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After a set of new brakes for my genesis io (id model if it matters) its only a 100mm travel steel hardtail so need for anything to extreme but can't make my mind up. whats the stw reccomendations these days?
the shimano m575 it came with aren't up to much imo.
Thanks
xtr trail YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.
have i made myself clear?
Hope Tech 2's , easy to maintain, good feel to them.
avid elixer. nothing better.
hmm.... this should be interesting!
I put secondhand hope minis on mine.
However the shimanos should be fine - something must be wrong with them idf they do not have plenty of power.
the fronts average, the rear has way too much lever travel and lacks bite. there well bed in but just don't seem to be that good and have no feel to them what so ever. the last set of shimano's i had, on an old prophet, felt and worked a lot better.
Bigger rotors and new pads
May I suggest bleeding them properly first, they seem to have an ability to hide small pockets of air inside, but once this is removed you should get a nice firm lever and reasonable power from them.I'd recommend removing the lever and twisting it through some odd angles when bleeding, you'd be surprised how much air can be dislodged from a supposedly bled system by doing this.
What coatesy said.
your shimano brakes are fine, if you can't feel a 'bite' point at the lever then that suggests they could use a bleed.
if you can feel the bite point, but the brakes lack oomph, then that suggests oily pads/discs.
(do you use spray-lube? - that stuff is evil, the mist gets everywhere, and seems especially drawn to discs/pads)
i've got deore brakes on my commuter, they've become viciously powerful since i stopped cleaning/maintaining the bike.
ALL brakes are about the same in terms of power.
buy new brakes if you want something lighter.
buy new brakes if you want something with more adjustability.
but don't expect them to work any better - because they'll end up just as oily as your current brakes, your brakes don't work because of something that you're doing/have done to them...
i was running hope tech x2s on my cannondale there pretty amaze! now im getting used to the avid elixir 5s on the orange alpine, id day the tech x2 are good if ur doing a bit of xc riding, well there good all round tbh i used them for all sorts but if ur into the avids go for the 5s they are good and reliable especially for dh really stable and grippy
thanks coatesy, will give them a bleed over the weekend and see if that helps. they've not been bled since i bought the bike, but as they've never been any better assumed this was just the best they got.
I've been very impressed with the Formula RX's I bought recently - loads of progressive power. Easy to modulate.
I'm currently running
avid elixer carbons,
hope tech m4s
hope tech x2s
hope tech v2s
xtr trail 2011
and to be honest, with the exception of the v2s the xtrs are the best followed by the avid elixer carbons, the m4 and x2, although nice are just not as powerfull as the others unless they are 'warm through'.
Have just put M595s on mine. Well started with replacing the levers, then the hoses before diagnosing a borked caliper seal. (£7 XT special on classfieds WTDs, cheers for that! :evil:)
Now they're finally bled up and air free they're pretty good.
If the Formula store still has the discounted old-model Oros then you'd be daft to get anything else IMO, top end performance at Tektro prices.
Though like everyone else says, your Shimanos should do the job.