Mountain Biking - Best brakes?

I'm just wondering what the best disc brakes are out there for a mounting bike?

Thanks,
Paul

Avid Shorty Ultimate.

Avid Shorty Ultimate.

Thanks,
but only want disc brakes and also dont want hydraulic unles there the best to get.

Thanks

Okiedoke.

What's your budget? If you're looking for a brakeset under $200, Avid BB7s might be your best bet. If money is no object, take a look at Shimano XTR, Hayes Prime, Avid XX, Avid Code, Magura Marta SL, Formula R1, Hope Race X2 or Hope M4.

We're going to need a little more information Paul. Every person here will have different experiences in different conditions with different brakes. What kind of riding will you be doing?

Okiedoke.

What's your budget? If you're looking for a brakeset under $200, Avid BB7s might be your best bet. If money is no object, take a look at Shimano XTR, Hayes Prime, Avid XX, Avid Code, Magura Marta SL, Formula R1, Hope Race X2 or Hope M4.

We're going to need a little more information Paul. Every person here will have different experiences in different conditions with different brakes. What kind of riding will you be doing?

Thanks,
I'm looking at no more than 300.

I ride in all weather and I ride on roads and paths.

I do a lot off down hill so need some with very good stopping power.

Thanks,
Paul

I have Avid Juicy Ultimates. They are awful juicy and the ultimate. I was gonna sell them but not after riding.

Does anyone have the Avid Code? I lost mine and now my brakes don't work.

↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A, then pull the lever all the way to the bar. It will also start the launch sequence for better starts out of the gate for DH/4x set.

Does anyone have the Avid Code? I lost mine and now my brakes don't work.I believe it's:

www.retailmenot.com/view/avid-ya-theyre-not-hayes-ohwell

40(juicy)4
Link does not produce t-shirt.

Paul,

www.pricepoint.com
www.performancebike.com
www.jensonusa.com

Stay away from ProMax, generally, other than that, you should be OK.

(BTW, what is a "mounting bike"? I'm pretty sure we all ride mountain bikes here.....)

Don't be such a punk, DX. I have fat-finger moments too.

OP...you won't be able to buy "the best brakes" on your budget. However, you can find some Avid Elixir's, Avid Code's, Hayes Stroker, Shimano XT in your pricerange on eBay.

I'm leaning toward trying the XT or the Strokers next. I'm tired of the Avid noise issues. Not every bike suffers from it, but my last two hardtails have really amplified the noise.

I can hear it now - - imagine Avids on an old Norco VPS Shore. Owwwww.

magura makes some darn fine bicycle brakes. they are often overlooked, they shouldn't be.

They're nice but not cheap.

I swear by the avid BB7 mechanicals- in fact I switched over from Hayes hydrolics (MAGs) on my "big" bike. I run the 160s on all my bikes except on my 5"+ travel trail bike I put a 185 on the front. Its all the brake I'll ever need.
Simple, cheaper, and runs great. I've got 4 bikes with avid BB7s on them.

Its all the brake I'll ever need.That's kind of sad, isn't it?

I'm tired of the Avid noise issues.

So it's not just me! My XC bike sounds like it has an air horn. I'll clean the rotors, it'll be quiet it for half a ride, and then the air horn comes back. I've tried having the shop adjust the pads, it'll be quiet for half a ride again, and then it's loud again.

I'd take hydraulics over mechs any day. They're not *that* much more maintenance, and they stop a lot better. Plus you said you ride downhill, and I'd be surprised if any of the downhill guys on here run mechs on their downhill sled.

ok, i change my mind. shimano are the best. really, xt are where it's at. dollar for dollar, shimano still makes the best ones, even if not xt.

ok, i change my mind. Hayes are the best. really, where it's at. dollar for dollar, Hayes still makes the best ones. . . .Now you're talking. :thumb:

Thanks all.

I've bin reading on the net and on here and most people say hydraulic are the best..

So, think i'll get Hydraulic disc brakes unless you guys think there crap.. :s

So, whats best Hydraulic brakes?

