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Should I get some X...
 

[Closed] Should I get some XT brakes?

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The entire new shimano range is stunning, with massive power. I'd have deores over any brake hope make.

A fool and his money are soon parted.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 6:34 pm
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Do the Shimanos still have problems with operating in cold weather?


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 6:38 pm
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bwaarp - Member

Do the Shimanos still have problems with operating in cold weather?

Havent had the pleasure of using mine below minus 5 or minus 6. No problems there, any colder and I tend to suffer from chest pains after riding, so not much of an issue personally.

Do Hope's still fail with laughable regularity?


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 6:46 pm
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Do the Shimanos still have problems with operating in cold weather?

No, not if you know how to brake properly.

The key to good braking is to always have your finger slightly on the brake, this keeps them nice and warm and improves performance massively. You'll never have any cold weather braking issues if you use this correct technique.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 6:50 pm
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The key to good braking is to always have your finger slightly on the brake,

that is the technique i use as standard practice.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 6:52 pm
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muddyfunster

Do Hope's still fail with laughable regularity?

Nope - in years I have been using them on several bikes I have had good reliability. - I think 6 sets of hopes and in 6 years and many thousands of miles two calliper seals and one master cylinder seal replaced - cheaply and easily. No catastrophic failures


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 6:53 pm
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davidtaylforth - Member

Do the Shimanos still have problems with operating in cold weather?

No, not if you know how to brake properly.

The key to good braking is to always have your finger slightly on the brake, this keeps them nice and warm and improves performance massively. You'll never have any cold weather braking issues if you use this correct technique.

Utter bullshit. Just complete tosh.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 6:53 pm
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It seems over in the American forums they actually rate the Hopes better than Brits TJ, raving about reliability etc ๐Ÿ˜


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 6:54 pm
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TandemJeremy -

Nope - in years I have been using them on several bikes I have had good reliability. - I think 6 sets of hopes and in 6 years and many thousands of miles two calliper seals and one master cylinder seal replaced - cheaply and easily. No catastrophic failures

Sorry Jeremy, it was a rhetorical question. Every workshop manager in every bike shop I know of runs shimano and have only derisive laughter at the mention of hope brakes.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 6:55 pm
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bwaarp - Member

It seems over in the American forums they actually rate the Hopes better than Brits TJ, raving about reliability etc

They drive Cadillacs over there don't they?

A fool and his money.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 6:56 pm
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I think that's probably because a lot of them are the official dealers for Shimano, they tend to be in bed with one LBS in each major town/city.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 6:57 pm
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They drive Cadillacs over there don't they?

A fool and his money.

I'm sorry but Shimano used to have a bloody shocking record when it came to brakes operating in cold weather. A fool is someone who jumps on a new product without much long term testing (aka the new SLX or XT brakes).


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 6:59 pm
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I think, in conclusion for the OP, everyone loves their Shimano brakes and finds Hope a bit gash.

Apart from Bwaarp. Who loves Hope. Just him.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 6:59 pm
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Muddyfunster - considering the utter tosh people come out with on here prefaced with " talking as a trained bicycle mechanic" I would take a large pinch of salt with that if I were you


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 6:59 pm
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Munrobiker - wrong once more. Fitted them with a rock did you?

You get what you pay for - nowt wrong with shimano if you like the pinch a brick feel and are happy to throw them away when they fail and to replace pads every week - want to ride for years with no problems with loads of power and feel get hopes.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 7:02 pm
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Really, everyone loves their XT's?

My front XT brake appears to be leaking fluid at the caliper end, right where the metal nut joins the hose to the caliper.

Has anyone fixed this before or is it likely to be a warranty job? The tech doc shows there are 2 o-rings with the banjo bolt which could be aligned faulty, but I'd rather not pull it apart if it's clearly a problem I'm unlikely to fix.

I've just discovered it as it isn't affecting brake feel at the lever, but has managed to contaminate 2 sets of pads so far.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/shimano-xt-m785-leak

There are plenty of more complaints in that thread, whatever examples you can find of Hopes going wrong I can guarantee you'll find just as many examples of Shimano's going tits up.

