I have the opportunity to but some Shimano XT brakes but the levers look different to the newer ones. Apparently the newer ones are 'servowave'. Would I be better off buying new brakes with the 'servowave' or getting these second hand ones much cheaper? Thanks.
It's basically a non-linear piston movement, so the harder you squeeze the lever, the more the pistons move. Means you've got most power when you want it. They're very good. The newest XT brakes also have oodles of space between pad and rotor, so work well in wet conditions.
Thanks for the Q + A - was just looking at brakes and thinking that! So XT it is for my next project!
C.I.S.
Thanks I like the sound of them and the reviews are great too. I might just buy a new XT back brake for now then!
You can always 'upgrade' the older Shimano brake systems by fitting later, Servowave levers. If you look at the calipers, the castings are basically identical, though the hose inlet and bleed nipple locations have been swapped round. I stuck some SLX levers on older XT calipers and they're just the same as the later versions in terms of power and feel and real improvement imo. I've got some first generation, four-pot XT calipers lying around and keep wondering what they'd be like with the later levers...
BWD- would fitting an SLX servowave lever to current m575 deore caliper improve the performance?