If you could have only one brand of hydraulic brakes, which would it be?

Please specify as much detail as you want and use whatever criteria matters to you; stopping power, ease of maintenance, cost, etc.

 

I'm running Hayes mechanicals and they work great, easy to work on too.

 

voted avid (though if I could afford them, i'd go hope all around)

ease of maintenance (bleed kit is simple to use) and cost

 

I don't have experience with all makes mentioned. I do have experience with Hayes, Avid's and Shimano's. I'm currently running the 08 Shimano XT's (about 3 months) and love them, so far. Very consistent and great stopping power with no fading what so ever. They squeak now and then but nothing like Avid's do. Hope, I've heard great things about but have no personal first hand experience.

I think the Avid Juicy's are most commonly used but I'm not sure if I would say they're the best. Cost vs. performance ratio, they're pretty good. Try the 08 XT's and you'll know what I'm talking about. As far as cost and parts availability; how much more standardized can you get then Shimano?

 

I have run Juicy 5s and now Hayes Strokers. I am not thrilled with either one thus far, but I appreciate the feedback from folks. Thinking of maybe going a different direction in the future but not sure which direction. I would prefer to standardize brakes across all of our bikes so as not to have a bunch of different pads, brake fluids and such around the garage.

 

Like the responsive feeling of 1 finger modulation I get with the Magura Marta SL.

 

Hayes mechs on one bike and shimano hydros on the other. The Shimano's are definitely nice and smooth and they stop well with little noise, but the stopping power of the mech's seems to be all I really need, so have been thinking of switching the hydro's out for ease of maintenance reasons.

 

If you don't mind spending the $$$, it's hard to beat formulas. The power and modulation is unreal. I hear buying replacement parts/pads can be quite a pain in the ass though.

 

I have 08 XT's and Formula K24's... both really nice brakes, but I give the overall edge to the XT's... they feel great, smooth, plenty of power, and I'll take mineral oil over DOT fluid anyday.

Formulas have been a bit noisy. And are almost 'sticky' on initial engagement.

 

I only have experience with Hopes (the mini's from six or so years ago) and Shimano's. I'm running the 08 XT's on both my trail bike and singlespeed........couldn't be any happier with the stopping power or the maintenance (none, thus far). I just changed brake pads this weekend, and that was a cake......didn't even need to remove the wheels. Prior to the XT's, I was running LX's for a little over a year. Those too were good brakes with no issues.

 

I have Avid 5's and 7's on two bikes and a set of Magura SL's on the new bike. Hands down - the Magura's. They have a ton of feel, modulation and they are light weight.

Not too sure about replacement parts, but so far, the Magura's are my choice. Now, if I can get them at the Avid Juicy price...

 

I run an old, OLD set of Hayes Mags on my primary bike and Juicy 7s on my other ride. Neither brake rocks my world, with the Juicys tending to be finicky and the Mags having that mushy lever feel you hear so much about. I'll most likely replace the Mags soon with some Shimano XTs, which blew the Hayes Strokers outta the water when i tried them side-by-side recently. Am also considering some lower-end Formulas (K18s or K24s), cuz i've heard so many positive reviews and also because you can replace pads without having to remove your wheels, which is a pretty convenient feature.

 

These are my experiences so far
1. Shimano Saint 06' - consistent performer - did nothing bad, did nothing great. very noisy if not set up properly. did fade on me a few times
2. Hayes carbon 06' - did nothing great, when set up with 6" rotors, found it to be very prone to fading, even on my carbon HT.
3. Hope M6 06' - very good power and modulation. Little on the heavy side, and also pain to set up(needed shims and facing).
4. Shimano XT 07' - sort of the same thing as the Saint but silver in color. same performance(ho hum), but always there.
5. Hope MOTO V2 w/ vented rotors 08' - hands down the most powerful brakes I've ridden with. Noisy brakes, but it reminds me of race cars(once up to temp the noise goes away). HEAVY!
6. Formula "The One"(GM limited edition)08' - Fantastic modulation. About the same power as the 08' XT but mine had very inconsistant lever stroke. Ended in warranty. Pain to bleed!
7. Shimano XT 08' - Good solid brakes. A little better in feel than previous years all around(lever actuation, fade resistance,and power)
8. Avid juicy ultimates 08' (white) - easy set-up, unorthodox bleeding system(same as formula), OK power, OK modulation. Not really impressed with it for the price.

So my pick for the best brakes= DH/FR - MOTO V2, XC/AM -08' Shimano XT.

