[Closed] What brakes (in your opinion) have the best feel?

Have had Hope Mono and even back to the very early XC and Dh split calipers, as well as Shimano XT and the newer SLX 4 piston ....

But, settled on SRAM Guide Ultimate / RSC as brake of choice, especially as they have the bleeding edge tool. Matched with the Centreline discs liking the feel and power of these and have standardised them across all our bikes.

What makes them feel right? Less off/on than Shimano with a nice progression of braking force and unlike Hope, I have yet to boil a set of SRAM brakes too

Shimano here. Got a Saint rear, and Zee front. I have recently replaced the Shimano mineral oil with Putoline HPX R 2.5W, as I'd read that many folk in Germany do so. It has been interesting! I don't think they are quite as bitey, but they are definitely more consistent, even in cold weather. And I've tested them in Wharncliffe (albeit I'm pretty slow!), and had no issues there.

I've actually also used it in my Reverb. Last winter I had issues with it seizing in lower temperatures, with a good bleed not resolving the issue. So far, with the Putoline, I've had no issues, even on the coldest days.

It does void the warranty, but the brakes and reverb were out of theirs anyway.

Have/had? Original IS fitting Hope M4 4pots.

Have Hope V4's with the V4 vented rotors on my 24kg emtb, im 93kg and they have no problem stopping me quickly

Had various Hope brakes over the years and always been happy with them

Have tried Shimano (M8000 XT,ZEE,Deore) and all micro leaked (replaced under warranty) wasnt a fan of the lever feel but got used to it

Also tried Sram (Guide, Guide R, Code, Code R) the Guides had wondering bite points, the Codes had sticky pistons

Never tried Magura's

Learnt my lesson and now just stick to Hope's, i like fit and forget components, my Hope's havent needed touching in two years apart from fitting new pads, easy to bleed just using a spanner and a short section of tubing (same process as bleeding car brakes which ive done 100's of times over the years)

Went through the same trying different tyres and now just stick to Maxxis, once i find something i like that works i try to run that item on all my bikes

I think it's fairly easy to adjust to any brakes but out of choice I'll go for 4 pot Hopes. They have plenty of power, modulation and last. I'm still using a set of Tech M4's I bought in 2011 on my main bike. They've had the fluid changed a few times but other than that have been fit and forget. My recently ordered Bird is coming with Tech 3 E4's. I've got a set of Magura Mt4(?)as they were very cheap on my spare bike and they work perfectly well but don't feel as nice. I avoid Avid after an awful set of Elixirs and refuse to buy Shimano due to their lack of spares.

I like snappy brakes so was very happy with zees until I had the classic micro leak and they were refunded under warranty. Now I would avoid shimano as I just like fit and forget parts. Guide RE (guide lever, old code calliper) I have on two bikes as they’re very powerful and have a nice modular feel.

Not tried the newer sram but they work well for me and for me I felt they were the best compromise between power/price/faffage.

To my mind every brake has good and bad points:

Shimano - on/off, issues with leaks
Magura - everyone says fitments are made of cheese so you’re likely to round bolts off, levers aren’t very robust
Hope - more hassle to set up and keep happy, expensive, less powerful than some but serviceable and can last forever as you can get spares unlike most
SRAM - split opinions massively

I tried a bike with Hayes Dominions and thought they felt very lovely. Only had a few DH runs with them, but after years of Avid (yuck), Shimano (great but every pair since my first gen SLX have suffered from wandering bite point no matter what they were filled with) and more recent SRAM Guides and Codes (really liked them) I thought they were fantastic. Good feel, power and modulation.

I love my ancient Formula The Ones, 2010 model, I have them on everything. Powerful enough for the dh bike, enough feel for tiptoing on ice on the fatbike, light enough for an xc race bike. I've stockpiled them, there was a SRAM Guide of some sort that I used a couple of years ago that was almost as good but I've genuinely never tried anything better.

Best feeling brake - definitely Formula for me. I’ve had the original The Ones, Cura 4’s and R1’s. All have had great feel and excellent modulation.

