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Brake upgrade for noob

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Brake upgrade for noob
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flag brentwhipple
O+
Posted: Mar 16, 2021 at 13:28 Quote
Hey guys,

Bought my first full sus last summer, a 2020 Marin Alpien Trail 7 which has been awesome but definitely looking to upgrade the tektro brakes for this summer. After researching brakes I think I'd like the sram code r's or shimano zee's if theyre worth the extra ~50$ ish total, as well as switch my 180mm rear rotor for 200mm. Can I just buy the brake set and any sram rotor? Do I need to change my front tektro rotor for sram as well? Anything else that needs to be bought or checked?

Thanks!
flag mark-p
Posted: Mar 16, 2021 at 14:49 Quote
Unless you are really hammering the brakes there is little point in upgrading the rotors.

Shimano - mineral oil, easier to handle it does not attack all the paint so bleeding is easier. If you are looking at the M640 and can actually get a pair then great. They have had some good reviews and the 4 pot will provide more braking effort for a given lever pull.

SRAM - DOT oil so more care handling, plenty of good reviews but then some have also had issues.

My personal preference is Magura Trail Sport, 4 pot at the front 2 at the back. It is worth getting Magura rotors, they are thicker than most (less risk of warping). These are also mineral oil. I have these on one of my bikes and they have survived a number of spills with no more than a scrape.

The type of pads you select can have more effect on the stopping power than bigger rotors, more expensive (supposedly better) brakes etc. Soft resin pads will stop well, they just don't last as long. Sintered metallic will last longer and are durable in wet/muddy conditions but done stop as well.
flag brentwhipple
O+
Posted: Mar 16, 2021 at 16:40 Quote
mark-p wrote:
Unless you are really hammering the brakes there is little point in upgrading the rotors.

Shimano - mineral oil, easier to handle it does not attack all the paint so bleeding is easier. If you are looking at the M640 and can actually get a pair then great. They have had some good reviews and the 4 pot will provide more braking effort for a given lever pull.

SRAM - DOT oil so more care handling, plenty of good reviews but then some have also had issues.

My personal preference is Magura Trail Sport, 4 pot at the front 2 at the back. It is worth getting Magura rotors, they are thicker than most (less risk of warping). These are also mineral oil. I have these on one of my bikes and they have survived a number of spills with no more than a scrape.

The type of pads you select can have more effect on the stopping power than bigger rotors, more expensive (supposedly better) brakes etc. Soft resin pads will stop well, they just don't last as long. Sintered metallic will last longer and are durable in wet/muddy conditions but done stop as well.

Thanks for the info! So all rotors are basically interchangeable? Been riding park a good deal and can already see mine starting to warp / discolor a bit
flag brentwhipple
O+
Posted: Mar 16, 2021 at 16:48 Quote
and I guess I'd add the formula cura 4 as an option as well, priced roughly the same as the sram codes
flag metro24
Posted: Mar 16, 2021 at 17:14 Quote
Yeah you can pretty much use any rotor. BUT, That being said some rotors are resin pad only. I don't know if you plan on using metal pads, but if you plan on that, double check your rotors to see what they say
flag lancemountainbike
FL
Posted: Mar 17, 2021 at 11:30 Quote
I don't really agree with mark-p about upgrading the rotors. Larger rotors are (in my opinion) a good idea if you are riding in the park a lot. If you were starting with more middle of the line rather than entry level brakes, I'd recommend going with larger rotors before spending the money for upgraded brakes. Since you want to upgrade the brakes, you could hold off on the rotors to see if the upgraded brakes alone are good enough and buy the rotors later if needed. Might save some money.

Brake rotors are pretty interchangeable. Most companies brakes are intended to work with 1.8 mm thick rotors. Magura uses 2.0 mm and I know some of the new DH oriented TRP's go with even thicker rotors. Other than the resin pad only thing liamshreds mentioned, one thing to look out for is that for the +/- 8" rotors, Shimano goes with a 203 mm diameter rotor and SRAM 200 mm. I'm not familiar with Formula's brakes so if you go down that route you should find out what sort of rotors they use.
flag iliveonnitro
Posted: Mar 17, 2021 at 16:11 Quote
If you're going to upgrade the brakes, I wouldn't buy Sram or Shimano. Go with a TRP or Shigura/Magura setup. I really like my DHR-EVOs.

