Brakes: XT 8120 Vs Shigura

I’ve had enough of the SRAM codes on my ebike. Lever has too much travel for my preference and it’s starting to grate.

So I am thinking about some new brakes.

As it’s for the eeb weight is not too important but power is.

Looking around at options, for about the same price I could get either
a full set of xt 4 pots.
Or, I have also heard great things about Shiguras: magura 4 pot calipers mated to Shimano levers (would probably go mt5 /xt)

Any views on how the above would compare power wise?

Head says just get the XTs (it’s less of a faff, won’t void any warranty or anything) but heart says shigura as they are meant to be stupid powerful.

Ps I am a big fan of Shimano brake feel generally ie on/off feel and lever ergonomics. Both the above options should achieve that.

I used my friend’s Shiguras briefly and they seemed very powerful and insanely on-off.

Far too grabby for me, but he loves them and they may be just what you want.

I’d get 4-pot Deore FWIW.

Running four pot Saints and a mixture of Saint caliper XT XTR levers on all our bikes except the ebikes. Never had a problem.
The ebikes all came with Guide REs. We tied them with a view of swapping them out to Saints but never had to as they work as good.
Using Uberbike race matrix pads in all of them

 I am a big fan of Shimano brake feel generally ie on/off feel

I must admit I really don’t understand this. Having initially thought I liked the feel of Shimano, I tried Hope brakes and they completely changed my perception of how brakes should feel.

On any other mode of transport (cars, motorbikes, etc) on/off brakes would be pretty universally hated wouldn’t they?

On any other mode of transport (cars, motorbikes, etc) on/off brakes would be pretty universally hated wouldn’t they?

Not really. Citroen used to have very on/off brakes on a few models and there was similar levels of debate on car forums. Some people liked it, others not so much.

On any other mode of transport (cars, motorbikes, etc) on/off brakes would be pretty universally hated wouldn’t they?

Thing is, there’s a fundamental tradeoff between braking power at high speed and modulation at low speed. A brake that modulates well at 10 mph is going to be compromised for hard braking at 200 mph and vice-versa. For something like heavy aircraft I imagine they just want maximum braking power and have anti-lock, so modulation would be a secondary consideration.

abingham
Full Member
On any other mode of transport (cars, motorbikes, etc) on/off brakes would be pretty universally hated wouldn’t they?

Any time I jump into a Volkswagen I have to adjust my braking as the initial touch is so light compared to my own cars. Its the same thing as bike brakes, initial bite doesn’t equate to overall strength of the brake, it’s just a preference thing

It’s all about feel and how you operate them. I’m a one finger braker, so xt work great for me as the lighter modulation means I have a better feel for braking, it’s certainly not on and off though

When I had guides I had to use two fingers to get the same feel, which felt uncomfortable, it’s all about feel though

As for shigura, they sound great but will cost a bit, I’d say it’s a choice between mt5, mt7 and xt, I do like mt7s as well, but they’re easier to adjust to than sram

Braking is absolutely all about personal preference.  I prefer Shimano nowadays and run 8120 XT 4 pots on my ebike.  They are brilliant.  I have run all the latest Hope as well as many of the recent SRAM stuff over recent years and just don’t like them.  I don’t find the latest iteration of Shimano brakes as grabby as the older versions, they have better modulation but a real ramp up in stopping power.

Thanks for thoughts all.

Yes I’m definitely a 1 finger braker too so Shimano are ideal.
Also I tend to brake late and hard rather than drag brakes.
I think shimano actually do modulate, you’ve just got to tune into their power potential and adjust pressure accordingly.

Pricing them up i reckon xt 4 pot actually come out a bit more expensive than an mt5 / xt shigura setup.

But the latter is definitely more faff to do

mt5 with the 1 finger HC lever? I have the longer lever, but have had a go on the HC lever and it’s much firmer.

Ebike brakes for an ebike?

https://www.magura.com/en/components/news/2019/magura-estop-e-bike-optimized-technology/

How about keeping the Code caliper but trying a Hope Tech 3 lever? Not confirmed but I suspect the Hope lever has more effective adjustment to get the lever feel feeling right.

If weight is not too important then

Leyland bus brakes and VW van brakes and Shimano levers and they could be a LOADOFSHIT.

10% off Magura at Merlin at the moment, in case you haven’t found it already. It works on top of loyalty discount too. MT5s to replace G2 RSCs are tempting, but I’ve read too many horror stories.

Mate has the MT5s…had a tumble and managed to lose the magnet that keeps the lever set on the bar…not cheap to fix with replacement magnet solution, but an elastic band has it held nicely – wrapped round bar and lever and it holds the lever a comfy distance from bar – remove the elastic band and without the magnet the lever swings further away from the bar and means it can’t be reached. Other than that they seem to be very good brakes.

I prefer the feel of Magura to saint 4 pot, but the levers need swapping for the the 1 finger ones which is another £50. I paid about £150 for the pair of MT5 so shouldn’t grumble.
The plastic lever and self tapping screw are horrible and the position of the gear lever using the Mount adapter thing is also terrible. At the end of the day they are both fab, but if you like modulation with the ability to brake incredibly hard, the Magura you’ll love, if you like the shimano on off 2 pot the 4 pot is like that but more.

