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saint brakes...fins or no fins......

5K views 13 replies 12 participants last post by  Gman086 
#1 ·
anybody seeing a difference between fins and no fins...never have a problem with brakes overheating or fading on long runs....

are the new inline levers better...why why not???
 
#2 ·
Haven't gotten much time on the Saints but with the XT's I do notice less heat issues on long, steep descents than I did with the older version. Still haven't gotten a ride with the new style rotors either, only saw them at the Shimano booth...
 
#3 ·
I had the m810s and last season warranty replacement afforded me a set of m820s. I never experienced much fade with the 810s but fade is non existent on the 820s. Also with the 820 the lever feel is alot better. With the 810 i could never get them to be not squishy no mater what. They worked but lever feel was too soft for my liking but the 820 fixed that problem for me. I will say that my 810s leaked at the caliper and lever and the 820 is doing the same. I am on my 2nd set of 820s and lever leak is a pain. My first pair leaked at lever and caliper which Shimano replaced brakes and rotors but its a drag to deal with.
 
#4 ·
I notice no difference between the fins vs no-fins pads during regular use. I will propose that the fins will help the pads last a bit longer though. Cooler pads = longer pad life, no matter if you can feel the difference or not.
 
#6 ·
Had a borrowed set of M810 Saints on my bike last year, currently running an M820 Saint front & Zee rear on my bike. Biggest difference to me is the lever, the old one had a bit of an awkward feel to it, I could never quite figure out if it was made for 1 or 2-finger braking and it never felt quite right with either. Modulation was a bit too on-off at lower speeds but seemed fine at medium to higher speeds.

The M820 Saint levers are much better, probably the best I've ever used. They're shaped very well for 1-finger braking and the dimples & shaping are really good at keeping your fingers from sliding around. Modulation is superb, no problems with accidental lock-ups even on snow & ice. As for pads, I can't get brake fade since I'm light and live in a fairly flat area, however, I have noticed that the finned pads are quieter than the regular ones in wet conditions. They're also way more expensive so I end up using the regular pads for everyday use and save the finned ones for chairlift days.
 
#8 ·
fitted a set of the 820's to my dt for last years september whistler trip,,, all i can say is, wow. they are great. cant offer any comments on the old vs new, as i came from magura louise bats. these were good as trail brakes, but as i progressed as a rider and became faster, i noticed how poor the louise were. theyd fade really bad on the long bike park trails.
the saints put an end to my brake fade issues, i can honestly say i have never noticed any kind of fade, even dragging my rear brake down whiskey jack, or the other steep fire road decents, the brakes dont fade at all. the lever is great, the feel of it, the reach, the adjustability, reach throw, everything about it. so much better than the maguras
as for the finned pads, id say they do make a differance in keeping the temp down, i have used both stock finned pads, and none finned aftermarket pads, (nukeproof cheap ones off crc) i noticed the brakes run hotter without the finned pads, but cant honestly say i noticed a drop in performance. they still work just as well with none finned aftermarket pads.
im running the icetech rotors, not the finned shimano saint ones, as these are only available in centre lock at the mo.
the only issue i have had is the changing bite point. most of the time the pads will bite at the point i have them set to, a few mm from the bar, but sometimes, maybe 1 in 10 times the pad will bite right at the top of the levers pull, then another time it will bite in the middle of the pull, then go back to normal. they were quite inconsistant.
though i have to say i didnt really notice this on my last whistler trip in september this year. so maybe it was a bedding in process. i know alot of the journo's on the press launch complained of this, and there's been a few posts on here about it.

over all though id have to say i am more than happy with them, and now all my bikes run shimano brakes. the podium runs saints, my endo and stylus are on xt. all are very good powerful brakes. you wont be dissapointed.
 
#9 ·
they cant hurt anything except your wallet :)

brakes generate heat from the pad rotor interface. everything in the caliper is cooled via air, via the fluid and the caliper surface area. more surface area, more cooling. the fins definitely help. the question is, does the user use the brakes in such a way that they need the extra cooling. youll have to answer that one.

i'll tell you this though. once the pads get thin, under 3.4mm (pad and backing), they start heating up pretty fast with regular use.

whats cheaper? changing pads at 40% or buying the finned pads?
 
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