Can't wait for the new Saint to come out. Reminds me of the older 4pot XT calipers with the new master cylinder. Should be a fantastic combo!

 

I've run Hopes and Formulas, and ridden my share of Magura, Shimano, Hayes and Avid equiped bikes. With current options, I feel comfortable in my choice with Formula Ones and Biancos on the single speed and dualy.

They're the easiest to bleed, smoothest at the lever, and just the best thought out design of what I've tried. I really liked the Hopes from a design standpoint, but they were a pain to bleed and never felt as strong as most brands.

For the money, I'd say that you can't beat Formula K24s with the sintered pads. The stock organic pads are fine, but once they're gone, it's really worth switching to the sintered. Both the Biancos and Ones come stock with sintered. I run 180 rotors front and rear. Stock Formula rotors with the Ones and Hope two pieces with the Biancos.

Freekengo, interesting that you found the Ones hard to bleed. Just getting all the air out, or the whole process?

 

Didn't realize this was a feature of the XTs too. Good to know.

 

I have used Avid & Hayes, I just switched both bikes to Magura & they are great. I got a cheap set of julies from Jenson ($60 each)& they rock great feel plenty of power, I'm running Lousie's carbons on the other bike & these have been great too, but only a couple of rides ride. I bleed my own brakes & switching to mineral oil has been sweet. I don't have to worry about stripping paint etc.

They are super easy to bleed compared to the Hayes systems.

If I had money to burn I would like to try Hopes & the Formula stuff

 

I love the feel of the 08 XT's. In fact, I'm slowly migrating all of my bikes over to them.

The modulation is fantastic and the power is there if you need it. Plus parts are readily available.

Brakesets I've had in the past include:

Hope Mono Minis - Not enough power, seemed to fade quickly

Avid Juicy 5s - These things wouldn't shut up

Hayes Stroker - Not bad, but modulation and feel not as good as the Shimanos

Magura Louise FR - There are pretty good too, but I'm not too fond of the lever chatter.

 

Avid Juicy 3 - these things sucked
Avid BB7 - better than Juicy 3's believe it or not but faded alot for a 200lb rider
Avid Juicy 5 - not bad but loud as ever
Avid Juicy 7 - best Avids so far, with organic pads they are quiet. plenty of stopping power although i have noticed some burning smells on long downhill sections

One of these days I need to try some other brake manf.

 

I haven't run them all, but I like freekengo's brakedown. So, here's mine of the brakes I've used:

'04 Shimano Deore hydros: Great brakes. Very reliable, easy to set up. Very consistent. Do they do any one thing spectacularly?? Not necessarily. So why are they awesome? I'm still using them--4 years going strong--and they've only needed to be bled once.

'06 Shimano Deore hydros: Same as the '04 set. Great brakes. Have never had to have them bled.

'06 Shimano XT hydros: Nice brakes. They didn't perform any better than their cheaper Deore counterparts, so that's why I don't consider them to be great. They did the job alright, but they were a bit pricy. Good, but not great.

'06 Avid Juicy 7's: Biggest waste of money ever (for me anyway). No power, constantly noisy. Modulation/adjustment was over-rated. Very hard to set-up. I had really good mechanics try too, so it wasn't just me. I've never had an issue setting up any other brake, so don't say it was me.

'06 Hayes Mags: Decent brake. Nothing to write home about. I've had to have them bled twice already--and they sit on my freeride/DH bike--a bike I don't ride very often.

'06 & '07 Hayes 9's: I have or have used 4 different sets of these brakes. You can always find them on sale somewhere for $70-$80 per. They are SUPER easy to set up and always perform. I have never had to have any of them bled. Penny for penny, they are the best brake on the market, in my opinion. Awesome value.

For me, the Shimano Deores and the Hayes 9's tie for best brake--strictly because of the value. They aren't expensive at all and they WORK!! What makes a set of brakes great?? When you never have to think about them, they just do their job.

With what I've read and heard from friends, and with my previous experience with Shimano brakes, I will likely replace my current stuff with '08/current year XT's. Though, I don't see that needing to happen for awhile.

 

I just found the double srynge system to be very unorthodox. For instance, when releasing the lower sryinge(caliper side), how do you not reintroduce air back into the system before you put the set screw back in? the standard bleed screw makes a lot more sense there. I can understand the original thought process behind the system, but I consider the outcome to be second rate. Not a HUGE deal, but a deal nonetheless. Just my take on it. :wave: