- This topic has 27 replies, 19 voices, and was last updated 8 years ago by chakaping.
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time to buy new brakes fancy some saints
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thewalkerFree Member
fancy trying shimano saints anyone got any reason why i should,nt
honourablegeorgeFull MemberMain argument against is that Zee are so good for half the money. But other than that, they’re an ace brake
robwareFree MemberWell the Zees I have are pretty ace. Better than XT, and don’t cost much more. I can only imagine the Saints being superior.
I guess a reason why you shouldn’t get Saints is because it’s probably not worth the extra ~£30 per end over Zee.
sharkattackFull MemberThey do this horrible thing where the lever pulls to the bar on the first pull. I’ve spent ages trying to eliminate this but they still have very inconsistent lever feel which isn’t good for confidence on a DH run.
I’ve spent hours and hours fiddling with mine. I’ve bled them over and over again. They’ve had more attention than any other brake I’ve ever had. They’re finally working acceptably. This year I managed two trouble free weeks in the Alps for the first time and they’re still good.
When they work, they work brilliantly. They have all the power in the world. Really easy to set up and a doddle to bleed. I’m willing to accept I got a dodgy set and I’m not looking to replace them.
honourablegeorgeFull MemberDoes sound a dodgy set. Mine are perfect from day one, still on original pads, love them
deviantFree MemberI went from a ridiculously well set up and good working Deore-615 brakeset to a pair of Saints….that have also been well bled and set up by my LBS with new pads and rotors.
Hand on heart there is no difference in stopping power, that may change on long Alpine descents but not in the UK, where the Saints have the edge is the initial bite and feel is softer giving the much hyped ‘modulation’ people talk about….I have a theory as to why this is and I think it’s to do with one pair of the four pistons in the calipers coming into contact with the rotors momentarily before the next pair giving a softer initial bite and the fabled modulation people seek.
Once you squeeze on the lever power builds quickly and I’ve no complaints, would I pay £100 an end for them?….no!
They were an eBay bargain where I got the lot for £100 due to cosmetic rub on the master cylinders etc….if it was my own money and I was buying new I’d get XT, new rotors and Uberbike’s Racematrix compound pads.sharkattackFull MemberI’ll just add I’ve also got SLX brakes on my everyday bike. They’ve been flawless from day one. They also survived being brake-dragged down every single run in Morzine, Les Gets, Deux Alpes etc. by my girlfriend this summer. If I didn’t have a DH bike they’d be all I’d ever need.
What bike do you want to put these Saints on?
nickdaviesFull MemberI can only think of 1 – guide RSC for £180 a pair from ze Germans.
Used to hate avid but I’m converted on these now and will end up with them on all bikes when the xt’s die. Great power, modulation and I the contact point adjust is brilliant, and finally a non shimano brake that ca actually be bled by a mortal!thewalkerFree Memberthanks all.and all mountain nomad,and i last minute brake,lol sometimes to late
gonzyFree Memberone of the magazines did a review of a batch of disc brakes and the zee actually produced slightly more braking power on the dyno. for the price you cant go wrong with the zee over the saints. the difference IMO is in the lever itself as the saint lever has more adjustable free stroke and lever reach. the zee has adjustable reach as well but this needs to be done with an allen key rather than the external dial you get on the saint.
legendFree Membersharkattack – Member
They do this horrible thing where the lever pulls to the bar on the first pull. I’ve spent ages trying to eliminate this but they still have very inconsistent lever feel which isn’t good for confidence on a DH run.
I’m in the “disappointing reliability” camp too. Got a set of SLXs, one was rubbish then the master cylinder failed. Replacement just does not want to stay bled, tried every trick in the book. Zee’s have been better (but not great from new) but I just noticed the master cylinder for the rear has gone there too.
thegreatapeFree MemberI’ve just replaced some never-quite-right XTs with Zees, and the Zees are fantastic. Ok, the XTs were never-quite-right, but even for the short periods they were working ok, they’re a good bit behind the Zees.
zero-coolFree MemberI’d go XT over Saints or Zee. Mainly due to weight and the fact that the Zees I’ve got have been nothing but a complete ball ache. Rear caliper has never worked properly and ended up pissing fluid everywhere. Where as the XTs have been flawless for longer. We were also disappointed with the fact that the Zees were no where near as powerful as expected compared to the XTs and saints.
deviantFree Memberwe were also disappointed with the fact that the Zees were no where near as powerful as expected compared to the XTs
This is a common theme with Shimano and they’re victims of their own success, the Deore-615s I had were immense, the Scott Voltage DH bike I demoed had Deore-615s on 203mm rotors front and rear, I scoffed initially and expressed my disappointment that the bike didn’t have Zees or Saints….right up to the point I nearly put myself over the bars when I grabbed a handful of brake….even Shimano’s basic stuff is so good you go up through the range expecting to be blown away by Zees and Saints and it’s almost a bit disappointing that they’re only marginally better than a well set up pair of Deores, SLXs, XTs etc….
stevehFull MemberI know several people who feel the saints have too much power. Even though modulation is good there is so much power that it’s hard to have great control. My last friend to buy a set and I had this chat before he did and he didn’t believe too much power could be a problem – he now agrees with me.
sharkattackFull MemberI can’t imagine having too much power in a brake. Just pull less hard?