Yes I’m definitely a 1 finger braker too so Shimano are ideal.
Also I tend to brake late and hard rather than drag brakes.
I think shimano actually do modulate, you’ve just got to tune into their power potential and adjust pressure accordingly.

Spot on.

Whatever you do choose, if you use Shimano M8120 levers, be aware that spare lever blades are impossible to find – so if you clout a tree and bend the cheese like levers, then you’ll be searching for a new entire lever.

Seems that COVID has killed the Shimano spares supply line and its impossible to get the blades. There are aftermarket blades out there but they look a bit suspect and are huge money – might as well just try to buy the unit.

I love my M8120’s – love the feel and all the power I need – way better than the Guides I had before, that being said, I’ve not tried Codes – but I prefer the idea of mineral oil over DOT 5 (ruining my paint).

I hear very very good things about the after sales support of Magura with spares seemingly easy to get – as such I think my next set of brakes will be Magura MT7s.

As someone who has broken 3 left lever blades on xt8120s I can vouch they are hard to come by, but you can buy the entire lever for 45 quid, or wait for sjs cycles to get stock in, luckily I got them quick enough, and the 8000 and 8100 are not interchangeable!

MT7s are lovely, especially with the 1 finger lever (comes standard on the pro version), but those levers are lightweight, the threading issue with the bleed port is horrific, but they are reversible. Just wish they weren’t so expensive

Agree with @argee – M8100/8120 and M8000/8020 are not interchangeable – but I am aware that SLX M7100/7120 ARE compatible with XT M8120/8100…

I’ve lost count how many hours I’ve spent on this – what should be a £20 part replaceable after a crash suddenly becomes verrrrry expensive.

Yeah, it’s just not a good design, the way it thins down makes it a real weak spot, so any force up or down on it can break it, i had two go in pretty normal crashes, and the third one broke going uphill, when i was going up a rocky bit and the lever caught on the side of the rocks to the side, it just pinged off like a bloody pringles lid!

Flo Motorsports do an aftermarket one, without the designed to fail layout https://flomotorsports.com/products/copy-of-beta-brake-lever-1

Thats the one that I had seen too @argee – but I’d read a couple of reports that they didn’t fit well, and to be honest, at nearly £100 delivered, you could probably buy a set of complete L&R lever units anyway – keeping the spare lever for the inevitable tumble (mine is typically hitting a tree).

I have Deore M6120 4-pots on my hard tail and they are excellent. More power than the XT M8000 2-pots on my full sus and half the price. XT are a bit neater but that makes no difference to their operation. The XT also have a reach adjustment knob and bite point adjustment but I have never touched either.
Get Deore and save some cash.

Mate has the MT5s…had a tumble and managed to lose the magnet that keeps the lever set on the bar…not cheap to fix with replacement magnet solution, but an elastic band has it held nicely

Not sure if it’s the same problem, but a cable tie through the plunger might work and be tidier – photo halfway down this page https://www.pinkbike.com/news/staff-rides-matt-beers-commencal-supreme-2927.html

I have the Magura MT5 Fabio wibmer edition so have the one finger lever blades
No idea what the magnet on lever issue is
No magnets on mine
I’ve just bought SLX levers to do the Shigura,I snapped the wee bleed port screw in one of the levers and it was a ballache to sort,my biggest concern is the plastic lever instead of the metal of Shimano
Just getting the wee Ipec ev bolts for the shifter and dropper lever and I’m good to go
Although still not 100% on what olive and insert to use
The Shimano or magura
Been told magura hose slightly wider so the magura insert is suggested but the end of it it 3 times bigger than the Shimano one

I don’t think on/off is going to present itself as a problem on an ebike. Its a lot of weight its trying to stop and you might get more of a progressive feel due to that 😕

I have shigura brakes, MT5 calipers and XT M8100 levers. Really powerful and a little grabby which takes a bit of getting used to. Once you do get used to it there are no downsides. It changed my braking technique for the better, now I don’t feather the brake as much as I used to.

The biggest benefit for me is the really short lever stroke and solid lever feel. I run my levers really close to the bars to prevent arm pump and the shiguras fit with that really well.

Same as Neb on my Trek Rail and they’re grrrrrrreat. 220mm rotors too cos I’m the boss.

Saying that I have M8100 levers and Deore 4 pot calipers on my Orbea Occam and they’re bloody brilliant too.

I used Shimano olives with my Shigura set up. Oh, and Halfords mineral oil for Citroen suspension, I think.

I’m a one finger braker,

Is anyone NOT 1 finger braking now?

A huge thread here going into the ins and outs of Shigura:

https://www.pinkbike.com/forum/listcomments/?threadid=225307

What inserts did you guys use for the Shigura??

Try the magura mt trail sport 4 pot frt 2 pot rear and have the hc 1 finger lever as std prices can be found on eBay for under £150 I have them on both bikes and seriously impressed.
Fantastic power and have proved very reliable