I am also running Code RSC’s and in a good way, I just don’t notice them - good blend of consistency, power and modulation. I’ve never had any issues with various Shimano brakes - and in terms of reliability, still have the majority of those I have owned on the family bikes.

A long time ago I had the original Hope Mini’s which I loved, and the original Mono Mini’s - which were shocking. I’m not a ‘Hope Hater’, had more Hope Hubs than any others and quite a few BB’s and headsets - which have all been excellent.

I've got Magura MT5s and Formula Curas at the moment. I find the Formula very similar to Shimano, firm and bitey but not too much modulation.
I think I prefer the MT5, but they're on the bike that does the most singletrack so i've probably just become accustomed to them. The fittings are fine, if you're not hamfisted.

Mainstream... SRAM Guide/G2 with RS/RSC/Ultimate levers (R don't have the swinglink) or Codes (same, RS or above) are very good for feel and consistency.

High end... Trickstuff Maxima's are on another level. The best modulation with 30% more power than a Magura MT7 even!

Hope have decent modulation, but almost always I find their power is severely lacking for their intended application and/or rotor size. They're also not cheap. Keen to try the new XCR 2 pot XC brake, I've heard its a step in the right direction performance wise, but it's also £250 an end!

Generally loved the code RSCs on my cheat bike, until I took them to the alps where long descents would make them go to the bars.

For me, the hope v2s with vented rotors on my last alpine were the schizzle. Totally unflappable brakes with seemingly endless power and the most consistent lever feel. You knew exactly what you were getting every time you pulled their levers. I’ve V4s on the newer alpine & they’re also superb, but I do find myself fiddling with the reach and BPC dials mid way through a ride.

I'm not sure if it was the lever design, but my old Formula Oro K18 felt great to me. That's my choice.

Formula The Ones are pretty on/off but soooo powerful. V pleasantly surprised by SRAM Guide RSC that came on my Capra. Thought I'd be upgrading to The Ones but never felt the need in the end.

Feel alone would be Magura MT sports or MT5's for me.

Can't be complaining about Hope costing a lot when you look at the prices of aftermarket SRAM and Shimano stuff! £250 for a code RSC, £190 for an XT 4-pot & £200 for a Saint (and that's before you get on to the replacement calipers/MC's after the warranty runs out), £187 for a Magura MT7.

The only difference is that Hope stuff is rarely on massive discount and even more rare it's OEM where the big players have an advantage in getting their brakes spec'd.

It's a shifting thing for me. At the moment, since Shimano have become unreliable and SRAM don't sell a lightweight powerful brake (I have Guide RSs on my hardtail and they couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding), it's Formula for me. The Curas on my main bike have a lovely firm feel with only a few mm of lever stroke.

The Maguras I originally fitted to that bike had the worst feel of any brake I've ever had and were woefully under powered. And Hope are either too modulated or too weak (depending on whether you're a fan or not).

If anyone has any Curas for sale I'd be interested!

Formula oros or modern magura mt5s.

If I could by a spare piston/seal for my oros I'd still run them. Amazing brakes.

Magura MT trails are lovely on my FS bike, the Rail came with shimano SLX 4 pots which I planned to sell and buy something else, but I can't really fault them, and it's a big unit to stop!.

I really like the feel of Shimano 4-pots (Zees in my case).

Codes are nice too with better modulation but less power, but I prefer Shimano's power delivery anyway.

Was really impressed with Magura, probably feel better but with as much power as Shimano - but not enough difference to justify changing. And the friend whose bike I rode kept snapping levers on hers anyway.

Tried Shigura on another pal's bike. The super-grabby feel was not for me.

Formula The Ones felt great, but used to burn through the tiny pads when riding big descents.

