esselgruntfuttock – Member
So are Shimano as servicable as Hope then, & do they have a similar backup service?
No and no. Is that the same as “non repairable”?
Hope and Formula both have Shimano beat on spares, but Shimano can still make good sense because of the lower purchasing price- in the event you do need to service them (like I did) you generally have to buy a few more parts but you’re still coming out ahead.
(quick example- XT caliper gets sticky seals, buy a new caliper (£44 in the UK, with a quick google, which includes a set of £20 pads.) Hope Tech X2- buy 2 seals, £8. Price difference is £16, which means you can afford to do it 4 times before the Shimanos stop being cheaper. Which, realistically, you are not going to have to do) It’s irksome and wasteful but it’s a long way from “non repairable”.
And as you say, you’re not likely to have to repair any quality brake as long as it’s looked after so it all becomes much of a muchness.