XT – SLX or deore brakes ? any other options ?

Hi All,
Im in need of some new brakes on my cotic soul so i am going to order some tonight. the funds and not the best at the moment so what do you recommend ? should i just get a set of XT ? well i would like to here your options and also where is the best place to buy them.
Cheers

The more money you spend the more fragile little adjustment knobs you get that could break off in a crash, and you save a bit of weight. If you’re planning on doing some big descents, i.e Alps trips then you might benefit from the different caliper, ceramic pistons and finned pads in the pricier models, but for the majority of UK riding the Deores are spot on, pretty happy with mine.

Darkslider +1

Gave my deores to my son due to being enticed by shiney xt……in hindsight i should have bought deore again.

I’d go for Deore, granted they’re More subtle style wise (garish chrome finish on the XT) but they stop the same and let’s be honest, once you’ve set the lever reach do you ever change it?

I have XT on my hardtail and I don’t know how I lived without that lever adjustment dial.*

*Actually never even touched it.

Got to follow suit – my Deore’s are better than they have any right being – super tough, super reliable and work beautifully.

SLX adds finned pads, okay on a dry day on fast trails yes, but on an average drizzly day in Wales – nope, anyway you can simply fit them if you want later – they’re cross-compatable. They also have tool free lever point adjustment – personslly I set this once and leave it – but failing that I’ve got an Allen key in my bag.

XT have the above plus they use a bolt rather than a split-pin, I’d be tempted by that – split pins are faffy – do they come with ceramic Pistons too? Either way, 4 days, run after run in the Alps without fins or ceramic anything and my Deores laughed it off.

Another happy Deore user. You can get them for £50 both ends if you shop around.

Slx on my 5, deore on my Solaris. Performance? Identical. You can obviously maximise the power with bigger discs (as I have done on my five) but on my Solaris I’ve gone for a 160\180 r\f combo to intentionally tone down the power at the rear.

As has been stated, these current crop of shimano stoppers are waaay better than they have any right to be! I can’t see why they are being sold off at discount myself.

Well i didn’t see that coming i must say. Deore it is then for me, thanks for that one. do you know where the best offer is for them atm.
cheers

I find the tool free reach adjuster useful on my XTs and SLXs. The xt bite point adjuster I have never used. So I’d go slx over deore or XTs.

Dunno about the best deals but if you get them from Germany remember the levers will be the wrong way around. Left hand front brake etc.

Got my XTs from Rose bikes and they came the “right way” around.

Just make sure you change the pads before they get too low, if the caliper/disk is not perfectly aligned it’s possible to pop a piston out and then you’ll be needing a new caliper.

I know this because I’ve done it twice 🙄

SLX have ceramic pistons which should equate to better heat management, not saying there’s anything wrong with Deore but worth taking into consideration.

Just bought pair of SLX brakes and the brake lever position adjuster was worth the purchase price alone – no more fiddling around with tiny allen keys.

Just got some deores for £25 an end from the on one sale

Superstu any chance of a link to those ones you got cos I can’t find them on the on one site ? Thanks

I’ve got some Deores and think they’re great for the price. Looking at some XT’s now as they’re just over £50 each end so worth a punt.

If you shop at Tesco and get Clubcard vouchers go to Evans as you get double points from them. I’ve just traded £12.50 vouchers for £25 to spend and they have just sent a £10 off over £50 so they’re almost for nothing. They also price match most of the big UK shops. 😉

SLX, if only for the fact that the hoses connect with a banjo bolt and you alter the angle they exit the caliper at.

Deore here. £98 front and rear including rotors from Merlin. Awesome stoppers.

Deore ordered, bring on the weekend to try them out.
Cheers

Deore from Merlin, XTR ice tech rotors. Spot on. Only slight niggle is that you can’t alter the hose angle.

have both XT and deore..

hard pushed to tell the difference really..

XT’s have a very slightly less flexy lever i think..
and the positionable hose on the caliper is handy

Deore’s dont have the annoying shiny reservoir covers.. and cost way less..
Made some simple tool free adjusters to fit in the deore levers for reach adjust too. so no faffing with allen keys.

Full SLX set inc. rotors for £99 on CRC at the moment. As above, I’d have gone for them if for nothing other than banjo adjustment.

I just ordered a set of Deore of CRC for £100 with rotors to replace a set of god awful Avids. I have SLX on 2 other bikes and they’ve been fine but apparently Deore are equivalent.

Deore M615; has Servo Wave, adjustable reach and fixed banjos

SLX adds Ceramic Pistons, Tooless reach adjust and adjustable banjos

XT adds finned pads and threaded retention pins.

No weight difference between SLX and XT, Deore calipers are slighlty heavier due to the steel pistons

SLX is almost certainly the best / price vs features but Deores are unbelivable good for the money. XT look a bit pointless. (I use XT obviously!)

Deores here with 200/180 discs.
Manange to stop my 100KG on any surface/any weather, and feel like they could stop a freight train.

Can’t imagine why i’d spend more – they are sooo much better than the Formula K24s they replaced.

Just nabbed a set of slx with Rotors at chain reaction for £79. Can’t be bad. 10% British cycling + £10 off £75 spend

Bargain for £79.
I’d rather pay the little bit extra for SLX for the advantages listed above

I was fitting SLX’s to my new hardtail this weekend and while bleeding noted the outer caliper body is threaded to accept the pins the M785’s have instead of split pins. Wiggle do the pin and clip at £1.49. Bought…

I like the XT’s I have on my FS, but the split pin was the only bit about the SLX I viewed as a compromise.

Having had both SLX and Deore running on 2 bikes I’d say Deore unless you need the adjustable banjo to neaten hose routing. The SLX caliper worked much better on my full suss with chainstay hose routing as the moveable banjo gave a smaller loop of hose.
I did swap the SLX to some nice black Deore master cylinder covers though, look much neater Imo.
The pads that came with the Deore did seem a bit wooden feeling but once they had Uberbike pads in they felt just the same as the SLX.

Massive fan of Deore brakes here. Having had them and XT’s, I’d struggle to spend the extra.

My Deores always felt better than my 785’s. It was much easier to get a really good bleed (the XT’s were returned and still came back a bit mushy). I’ve never missed the tool free lever adjustment; I set them and have not touched them since. I prefer the more subtle aesthetics too; they hold up better in crashes (the raised XT lettering on mine got mangled).

The latest Deore brakes are compatible with Ice Tech pads too.

Have you the direct link for the m785 pin and clip? Cheers

can you get replacement covers for the brake levers i.e put a black deore on a xt ?

Man! the hose position on my brakes stops me riding like Gee everyday!

Deores FTW and spend money elsewhere, where you’ll actually notice the difference.

Deore and bigger rotors.