I love them. Genuine, effortless, one finger braking on the longest DH runs. In fact, the DH bike I have now is the first I’ve had that I can bang out runs on all day long without suffering from crippled fingers.
But personally, for your Nomad, I’d be looking at SLX or XT. Mine were a steal from Planet-X. Just be aware of the inconsistency issues and if you get a dodgy set send them straight back.
benjiFree MemberJust got some saints, got to say awesome brake. Tweeks were the most competitive on pricing.
chakapingFree MemberAnyone seen zees cheap online? Having them on one bike is making me want to put them on the other as well.
GoldiggerFree MemberI swapped my new XT’s to saints when I built my 5.
The Saints are fantastic, highly recommend them…Hob-NobFree MemberI can’t imagine having too much power in a brake. Just pull less hard?
I think it’s a Shimano thing, but it can be a bit disconcerting because of the way they deliver the power. I was a firm fan of them, ran XTR’s for years but they were a little inconsistent in the lever as others have mentioned, fancied a change and swapped them for some Hope E4 race.
At first, I felt the Hopes were broken, but they deliver their power in a very different way, they have tonnes of modulation, whereas Shimano seemingly have none. My wife still has XTR’s and when I occasionally ride her bike I have to be a bit careful when braking for a run or two. I assume is the servo wave thing, or to do with the way the lever works, but they are un-naturally powerful at the start of the stroke to me now.
If the Saints have more modulation then that’s a good thing IMO. I’ve also read about various Shimano sponsored riders running a mix of pads to tame them down, and going so far as to file slots in the pads to create the same effect.
GoldiggerFree MemberThe saints are not on or off like my XT on my other bike, there more modulated. That’s not to say I find the XT a problem with modulation. The XT are just more sudden.
Regarding my saints I’ve never braked and screwed up by braking to hard and over the bars etc.
I did read somewhere that 2 of the 4 pots make contact with the disc first and then the 2nd pair follow when you squeeze the lever harder..dirtyriderFree MemberXT’s on bike-discount are 58 euro and end inc free P+P on a pair (orders above 100e)
http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/shimano-xt-disc-brake-br-m785-b-front-black-479456/wg_id-257
http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/shimano-xt-disc-brake-br-m785-b-rear-black-479482/wg_id-257
coolhandlukeFree MemberI’ve got Saints on both bikes, ace brakes. If anyone has a go on my bike, I warn them about the saints stopping power and not to grab a handful.
Levers wound right close to the bars on mine, which nobody seems to get but it works for me so I also like the adjustability of them too.
droppinneutronFree Memberthe main problem for me with the XT’s was the crappy mirror silver caps on the levers which could leak oil when bleeding. The latest M8000(?) XT’s have addressed this and are more like the Saints. They are £75 an end without rotors
gonzyFree MemberThe saints are not on or off like my XT on my other bike, there more modulated. That’s not to say I find the XT a problem with modulation. The XT are just more sudden.
+1
the xt’s have a very on/off action whereas the zees dont. my friend has a set of xt’s on his bike and for comparison he has ridden my bike and has noticed the feel is different but the stopping distance of my bike is less than hisAnyone seen zees cheap online? Having them on one bike is making me want to put them on the other as well.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-zee-m640-disc-brake/rp-prod82434
£75 per brake…Tweeks selling them for £80
£62 per end from Bike Discount but you have to factor in the delivery charges
http://www.bike-discount.de/en/shop/disc-brakes-front-brakes-273?currency=3&delivery_country=190
£65 from RoseScottCheggFree MemberAnyone seen zees cheap online?
Merlin £137 a pair isn’t bad.
chakapingFree MemberCheers guys – I saw £144 on Merlin – is there a code or something?
I was probably gonna go with Bike Discount again yeah, unless Merlin or CRC do a discount code promo this week.
chakapingFree MemberMerlin now doing 10% off all MTB brakes, making it £130 for a pair of Zee.
Glad I held off buying a pair the other day.
🙂
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