Formula and Shimano seem to have the best feel, but I've been unimpressed with Shimano quality recently. Or at least the quality of Deore, had no problems with the SLX brakes I had between fitting them and my Explosif going missing. The Deore caliper on the back of my Scandal is doing the microleak thing. The ancient M525s that must be fifteen years old now and are on my son's bike are still perfect. Although they seem to have more lever travel in the cold.
Would never have Avids again - had two bikes with them and they always felt a bit 'mushy', were a sod to bleed, and every now and then seized a piston for fun. Hateful things.

Code RSC.

Cannot stand the wooden Shimano feel, and I think universally everyone who uses them in complains about wandering bite points.

Codes. Feel good, very powerful & just work.

Formula oro K18, which for some reason always felt ‘better’ than my K24s (only difference being a bite point adjuster dial on the K24)

Shimano too wooden and micro leaks almost ruined an alps holiday

Guide RSCs are pretty good though

Would love to try some Maximas!

I’ve got saints and Hayes dominion A4s. For slow techy riding I much prefer the dominions as they have loads more modulation. Bikester we’re doing them for £133 per end delivered to the uk.

Hope tech3 levers on both my bikes. (E4 and X2 calipers, on the enduro/trail, and xc hardtail respectively).

Combined the comfort/user interface of the shimano lever with the smooth power roll on of srams.
The month after I bought the E4s, I got the X2s as I had come to dislike the shimano braking feel.

I have only tried those 3 brands.

@howdoo I think your answer is exactly what I was looking for really, slow techy riding with my Shimano 4 pots is tricky as they are so on/off

I dont find that at all.

Perhaps weight has something to do with this? I imagine my Zees would feel more grabby to a 70 kg rider than my 95kg.

Me neither.

Pads can be a factor in how they feel, Shimano OE or plain organic are less grabby IME.

Whereas I find the same brand organic pads aren't bitey enough in Codes.

A lot of opinion is based purely on what you ride every day.

I really like the instant on / loads of power from Zees with 200mm rotors. Then I ride the FS with Hope E4s which have such a good lever feel and are much more progressive - or they don't work when ridden back to back against the Zees as they are nowhere near as snappy.

Then back to the Zees and they are awful after the Hopes as they have no progression and chuck me over the bars on the first hard braking downhill.

Clearly this is all in the extreme and once used to a set, they work very well - they are just different.

Also have Magura MT sport on a rigid mtb. They feel great but seem to have a huge amount of lever throw before doing anything so probably more work needed.

Would never have Avids again

Just as well that Avid brakes ceased to exist several years ago.  You can't compare the Elixers of years ago to modern SRAM brakes.

My saints use organic pads with 180 and 160mm rotors and I find them still to grabby at low speed e.g. creeping to really steep Rollin’s. my 2 pots shimano I I find less on off, the dominions feel great, hope they are reliable in the long term

Just as well that Avid brakes ceased to exist several years ago. You can’t compare the Elixers of years ago to modern SRAM brakes.

Have they fixed the awful bleeding procedure yet? I've not even considered Sram brakes as the Elixir 3's I had on a Canyon Nerve were that bad. Poor modulation, power and horrendously noisy. I ended up giving them to a mate as no one on here wanted them even at £30 for the pair (back in 2012 when cheap but ok brakes didn't exist).

VanHalen
Full Member

Formula oros or modern magura mt5s.

If I could by a spare piston/seal for my oros I’d still run them. Amazing brakes.

I might still have some in the spares box of doom? Not new seals but there might be a caliper

my 2 pots shimano I I find less on off, the dominions feel great, hope they are reliable in the long term

I found the 2-pot Shimanos waaay more grabby, funny innit.

I'd love to try the Hayes and might well buy them if I was starting from scratch now.

Shame they are not Shimano pattern pads, like I think TRP are.

Formula oros or modern magura mt5s.

If I could by a spare piston/seal for my oros I’d still run them. Amazing brakes.

I might still have some in the spares box of doom? Not new seals but there might be a caliper

I've got some complete Oros with a stuck pad bolt somewhere, available for a donation to my local Mountain Rescue.

Going back a bit, Hope C2.

Absolutely rock solid lever, everything else in the last 20 years has felt like it needs bleeding by comparison.

