not used hydro brakes for a lot of years, fancy some now.
need to be powerful, easy to change pads and cheaper than saints (the last hydro’s i owned).

ideas please…..and any bargains anywhere.

Shimano SLX. Done.

My Deores are **** steaming piles of shit.

Hope, Guides or some cheap Magura MT5’s from Mantel and buy the new 1 finger HC lever.

Guide RE’s are cheapish, Guide lever maited to a Code caliper….

Deore, SLX or XT depending on budget/bling requirements

Honestly stay away from Deores if you’re doing long descents, I only weigh 12 stone and I can fade them and heat the oil up enough to change the bite point….had a replacement set….same thing occurs…

S’himano S’LXs, To’n.

Another vote SLX Ton – never had any problems with my three sets. Job jobbed

On a budget shimano, otherwise shimano.

Please, for the love of all that is good and pure, avoid magura.

Slx or xt are a delight.

Slx is the right balance for me – use the slx/xt caliper with the banjo hose fitting and threaded pad retainer (supply is split pin on slx, but the hole is threaded) but without the needless complexity of ‘bite point adjust’ on the xt lever.

I have 4 sets – (2 slx 2 xt) only one of the very early xt levers had a seal problem, and that’s arguably because I didn’t the use shimano mineral oil. Use shimano mineral oil (it’s almost like water consistency compared to other mineral oils which are thicker) and never ever had a problem.

Brilliant brakes, regardless of price.

I’m loving the Magura MT2’s – can be found for £60 an end. Powerful, great modulation, fabulous easy pad replacement. Much better feel than deores or slx on the other bikes.
Downsides are when hard pushed the sintered pads gobble like a turkey.

I’m running SRAM hydro-r on a cx and they’re great.

Agree with comments about SLX – reliable, good stoppers and easy fettling.

I have a personal preference for Formula and am running T1’s but I know they’re absolutely marmite – it’s love or hate.

JE James are doing M7000s for 60.00 no discs, cheapest I could find last week.

Old Formula The Ones. 2011 onwards, nothing earlier. And no T1S oe parts bin bullshit, the proper ones with all the bits designed to work together. Light enough that I just put a set in my XC bike- but that same brakeset was powerful and reliable enough that it used to be in my dh bike.

They still crop up as new stock but they can be had new for silly money.

YGM

I have had recent XT’s, Hope E4’s and Guides and much as it goes against the grain to say; the Guides have been the best to own. I must caveat this by saying brake feel is a personal preference. I do not possess the internal modulation to use the XT’s which some may have; I am a clumsy fingered oaf, other may get a lot more from the brakes than I did, they were too grabby for me. The Hopes were drop-dead stunning, almost art, but they lacked a bit of bite. The guides are perfect (for me); bleeding is a doddle (although I haven’t had to bleed them since the initial internal routing routine). Ultimately you need to make a value call based on your braking behaviour. If you want a very responsive brake; XT, if you are measured with braking perhaps E4 (although I wouldn’t choose these with your dimensions!). If you are heavy handed and still want a degree of modulation; Guides.
My £0.01 worth.

To counter some of the dislike of Deores, I weight 16st and have done a week in the Alps with Deore brakes without a moments drama – best brake I’ve ever owned, changed them for XTs, look nicer, more power, not nearly as fit and forget reliable.