Mountain Biking - New brakes....

So its Christmas, And im up to me eyeballs in work, :D which means i get some more money, I need a set of budget disc brakes, that are better than my dodgy Shimano 475's that came on my HR... First i was looking at Avid Bb Disc brakes, the simplicity and added features makes them seem good... the problem is it will cost me £140 for the brakes and then an extra £20 for the levers sad then probably £15 for cables.. Bringing the price to £175.

I then looked into Magura Julies, these come with cables and levers and i can get two disc brakes for £110.. They have had good reveiws on the british sites ive been on, especially in the aggro XC market which is what i do.

Either way i will have to get some more shifter pods to go with these brakes because my brakes and shifters are an all one thing...So that is an extra £45 for the pods i want

What would you guys suggest? Avid Mechs or magura Julies

i dunno how the avids are, but i have a pair of julies and i think they're great. they came stock on my bike though, so it's not like i had a choice heh.

the julies are hydros and they come pre-bled so you don't gotta do a lot of work setting them up. magura's also got a 5 year warrantee against any leaks. so that's a plus too.

What's the 475? If its a cable actuated brake then you won't need to upgrade your shifter pod/brake lever if you get Avid Mechs.
I was all but dead set to get shimano xt hydros but after trying a friends avids I decided to save some cash and go with avid. BTW I got everything new on ebay: Front&Rear brakes, Avid SD Ti levers, and IRD Metawire brake cable for about $200 shipped. That's about the cost of one XT hydro disc brake alone.

the 475 is a cable disc, but the avids work best with the dial levers...

You can get a set of XT discs for 100 apiece including levers...

I have a set of Deore Disks (forgot the #) and they have been flawless so far. The XTs are a great brake for the money too. If the deores had't come on my bike I would have spent the extra cash and got the XTs though.

the deores are the best budget brake. just because they are cheap doesn't mean they are bad. Richard Cunningham from MBaction actually runs Deores on his personal bike

but what about the Julies and Avid? I have about £60 to spend on each disk brake

but what about the Julies and Avid? I have about £60 to spend on each disk brake
you can afford the julies, i'd go for them. hyrdos are nice! :D

Hi there!
I currently own 2 bikes with Magura Hydraulic brakes. I don't have any complaints about the HS-22's or HS-33's, although they are rim brakes. They are much lighter than disc brakes, and have all the stopping power. Most people are buying the disc's for the attention. If you don't really need hydraulic discs, I wouldn't recommend that you spend money to make your bike even heavier than it already is... Another thing to keep in mind is the cost of replacement pads ($20+) and extra rotors ($35+) if you warp one. The Avid mechanical sets are getting great reviews, and would be my choice if I decided to add pounds to my current bikes.

I hope this "honest" post helped you... Here are other's opinion on the HS-33's. http://www.mtbreview.com/reviews/Brake_System/product_20509.shtml

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/default.asp?ReferID=biketrials&ProductID=5300004275

Hi there!
I currently own 2 bikes with Magura Hydraulic brakes. I don't have any complaints about the HS-22's or HS-33's, although they are rim brakes. They are much lighter than disc brakes, and have all the stopping power. Most people are buying the disc's for the attention. If you don't really need hydraulic discs, I wouldn't recommend that you spend money to make your bike even heavier than it already is... Another thing to keep in mind is the cost of replacement pads ($20+) and extra rotors ($35+) if you warp one. The Avid mechanical sets are getting great reviews, and would be my choice if I decided to add pounds to my current bikes.

I hope this "honest" post helped you... Here are other's opinion on the HS-33's. http://www.mtbreview.com/reviews/Brake_System/product_20509.shtml

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/default.asp?ReferID=biketrials&ProductID=5300004275

I would say go disc... he's already setup for discs so why go backwards... i have run the brakes you are showing here, and discs are quite a bit better! Especially a hydro disc! I have run the avid discs and just wasn't overly impressed with them, they work quite well, but not as well as a hydro brake.

Oh and you say the cost of changing pads... well if you figure that disc pads last longer than rim pads... it actually ends up being cheaper to own discs....

just my .02 cents (been wrenching for 8 years if that helps.)

Oh my vote is for the magura julies... very nice brakes!

With how well disc brakes have been refined, it is almost pointless to go with hydro rim brakes. Hydro rim brakes are generally used for trials. There is no need for a pair of Hydro disc brakes anymore in the Trail riding, DH/FR, XC areas. I would say go for the Julies, they are a good brake.

Hi there!
I don't have any complaints about the HS-22's or HS-33's, although they are rim brakes. They are much lighter than disc brakes, and have all the stopping power.

So much misinformation, so little time.


Most people are buying the disc's for the attention.

How do you know this?

if I wanted attention i would by a exogrid racer x

But im not doing it for the attention, Im not an attention seeking kinda person., i keep myself to myself, ive decided to go for the Julies, thx for all the help, should have enough money to by them next weekend

So much misinformation, so little time.



How do you know this?

I perfectly agree...discs are not for attention and actually modern XC discs are sometimes lighter than v-brakes.... so arguements for weight are a thing of the past. The only disadvantage of a good disc brake is the price and only this! other than that discs overwelm rim brakes in every aspect.

But im not doing it for the attention, Im not an attention seeking kinda person., i keep myself to myself, ive decided to go for the Julies, thx for all the help, should have enough money to by them next weekend


You know we now require you to post pics of the new brakes on the bike when you get them!! :D

modern XC discs are sometimes lighter than v-brakes.... so arguements for weight are a thing of the past.

Ummm, sure some disk systems are lighter than V's but you're now comparing a $500 of Magura Martha's vs a $40 set of Deore V's. Until I have more money than I know what to do with (or global warming turns my trails into mud holes) I'll stick with my V's.

Im not an expert or anything, but magura doesnt make a bake called a martha, i thought it was marta...

Being picky