I think some confuse spongy levers with modulation. You can have lots of modulation and feel in a lever that doesn't move at all, or you can have completely on/off brakes with horribly spongy levers. Just try some drum brakes, a bad example for outright power, but however hard you pull on them (and however far the lever moves) the power never really changes.

Hope for me, especially in 4-pot variety. Although my new Shimano SLX 4-pots are damn close!

Love the feel of Sram Guides. But a pain to bleed correctly. Also love the feel of Sram Levels. Not quite as nice as the Guides but plenty of power for me at 59kg and easy to bleed.

Current crop from best to worst

Hope v4- pull lever, stop. Pull lever hard, stop hard. The shine went a bit when they both needed new seals and pistons. They were second hand, that wasn't unexpected when bought with a fresh bleed from the bike shop. Thanks whoever it was I bought them from on here, I still LOVE them 🙂

Hope e4. As above, but with a bit less power.

Shimano xt 78? Awesome, until their bite point wandered.

Shimano xt m800. Bit point wandering from 6 months in.

Previously

Avid elixir ( nicked) were actually awesome, and only had one bleed in 2 years on a DH bike.

original Xt 4 pots. Better than anything else I'd tried. A huge step up from v brakes and the Hays.

Magura Louise with two finger levers. Good, but got fed up of two finger levers. Great on the tandem with dinner plate rotors.

Bottom of the pile.

Hayes something or other with carbon levers. I'd have preferred to go back to v brakes, including in the wet.

For feel avid speeddial 2s on XT Vs in the dry soo much modulation.

In the disc brake field I love my Hope V4s. The guides where as powerful if not more so but they just didn't have that feel....

Magura MT5 with 1 finger lever and their MDRP floating rotor is best I've used. Loads of power but more usable than Shimano, I thought my Code RSC were good until I tried these.

V2 Moto! That is all.

I’ve not even considered Sram brakes as the Elixir 3’s I had on a Canyon Nerve were that bad. Poor modulation, power and horrendously noisy

They were the bottom end Elixirs weren’t they? I had some Elixir Carbons (I think they were called) and they were really lovely. Helps that I got on well with the Avid/Sram bleeding situation

My Guide R’s felt nice too - briefly, then seemed to go off a cliff

Well at least we have a concensus...

😁

SRAM bleeding edge tool makes bleeding the easiest and cleanest I’ve done.  No more faffing topping up reservoirs and opening/closing bleed nipples.  I like my Codes, I liked my Shimano’s when they worked.  Feel wise I think I’d most like something halfway between (RSC levers may sort that).

From my limited experience, shimano 2 and 4 pot, I prefer the MT5, really usable and progressive then you pull on em and whoooa mama, you need some core and upper body strength just to stop ejecting straight over the bike. The levers are plastic and feel crap but who cares, they are awesome.
Cheap at Merlin right now.

MT5, really usable and progressive then you pull on em and whoooa mama, you need some core and upper body strength just to stop ejecting straight over the bike. The levers are plastic and feel crap but who cares, they are awesome.
Cheap at Merlin right now.

Just seen the price - well worth getting them and spending an extra £50 to upgrade both levers to the alloy 1 finger HC version. Bargain!

I think that for my riding; 4 pot brakes regardless of manufacture have been better in terms of braking consistency and feel than 2 pot. I've been impressed by both Saint and SRAM Code and wouldn't hesitate to have either of them on my bike, or recommend them to others.

I agree with that nickc - 4pot most definitely better feel.

Shimano for the last 20 years - I've had the early Saints, XT, Deore M555 and SLX, can't fault of them! TBF, I've only ever tried older Hayes, Avids and most recently SRAM G2's - levers just felt cheap and was underwhelmed by the performance! Currently have the latest XT m8120 levers, with Saints hoses, older XT M785 2 pot calipers with finned metal pads and Ice Tec rotors. They have a decent lever feel, are consistent, reliable and haven't needed bleeding in over 2000 miles of riding (second set of pads though).