I want to change the brakes I currently have on my Nicolai Helius (they're Stroker Rydes) as they just aren't that confidence inspiring, they seem to have issues with wet & mud unlike my bogo shimano Deore on the HT.

Also they're looking a bit tatty 😳

I've got a budget of around £150'ish and I'm considering SLX if I can find them cheap enough with a 180mm Front and 160mm rear rotor with IS mounts.

Something I've come across in my online searches are Quad Brakes, they get good reviews, are pretty cheap and look good.

I have one reservation – weight of brake systems, is 480g for a complete system inc lever, caliper, mounts, 180mm rotor, hose & fluid heavy or about the norm at the cheaper end of the market?

Any other ideas would be nice

Well Shimano brakes are so worth it in my opinion. Went from Avid Juicy 3s to a 2009 pair of second hand XTs and they are just so much better. Merlin does the SLX for 169£ but with 160 rotors. They are worth the extra expense I think.

Formula! thems the brakes.

But when you factor in another £20 for a 180mm rotor and then some for the mount It's starting to add up

hope m4s, never had a better break.

"Bogo"?….is that a typo or does it mean something? 🙂
Shimanos are always a good option, even budget Deores as you've found.
I've got no experience with the Quads. They're a budget brake imported by Raleigh that get well rated by the press, but for a little extra I'd much rather trust the Big S.

Can you get either Formulas of any description or Hope M4's for £150?

If so point me there

"bogo" -> bog standard/bottom of the line

Ah, thanks, I'd not heard that before. Like it!

hope m4s, never had a better break.

Sounds about right, mine broke too.

No need for IS mount – unless you mean the mount for the 180 rotor. If you are a lighter dude you might be able to get away with 160 rotors.

Maybe second hand? a full set of good condition second hand XT brakes/rotors and new pads costed me 130£…

Hopes -but only secondhand at that price.

vrapan -> I certainly do as my forks are IS and not Post as alot of the brakes on offer seem to be.

I've been riding with 180 up front on both bikes and like it so I'm not dropping down a size, tried that and it scared me 😯 I am 180lbs so not exactly light

steve> SLX calipers will fit both post mount and IS. But fair enough if you buy them from Merlin they do come on the offer price with 160mm rotors only and yes at 180lbs I can see the point of 180mm rotors. I am only 120 and not too fast so I can get away with 160mm ones.

I'd keep an eye on second hand Formula's and Shimanos though for that price. Hopes are too expensive – 220 without rotors the cheapest I have found.

Don't really fancy Formulas after my mate had a mare getting his serviced/spare parts for them.

Another possibility is Hayes Stroker Trails – are they better than the rydes?

120lbs!! thats tiny if you don't mind me saying

I got a pair of SLX's with rotors off of here nearly new for 100 quid and they are very good brakes for the price IMO.

How about these?
http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/mountain-bike-disc-brakes/avid-disc-brakes/avid-elixir-5-disc-brakes-f-r-set.html
I use elixirs on my heckler. They are very powerful, have great lever feel and they are quite light. In the past I have used Hope c2’s, mini, m4, mono6ti, moto v2, Avid juicy carbons, juicy 7, Hayes 9’s, and Shimano LX. Would rate the elixirs as up there with the best of them.

I don't mind :). I am 5' 4" riding an XS Anthem X lol So am a little guy.

One last point – cause I feel like I am monopolising this thread – do yourself a favour and don't even consider Juicy's… Maybe the higher up ones than my 3s are better but I seriously doubt it.

If you've got Deores on the other bike then why not stick with them for the Helius? Easier spares and maintenance. Should be fit for purpose. I'm sure that a WTD post in the Classifieds would find a suitable mount and rotor.

I'd recommend SLX too, though maybe wait until you see them at a better price.

I got them for £120 without rotors from CRC a while ago, but you can always pick those up cheap – and Shimano IS adaptors are only about £5 new.

rbmccunn -> they only come with 160mm rotors front & rear.

mk1fan -> when you say spares it's only pads, as far as I can figure out, not really a selling point

Pads, bleed kit, oils, fittings. I admit though the point is more appealing to someone who carries out their own maintenance.

monoblock caliper Shimano. XT/XTR etc. I have the the old M800 Saint 2 pots which are effectively XT in a different colour and they've been faultless for years. Just don't want to part with them

You could just use your existing rotors for the mean time. Even if the pads are narrower it'll still work fine and will save a good bit of your budget. Just get the right adaptor for the front to take it out to 180. The current front adapter should fit, although that's not a promise if it's Hayes! I run LX callipers on Hayes 160 rotors on one of my bikes with no problems.

That said get SLX ones. I'm very happy with mine.

Im loving the feel of my XT's, and changing the pads is a peice of pi$$.

£200 from Merlin so a little over budget 🙁

BB7s. They're simple. They work.

Had formula k18 and now have shimano saints. Def prefer the saints

i have a180 rotor and shimano adapter been used for about 60 ,iles 55 on road, i don't need that size and am going back to 160 front, not a shimano rotor but been used with slx brakes, no problem, email me if you fancy it, looking for around £15 posted for the pair