all the way..
had elixir cr's, hope tech x2's, juicy 5's....
all of which were an aboslute ball ache, elixir's constantly catching, and even when i thought they were aligned centered running free etc, after about a mile they were catching again 🙁
tech x2's were noisy as can be, part of the reason i ditched them, were better with floating rotors, but still as soon as a smidge of damp/cold got near them, they didnt stop howling the whole ride.....
juicy's well, a combination of both the above....
current xt's, loads loads better, always run free either side of the pads, perfect clearance...very very little noise apart from the wet/cold....must admit i went out saturday and it was still muddy/wet on the ground and i had no noise at all throughout the ride, dont know whether its cos the temp has risen slightly too it may have helped......i also upgraded to the xt floating rotors and they have been all but silent apart from in the rain (im pretty sure when its raining directly on your brakes/rotors all brakes squeal right??!?!?!) , floating rotors imo are quieter than standard rotors, and even then after a sharp braking session on the xt's its cleared, they never ever ever ever ever catch/rub something i was constantly having to fight against with the others and something that was equally as annoying as squelling the sound of something catching on every rotation :(....the noise also never cleared on the tech x2's until it was bone dry or completely dried out the brakes regardless of how much i was braking 🙁
all in all the only time ive had to touch the xt's in 6 months is to realign if ive had the wheel off....
imo the best brake that ive tried by some country mile....