Thanks agan
Paul

I swear by the avid BB7 mechanicals- in fact I switched over from Hayes hydrolics (MAGs) on my "big" bike. I run the 160s on all my bikes except on my 5"+ travel trail bike I put a 185 on the front. Its all the brake I'll ever need.
Simple, cheaper, and runs great. I've got 4 bikes with avid BB7s on them.

Aaaaand if you go to a better hydro, you'll notice even better braking performance in terms of less hand fatigue at the lever, better modulation, etc.

Going from Hayes Mags to Avid BB7 setup is more of a lateral move. :)

Thanks all.

I've bin reading on the net and on here and most people say hydraulic are the best..

So, think i'll get Hydraulic disc brakes unless you guys think there crap.. :s

So, whats best Hydraulic brakes?

Thanks agan
Paul


Go to you local shop(s) and ride bikes with disc brakes. There you can see what their selection is, and try things to decide for yourself whether or not they're crap.

See how they feel, and which brands you may like. Then, buy something from those lines that fits your budget. Asking which is best will only get you a huge variety of different opinions. Hayes. Avid. Magura. Formula. Hope. Shimano.

Now you're talking. :thumb:

I'll have to try some strokers on the F-0 so I can give an unbiased opinion:lol:

+1 for Avid

Some people swear by mechanical; hydros are fine by me.

I have Elixr-CR's on a dualie and Juicy 7's on a HT. Both make some noise after creek water treatment but within a few minutes, they quiet down again. Lots of stopping power too. Hayes, Hope, Magura and Shimano XTR are super nice but you're going to shell out some serious extra ducketts.

Just got some lightly used Avid Juicy Three's. I was going to go with BB7's for my build, but hydraulics are simpler to me. Bleeding brakes is a bit of a pain, but once you learn to bleed them that's pretty much all there is to it. Well worth it for a superior braking system.

Thanks all.

I've bin looking at some brands u people have said.

So, out off

Shimano SLX - £99
or
Avid bb7s - 80ish

What ones are best out off them?

I find that the more heavy the person is the, the worst the brakes woork..

Is that true?

Thanks
Paul

Bump, any one?

Sooo... we require disk brakes for bike paths now? Are people having trouble braking with rim brakes on bike paths?

I just road a bike with Hope 4's I must say they kicked my Elixir R tail. Best stopping power of any brakes I have ever tried, hydro or mechanical, that 4 piston design does the job. The cost is another issue, not sure I am ready to pony up the $$$$ needed to get a set of these, but they are sweet

Thanks again.

I've had some more looks and came across

Avid Juicy 3.5 hydraulic = £86.99

&

Avid elixir R = £140

The Avid 3.5 seem good, any one here got them and what they like?

Thanks

Sorry for dp.

After a lot of thinking I've just orded some Avid code 5.

Was it a good Idea or bad one and any one here got them?

Thanks
Paul

I love my Avid Elixr's on my Epic. they're strong but have plenty of control when you bite down.

Sorry for dp.

After a lot of thinking I've just orded some Avid code 5.

Was it a good Idea or bad one and any one here got them?

Thanks
Paul

A little late asking now, isn't it?

Was it a good Idea or bad one and any one here got them?No, don't have them; it would be a very bad idea for me.

A little late asking now, isn't it?

No, because if they ain't that good will just send them back and get a refund.

I went for them as i read reviews and people say they are good.

Paul

Which models give best value to performance ratio?

Have you had more thieving with more expensive brands when locking?

To be honest, for non-MTB use, any well designed disc brake should be fine. I'd just get a disc on the front and leave the rear for now. Mechanical are good if you don't have to buy new levers.

I'm so pissed off. The avid code 5 was meant to be coming tomozs and I've just got this e-mail...


Thank you for ordering with Halfords.com.

Unfortunately at this time we are unable to process your order for Avid Code 5 08 Front Disc Brake 203mm Ro item code 194418. The supplier has confirmed that they have now discontinued the item. I regret to inform you that Halfords will not be receiving any further stock.

This will be shortly made unavailable on our Website.