The bike mechanic argument doesn't hold up as most of those guys are mechanics in shops that deal Shimano kit (there's at least one in every major town). They have a lot more dealers than Hope. Nice deals/goodies and all that.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 7:03 pm
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I was an untrained bike mechanic, does this mean I'm credible?


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 7:04 pm
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Jeremy, I've owned Hopes and Shimano. I'd never touch their brakes again (their hubs seem fine though).

I and every other bike mechanic I have ever known has worked on far more sets of Hope brakes than Shimano. You have the experience of one really rather mincey middle aged bloke pootling about, not every bike shop customer in 5 years of working in 2 stores over a massive range of riding abilities and conditions.

I have only ever had experience of 2 Shimano brakes going back. Ever.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 7:07 pm
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Does my brothers experience of racing the NPS rounds for 4+ years, being at one point sponsored by Leisure lakes and coming into contact with all sorts of kit count?

As I've said, dozens of Hope brakes that were beaten to an inch of their lives. Never had a problem.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 7:08 pm
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Some ****ing shit spouted on here sometimes god!

and munrobiker wave yer willy a bit more please.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 7:11 pm
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Every workshop manager in every bike shop I know of runs shimano and have only derisive laughter at the mention of hope brakes.

When my Hayes ST brakes were recently deemed busted and uneconomic to repair, I considered buying Hope, as I had specced a full set of Hope stuff on the bike. But all 3 of the spanners in my LBS told me to buy SLX. They all run XT/XTR but don't think there is a great deal of difference in performance with equivalent SLX setups. And the VFM to purchase and repair them is undeniable.

Frankly I'm still finding them scary-strong compared with my 4yo old Deores on the other bike. I barely breathe on them and they engage. I still wonder if I should have spent more money and got Hopes just for the complete look ๐Ÿ˜ณ


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 7:14 pm
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NMunrobiker - you talk pish on this. Using the tandem we put brakes under far more stress than most folk do. 230+ kgs at 40 mph down 1000 ft descwents? Plenty of folk on here blowing seals on shimanos - yes they are good if you like that feel and the cvalue for money is great but to say hopes are unreliable or lack power simply shows your lack of knowledge and mechanical skill.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 7:23 pm
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TandemJeremy - Member

You get what you pay for - nowt wrong with shimano if you like the pinch a brick feel and are happy to throw them away when they fail and to replace pads every week

Why do these threads bring out a totally different TJ, one that's happy to say things he knows perfectly well aren't true?


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 7:35 pm
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Whats not true? You cannot get spares other than a new calliper or a new master cylinder. From what folk say pads do not last a long time either? Not the thousands of miles I get from pads.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 7:37 pm
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replace pads every week

That's not true seeing as how you asked.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 7:39 pm
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Replace pads every week- not true. Throw them away when they fail- not true.

No idea what "pinch a brick feel" means so I'll reserve judgement on that one ๐Ÿ˜‰


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 7:41 pm
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So you can get spare seals then?


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 7:43 pm
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I've never needed them TJ, so never looked. I know how you feel about Hope brakes. I feel the opposite. Simple really. You use them and like them. I'll never have a another set and dislike them. I think it's known as a difference of opinion.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 7:52 pm
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Indeed coogan - as is the feel / modulation thing.

the only spares available are a new calliper or a new master cylinder - no seals


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 8:01 pm
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So can you replace caliper/lever seals or not? Everything I've read says you can't.

My bias comes from my brothers racing where he wanted to make sure the brakes were perfect, like new, before each race. It makes no sense having a set of brakes in those circumstances that you can't strip and check for seal issues etc. In those circumstances It's better to have a brake that you can service than one that may be a bit more reliable but that you have to wait to go wrong. Carrying spare calipers to races is infinitely more expensive than carrying spare seals.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 8:05 pm
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We have 2 reviews; STW and MBUK. Both reckon the XTs are the better brake.

Thats strange, the STW review was posted on the previous page, the way I read it the Hopes won.

The key to good braking is to always have your finger slightly on the brake, this keeps them nice and warm and improves performance massively. You'll never have any cold weather braking issues if you use this correct technique.

LOL!!

