PSA: XT M785 Brakes

Ordered some M785 XT’s yesterday as my M775 XT’s have given up. Nowt in stock at the mo but hopefully won’t be long!

What would be the best to buy, SLX or XT? Bearing in mind it’s £20 cheaper, are the extra features in XT worth it/something I would use?

Just got mine fitted – £125 delivered for the pair. They’re brilliant and managed to shorten the hoses without needing to rebleed.

Resurrecting the thread, just got a set of 2012 SLX’s for total of £69!! Much Rose cheapness – voucher from FB and Brakes reduced to £35/38 each end. Woot!

Sorry – 2011 SLX, not ’12. Still happy with ’em

And are the levers the wrong way around? Easy job to fix to UK style?

Aye – brakes will be Euro way round so I’ll have to swap them. But couldn’t turn that saving down, since it’s half what Merlin are charging for the same!)

It doesn’t really matter which way round they are, as you will more than likely have to shorten the hoses anyway, so you can swap them over at the same time.

BTW, I got my 2011 SLX brakes from Merlin and these were the Euro way round, so you probably wouldn’t have had the option of running long hoses either.

I’m very pleased with mine, although I paid a bit more than you did 😥 but, on the other hand, they were still a very good price compared to other suppliers at the time. (I suppose they’ve come done since the 2012 models were launched)

I also mounted the brakes inboard of the shifters and found the configuration so good, that I swapped them on my other bike too. I am now wondering why the manufacturers supply bike with the brakes outboard.

Euro is the proper way round anyway…. Confuses the hell out of my mates when they ride my bikes.

cp – Member
ds3000 – can you let us know how you get on with the Deores? I’m very very tempted by those.

Had 3 or 4 rides out of them now and they are excellent, bargainous to be honest. The best modulation of any brake I’ve used, Oro/mono mini/juicy3. I would definitely recommend, bargainous.

They are brilliant. Proper 1 finger brake’s and plenty of power. For the price i am chuffed they blow my elixers out of the water.

What would be the best to buy, SLX or XT? Bearing in mind it’s £20 cheaper, are the extra features in XT worth it/something I would use?

No-one?

I wondered the same but in the end figured that the XTs are such a good price, I might as well order them. The only snag is that they are currently out of stock so there’s a bit of a wait at the moment.

What would be the best to buy, SLX or XT? Bearing in mind it’s £20 cheaper, are the extra features in XT worth it/something I would use?

XT have forged levers – the SLX have stamped.
XT have free stroke adjusters.

I don’t know if you would use the free stroke – I don’t.

XTs are now back in stock, looks like mine are about to be shipped – cant wait!

Fitted mine yesterday on my EX8, had to shorted the hoses but it was thankfully very simple (used the guide as linked earlier in this thread), and been out for their maiden voyage today….

Wow, these brakes are awesome – so much power for so little effort (and I thought the M775s I had before were good)! Great price and quick delivery once they were in stock from Rose Bikes. Happy chappy 😀

EDIT: just realised they’re now out of stock again, 19 weeks til more stock arrives apparently 😯 Glad I got in quick!

The irritating thing about the SLX brakes is the pad retaining clip requires pliers to remove. On the XTs it’s an allen bolt. A simple thing, but it used to irritate the hell out of me on my old SLXs – you need to carry pliers on a ride in case you need to change pads.

I bet this saves no money at all, I’m sure Shimano just do it to differentiate the XTs from SLX. Well, you know what? It’s worked. I’ve bought some XTs now.

The XT pin will fit SLX if you have one. Same caliper innit.
I use a rock if I need to change pads on the trail.

My hose has just given out at the doughnut end, any one know which is the best replacement kit ?

My rear XT brake came today, front was out of stock when originally ordered but now on it’s way. So needing to cut the hoses down I have the inserts but not the hose clamp things. I have a vice, but will this damage the hose or can i push in the insert with my hands?

Interestingly, my XT’s arrived today. The bag with the yellow bleed spacers and hose clamps were in with the front brake bag… so prob just wait till the front arrives 🙂

Yep as cp says, my clamp was also in with the front. I ordered while the fronts were out of stock, back one came 3 days ago, front today.

Thanks for the replies – will have to twiddle my thumbs and see what turns up.

Mine come today…..selling my slx for extra being 🙂

Does anyone know what the (real world) difference is between the xt’s and slx varieties apart from the pad retention system?

wenanwhere – Member
Does anyone know what the (real world) difference is between the xt’s and slx varieties apart from the pad retention system?

XT have a bite point adjuster screw, SLXs don’t. XTs have a bulbous, ugly lever body covered in a horrible plasticky chrome finish, SLXs look neater and have a nicer finish.

I got the XTs, wish I’d got SLX.

I’ve got SLX, replacing with XT’s that arrived Friday, will report, expexting to be the same just more bling, slightly lighter, supposedly stronger due to manufacturing process, also the pin that keeps the pads in uses an allen bolt instead of what appears to be a hair clip!?

Quick question to those who have shortened hoses without bleeding do the feel as good as original or do the need a bleed?

I was going to just chop before fitting but was told a bleed at the same time would be advisable, don’t want to faff unless I need to.

I didnt bother bleeding and have been fine.

I’ve bled my rear one many , many times and it’s now at Maddison getting disciplined. My front’s been fine though. The internet seems to think that the sealing at various points was a bit iffy on some of the sets.

Cheers, I’m gona just chop it and keep my fingers crossed, can always bleed later.

Will keep my fingers crossed on getting a good one too.

If you were a Facebook novice, where you find the voucher code?

I’ve liked them through my wifes account, but it just offers me a chance to enter a draw.

What am I missing?

Have you accepted and installed their application (facebook app)? When you do that, and you click on the app within facebook (on the left hand side under applications), you’ll go to a page with a mahoosive voucher code across it.

I finally got round to installing my new XT’s yesterday… it’s the first time I’ve ever actually cut hose to the right length on discs, as I had to swap the hoses over… normally can’t be bothered!

From Rose bikes, they came with resin, non-finned pads as standard. Aluminium backed, they are crazy light! Felt really light in the hand.

Some facts and figures some folks may be interested in…

Summary

Brake pad weight, pair inc. spring – 11g
Front brake, no pads, about 150mm taken out of hose – 248g
Front brake, as above, with pads & retaining pin – 262g
Rear brake, no pads, again about 150mm taken out of hose – 264g
Rear brake, as above, with pads & retaining pin – 277g

Pics in order as above:-

Going to try and fit mine soon. If I need to bleed them do I need to use the funnel, if so any in stock anywhere? Or has anyone used a syringe instead successfully?

tri uk had them in stock a couple of weeks ago when i got mine, £3.99 and free delivery

Question, are all the resevoir caps shiny? Some look a matt/sand cast/shot blasted finish and others polished or is that just the light?

Just bought myself a pair, gonna swap my saints out for these and hopefully start ditching the extra weight my bikes eems to be carrying around.

Hmm, just convincedyself it was as cheap to buy these and sell my old brakes on eBay as it was to buy new pads but 4 weeks for stock 🙁