We apologise that Halfords have no further option but to cancel your online order. Please accept this email as confirmation that Halfords have now cancelled this order on our systems. No monies will be taken or debited from your account. The pre-authorisation to reserve the funds for this transaction has been cancelled and should be returned to your available spends by your card issuer within seven working days.

Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused.

So, what brake should I go for now?

Avid Juicy 3.5 Hydraulic Disc Brake
The Shimano SLX Disc Brake Lever and Post Mount
The Avid Elixir R Disc Brake 160mm Rotor
Avid Elixir R Disc Brake 203mm Rotor

or, should I still get avid code 5 but from a other shop?

Thanks.
Paul

This is a great thread. I was wondering the same thing.

I was looking at these:
http://www.magura.com/en/products/disc-brakes-2011/prod/marta-sl-magnesium-10.html

And these:
http://www.formula-brake.it/en

but now like:
http://www.magura.com/en/products/disc-brakes-2011/prod/marta-sl-mag-rl.html


Let's ride! - Frederick Thomas Sauvan

This is a great thread. I was wondering the same thing.

I was looking at these:
http://www.magura.com/en/products/disc-brakes-2011/prod/marta-sl-magnesium-10.html

And these:
http://www.formula-brake.it/en

but now like:
http://www.magura.com/en/products/disc-brakes-2011/prod/marta-sl-mag-rl.html


Let's ride! - Frederick Thomas Sauvan

They all look good.
Any one?

I rely need to order some asap.

Thanks,
paul

What's this bike for? I looked through the thread again and saw "bike path" and "downhill." Pretty much anything will do for bike path. I'd keep an eye on Craigslist and scoop up the first set of decent looking hydros I could find. If I couldn't wait, I'd get a set of Juicy 3's or SLX's or Stroker Rydes or Julies or whatever I could find on sale. Putting "the best" brakes on a bike path bike is a waste of money. You won't see much of a performance difference since you won't be pushing the high end brakes to their limit anyway. If you're doing downhill, you need a more powerful brake, like Stroker Aces or Codes or Saints or Megas.

Avoids make good V-Brakes, sceptical on Hydros. My Juicy 7s and R SLs all made horrendous noise and vibration no matter what I did. Spent money on different rotors and pads, all for nothing. Stopped screwing around and switched to Saints. Night and day in every aspect. Insane braking and trouble free for the last 8 months. My next bike will have XTR Trail hydros.

Both out of the OPs price range, but good luck anyway...

This thread makes my brain hurt.

OP: do you need this much hand holding when you buy a loaf of bread at your local market?

vote for shimano XT M775
really good price performance...
and its not to heavy....

the cons : it's not black.......:notamused:

well..there's few pros and cons between hydro or mech brakes.

for examples,if you happen to break your hydro brakes cables during rides then you can't do nothing about it.

however if you go with mech.if cables breaks you simply put the new one even on the trails(just bring extra cables just in case...but you can't if you choose hydro)


so,it's your call my man!!

i think breaking hydro cables during rides is really rare condition...?
even during hard and rough rides....the worst thing i have already is bent my disc brake rotor and broke my brake lever once..

Carrying around extra brake cables 'just in case' seems a bit excessive. Why not carry around extra rotors? Spokes? Crankset? Maybe even a spare fork on those really technical trails? Everything has the ability to break, but I don't think broken cables is a valid argument against hydros.

well..there's few pros and cons between hydro or mech brakes.

for examples,if you happen to break your hydro brakes cables during rides then you can't do nothing about it.

however if you go with mech.if cables breaks you simply put the new one even on the trails(just bring extra cables just in case...but you can't if you choose hydro)


so,it's your call my man!!

Bruce would be very disappointed with this reply.

Plainly asking for the "best disc brakes" is going to get you nowhere without more specific details other than you ride "bike paths" and "downhill." A flat street road can count as bike paths, and a block going downhill with 5% grade may count as "downhill." Kinda like asking what the best 2010 car is.

Me, I got Avid Juicy 3.5's and had to replace the pads as somehow they got contaminated. Then worked fine for me but again I ride casually in dirt trails and on road and weigh a measly 140 lbs.