Im with Baarp, the XT's I've used have been awful. Loads of power yeah, but the feel is terrible, they're grabby, they're not as easy to get parts for, they don't look as good and every ***** has them because they are cheap.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 8:19 pm
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There are plenty of more complaints in that thread, whatever examples you can find of Hopes going wrong I can guarantee you'll find just as many examples of Shimano's going tits up.

Considering Shimano's sales volumes in relation to Hope, you've done well in making a point that comparitively, Shimano are considerably more reliable.

I don't understand the non issue point being raised, seriously - pad wear? Laughable.

The old seal arguement - seems a staple one for the Hope fans too. Ironically, the only brake I have ever needed to replace a seal on is guess what? A Hope Tech M4.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 8:20 pm
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TandemJeremy - Member

So you can get spare seals then?

No you can't- does that mean you "throw them away when they fail"? Of course not- as you know.

This thread's full of people talking total pish but tbh you are not a total pish talker.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 8:24 pm
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Bollocks, seals go on all brakes eventually. If you don't throw them away/sell them and replace them each year when the "next greatest" brake comes out....or you rag the shit out of them. The older M775 generation being a perfect example.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 8:28 pm
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pussywillow - Member

Flow, I mean skywalker, u no **** all! In my experience the only people who like hope brakes are the xc boys cos they simply aren't powerfull enough!

Funny, because most uplift trucks have millions of Hope brakes in them...


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 8:40 pm
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Using the tandem we put brakes under far more stress than most folk do. 230+ kgs at 40 mph down 1000 ft descwents?

tj seriously are you and your riding buddy over 100 kg each, have you really been 40mph on a tamdem, do you wave your willy while travelling at these speeds.

BS

Funny, because most uplift trucks have millions of Hope brakes abandoned in them...


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 8:52 pm
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Pussywillow - wrong. I have ridden with Northwind and he can walk the walk as well as talk the talk.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 8:52 pm
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Andy - with camping kit 230+ kilos, without 200+ and we have hit 60 mph on it and break 40 often. 175kgs of us ๐Ÿ™‚


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 8:53 pm
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This thread is now proper embarrassing.

Seriously.

Proper.

EMBARRASSING.

If I ever get this fanatical about anything can someone please come round mine and hit me about the head repeatedly with a big wet fish or something.

The OP asked a simple Q - his brakes are fine - should he spend money?


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 9:14 pm
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pussywillow - Member

And I bet u can't ride for shit!

I'm officially "capable" ๐Ÿ˜‰ Better than many, worse than many. Not sure what relevance that has to the fact that like I say, loads of downhillers choose Hope brakes (and Shimano, and even some weirdos use Avid)

I use Formula personally but hey.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 9:14 pm
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Northwind - as a total / random hijack - I seem to remember you had an mmmBop before your C456???? (could well be totally wrong!). I'm thinking of getting one of the current c456 bargains - but mad Q: I couldnt stand how stiff the mmmbop was - is the c456 more bearable for longer days out?


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 9:20 pm
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The OP asked a simple Q - his brakes are fine - should he spend money?

No.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 9:21 pm
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TandemJeremy - Member
Pussywillow - wrong. I have ridden with Northwind and he can walk the walk as well as talk the talk.
POSTED 41 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

Haha! That's no compliment coming from u!!! :D. ๐Ÿ˜€
๐Ÿ˜€


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 9:37 pm
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Cheers TJ, you flatterer...

couldashouldawoulda - Member

Northwind - as a total / random hijack - I seem to remember you had an mmmBop before your C456???? (could well be totally wrong!). I'm thinking of getting one of the current c456 bargains - but mad Q: I couldnt stand how stiff the mmmbop was - is the c456 more bearable for longer days out?

That's more or less why I got it- though not so much for long days, I just didn't like how the rear end of the Bop bounced off everything even with a big tyre. Comfort-wise I was OK with it so wouldn't really want to recommend based on that, I've got a cast-iron arse, but the C456 is definately softer at the back.

Can't say I'm in love with it tbh but it's good, and silly cheap. Kind of lacks the wow factor is all but it suits me pretty well.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 9:42 pm
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Andy - with camping kit 230+ kilos, without 200+ and we have hit 60 mph on it and break 40 often

Woo. I hit 50 regularly on my road bike and that uses rim brakes.

Hopes are still shite.


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 9:46 pm
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