The new TRP DH-R EVO rotors are 2.3mm thick. I've heard they work with Shimano, but don't know anyone who has tried them on Sram brakes. I don't see why .5mm would be a deal breaker. If you go from 200 to 203mm, just add a 1.5mm thick washer. If you're going with new brakes, i would definitely increase your 180 to 200/203.
flag gusbus432
Posted: Mar 17, 2021 at 16:30 Quote
I just got a used bike that has zees and they are great. That being said, TRP is freaking amazing, 2 of my friends have them and they feel/perform so nice
flag brentwhipple
O+
Posted: Mar 17, 2021 at 21:34 Quote
iliveonnitro wrote:
If you're going to upgrade the brakes, I wouldn't buy Sram or Shimano. Go with a TRP or Shigura/Magura setup. I really like my DHR-EVOs.

The new TRP DH-R EVO rotors are 2.3mm thick. I've heard they work with Shimano, but don't know anyone who has tried them on Sram brakes. I don't see why .5mm would be a deal breaker. If you go from 200 to 203mm, just add a 1.5mm thick washer. If you're going with new brakes, i would definitely increase your 180 to 200/203.

I'm sure they're beasts but a decent amount pricier than the codes or zees, any of which should be a significant upgrade over the tektros.
flag brentwhipple
O+
Posted: Mar 17, 2021 at 21:50 Quote
The MT5's with the HC lever seem like they might be better than code r's at around the same price point, so many options
flag iliveonnitro
Posted: Mar 17, 2021 at 23:05 Quote
brentwhipple wrote:
The MT5's with the HC lever seem like they might be better than code r's at around the same price point, so many options

I think that's a better choice than sram or Shimano.
flag Chief2slo
O+ FL
Posted: Mar 23, 2021 at 3:19 Quote
I ran the magura MT Trail Sport on my last bike as an upgrade from Sram Guides and wow! What a set up! Fantastic upgrade that got me through many a park lap and trail. You won’t be disappointed if you go that route, especially for the price.
flag militantmandy
Posted: Mar 23, 2021 at 4:28 Quote
iliveonnitro wrote:
brentwhipple wrote:
The MT5's with the HC lever seem like they might be better than code r's at around the same price point, so many options

I think that's a better choice than sram or Shimano.

MT5s are much, much more powerful than Code R and just as easy to modulate IMO. I have run MT5 across 4 bikes. My only complaints really, are that they feel a bit less "premium" and that getting a good bleed (especially on rear) can sometimes be an exercise in frustration. Performance wise though, they're superb.

ETA - don't count on needing HC lever. Try the big ones first. They give even more power and work just fine as 1 finger. They are metal, NOT plastic as some seem to think. I have run them with both levers. The HC1 feels a bit firmer and makes cockpit set up easier if you use shiftmix. The big levers give slightly more power and mean you need to run the brakes pretty far in board, which can cause issues with getting gears/dropper in the right place. I just moved to separate clamps.
flag militantmandy
Posted: Mar 23, 2021 at 4:28 Quote
Chief2slo wrote:
I ran the magura MT Trail Sport on my last bike as an upgrade from Sram Guides and wow! What a set up! Fantastic upgrade that got me through many a park lap and trail. You won’t be disappointed if you go that route, especially for the price.

Trails Sports are great, but (in EU/UK at least) the price difference to MT5 is pretty minimal.
flag brentwhipple
O+
Posted: Mar 23, 2021 at 13:01 Quote
militantmandy wrote:
iliveonnitro wrote:
brentwhipple wrote:
The MT5's with the HC lever seem like they might be better than code r's at around the same price point, so many options

I think that's a better choice than sram or Shimano.

MT5s are much, much more powerful than Code R and just as easy to modulate IMO. I have run MT5 across 4 bikes. My only complaints really, are that they feel a bit less "premium" and that getting a good bleed (especially on rear) can sometimes be an exercise in frustration. Performance wise though, they're superb.

ETA - don't count on needing HC lever. Try the big ones first. They give even more power and work just fine as 1 finger. They are metal, NOT plastic as some seem to think. I have run them with both levers. The HC1 feels a bit firmer and makes cockpit set up easier if you use shiftmix. The big levers give slightly more power and mean you need to run the brakes pretty far in board, which can cause issues with getting gears/dropper in the right place. I just moved to separate clamps.

Good to know! I dont have any issues with my large tektro levers now so Im sure the large Maguras would be just fine. Any issues with breaking them in a crash? seems to be the most prevalent complaint I see
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