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SLX 180mm front/160mm rear...rear has more power??

3K views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  Clones123 
#1 ·
My SLX brakes are setup with 180mm front and 160mm rear Storm SL rotors. The front seems to have no power at all, while the rear can lock up and skid with 1 finger.

I can get some speed, grab the front only as hard as I can and it still takes a few feet to stop me. Shouldn't it be able to throw me over the bars?? Granted, I'm about 225 pounds, but still, the BB7 setup I had before would have planted me on my face...:madman:

I'm going to try a re-bleed and scuff the pads with sandpaper tonight. Hopefully that clears it up.
 
#4 ·
I had same problem with SLX 160/180, I posted in AM forum, they said to bleed and get new pads, we have four ft. of snow on ground right now so haven't tried with new bleed.
 
#7 ·
At the 225 lbs, the 180mm SLX won"t throw you over the bars. They will stop you quite alright, but you won't skid a front wheel.

I used to weigh about 220 and I only got a similar feeling with a 203mm rotor up front. The rear will always be easy to lock up, since, as you brake, most of the weight is transferred to the front.
 
#8 ·
Pedalphile said:
What was the bedding-in procedure you followed?
What is the proper technique? I still have to bed-in my SLX 203/180 brakes.

I was planning on going downhill around the neighborhood street a couple times, breaking hard, but not to a point of locking up, getting up to speed again and repeat. And the same for the rear wheel.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Slurry said:
I've been interested in the Shimano M06 "metal" pads over the stock resin pads for my SLX brake.
Seems to me that the resin pads are quieter and smoother. The downside is horrendous wear in the wet which is where metallic is superior. I don't ride in the wet much at all though so resin pads are my first choce and they're cheaper too.

skip canfield said:
Just about to pull the trigger on some SLX brakes.....do you guys like them? Are they worth the $$$? I'm gunna try the 203 F....185 R.....Hayes rotor's.
I was all pumped to buy SLX brakes until I demoed them. They were okay but the cheaply-made stamped aluminum levers were a turn-off. Instead, I got XT M775 brakes with mono-block calipers, a real pad retention pin instead of a cheap cotter pin, plus free stroke adjustment and forged levers. My were a new take-off set from Wiggle.co.uk for $193 shipped complete with all hardware and 180mm rotors F/R.

I installed them with a 203mm front rotor which was great at first but once the pads bedded in, that can be a little too much of a good thing even at 225 lbs (been thrown over the bars a few times). If I did it over again, I'd just stick with the 180mm F/R set and learn how to stop better instead of practicing how to crash better (to land on my head without hurting myself).



 
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