New brake system for my epic

[slav]

Gents,
i will be replacing my avid juice 5sl brake system and would love to hear what people think is the best price/performance option out there.
i do not care about brand or weight; just looking for something reliable with minimal needed servicing/maintenance.
thanks!

[erichwic]

XT all day long.

[TwoTone]

Shimano XT

[aaronpass]

I am super happy with my Magura MT8. Best brakes I have owned. Heard great things about the XT though.

[pedaldown]

I purchased the MT8 front & rear for my '11 Epic S Works 29er, pretty much half to have the 180 rotor up front and 180 rotor on the back with the 29er wheels, would burn the brake pads up with the 160 rotor on the rear at first, just wear out faster, so had to go with the 180 on the back also, the new MT8 brake levers are kind of flimsy / too much flex. The front brake has been awesome, the rear has been a pain, the caliper piston would become stuck on one side, the result is the brake lever having twice the lever travel, and the lever pulling closer to the bar, Magure mannual, it had said make sure the caliper is centered over the rotor, I had done so, but seems to be a caliper sticky piston problem. So 50/50 on making a recommendation on the mt8....just some things people are having problems with on the mt8, also have heard great things on the XT.

[VTgrinder]

I have owned and ridden most brake brands and systems....
I would recommend XT levers and callipers
160 rear and 180 front FORMULA rotors (bigger if your heavy)
(XT/XTR Icetech rotors warp too easily and Formula lighter)

[sanjabiker]

Mine 11's Epic , replaced Avid Elixir R by Shimano 2012 SLX and kept the same rotor Avid G3. Modulation is very good and brakes powerfully. I think SLX is the best for the cost/advantage benefits !.

[erichwic]

I am super happy with my Magura MT8. Best brakes I have owned. Heard great things about the XT though.

I have MT8's too but have not perfected them after more than a year of use. Pads wear too quickly and getting them to have a solid feel is not an exact science. I've personally bled them about 10x and after scouring the internet for a fix, I was basically told to make a different size travel block to insert during the bleeding process to decrease lever throw. Seems kind of shady. I've used Shimano brakes in the past and will most likely go back if the MT8's don't hold up a little better.

[aaronpass]

But the XTRs don't come in black.......

[tooclosetosee]

Something to note with the Maguras are that they all seem to have the same technology more or less throughout their lineup. If I recall it was the higher priced line is all carbon and the lower levels you go the more alloy they are. There was an MTBR review on them not too long ago about this. You just said that weight wasn't important and I think the performance is more or less the same across the line. I have the MTS that came stock on my Epic and I am very happy with them with 180/160 rotors. They could be a little bit more powerful, but they are hands down better than my Elixer CR's as far as feel, maintenance, and noise. I haven't tried XT.

[tooclosetosee]

Magura MT8 Brake Review | Mountain Bike Review

[slav]

thanks for the great input. i do not at all care about the weight....
...98% of my rides involve descent of ~2600 vert. ft. at the end, and i am 205lbs myself; so i'm most keen on not having to fuss with fixing/adjusting the brakes and not replacing the pads all the time even with that pretty heavy load on them...

what is a good price to pay for shimano XT ... and what is their product release cycle like --i.e. when will the '13 model be released? ....does the '12 model then go down in price significantly? any advice on when/where to buy?
thanks!

MG

[pedaldown]

I have MT8's too but have not perfected them after more than a year of use. Pads wear too quickly and getting them to have a solid feel is not an exact science. I've personally bled them about 10x and after scouring the internet for a fix, I was basically told to make a different size travel block to insert during the bleeding process to decrease lever throw. Seems kind of shady. I've used Shimano brakes in the past and will most likely go back if the MT8's don't hold up a little better.

Magura MT8 Travel block "A 5/16 Allen wrench works better as a Master gauge block between the pistons when bleeding the MT8, its smalller than the stock Magura block, which moves the pistons out of the brake caliper, resulting in less lever through. I had written some tips on the Magura Community forum that might also help you with the bleed."

Note: This had been pointed out on the Magura forum go to: Bikes, Bike Reviews, Cycling Routes, Race News - BikeRadar search article "How we test hydraulic disc brakes" dated March 2012they use a state of the art dyno and shows the MAGURA MT6 with the aluminum levers out perform the Magura MT8 cabon brakes...crunching the numbers, the MT6 HAS ABOUT 15 % BETTER BREAKING POWER AT THE ROTOR THAN THE MT8...IMO it shows the aluminum lever to be stiffer than the carbon lever adding about 10lbs more braking power to the rotor, so just because the MT8 is carbon and cost more doesn't make it better. I would recomend the the MT6 now over the MT8.

[erichwic]

Magura MT8 Travel block "A 5/16 Allen wrench works better as a Master gauge block between the pistons when bleeding the MT8, its smalller than the stock Magura block, which moves the pistons out of the brake caliper, resulting in less lever through. I had written some tips on the Magura Community forum that might also help you with the bleed."

Note: This had been pointed out on the Magura forum go to: Bikes, Bike Reviews, Cycling Routes, Race News - BikeRadar search article "How we test hydraulic disc brakes" dated March 2012they use a state of the art dyno and shows the MAGURA MT6 with the aluminum levers out perform the Magura MT8 cabon brakes...crunching the numbers, the MT6 HAS ABOUT 15 % BETTER BREAKING POWER AT THE ROTOR THAN THE MT8...IMO it shows the aluminum lever to be stiffer than the carbon lever adding about 10lbs more braking power to the rotor, so just because the MT8 is carbon and cost more doesn't make it better. I would recomend the the MT6 now over the MT8.

Yeah, that's where I received my info too.

[Ctraut5]

Another vote for XTs. Have used a few other brands and these things have been flawless.

[Smilerz]

Shimano XT all the way.