What brakes are people running?

PB Forum :: Downhill
What brakes are people running?
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flag johnbalz
Posted: Jan 25, 2019 at 13:53 Quote
panaphonic wrote:
johnbalz wrote:
panaphonic wrote:


Code RSCs with 225mm rotors is my current choice but I could use more power somehow.

When are they pumping up for you, long descents?

I got back into MTB about a year ago after a hiatus since the 90's when we still did not have disc brakes. I see a lot of guys mention that some brakes are "too powerful", so before I tried all these out I figured that some of the systems must be pretty brutal. Maybe riding motocross for 20+ years has really jaded my standards of what brakes should do, but I've yet to experience anything near too-much power in these brakes. I'm very happy with my Saint setup but would not be upset with more power.
Saints and Zee's pumped up on even short descents. Bleeding helps but after a few rides they get air in them again and get worse.
I once had SLX 666 with 200mm rotors and they were supremely powerful and reliable with 26" wheels. I always find that the more powerful my brakes are the better I can ride. I do envy light weight people who seem to love any brakes.

Fortunately I haven't had that happen on mine, it was a big problem with my Guides. At the bikepark my levers would sometimes have almost no travel left they would pump up so badly.
I am fairly light at 155lbs, for me the Saints hit the sweet-spot but there are lots of good brakes out there.
flag mtbikeaddict
Posted: Feb 2, 2019 at 12:35 Quote
Looking at a few bikes... most have Guides, although one ('16 Process 153 DL) has XT, 203/180mm f/r. From what I've heard, Shimano are more on-off due to ServoWave, and SRAM has more modulation. I currently have mechanical discs, and love the modulation. Plus the review of that bike in particular, and a decent number of XT/Shimano reviews, mention the wandering bitepoint. I know guy who'll sell me a pretty new set of Guide RS's with 203mm rotors for $120. I like the modulation, 4 piston, bigger rotors, and it'll match the SRAM components lol Wink . Only issue I guess would be DOT fluid (I've heard is nastier than mineral oil) and changing the brakes. Thoughts on which brakes?
flag Abacall
O+
Posted: Feb 3, 2019 at 7:20 Quote
mtbikeaddict wrote:
Looking at a few bikes... most have Guides, although one ('16 Process 153 DL) has XT, 203/180mm f/r. From what I've heard, Shimano are more on-off due to ServoWave, and SRAM has more modulation. I currently have mechanical discs, and love the modulation. Plus the review of that bike in particular, and a decent number of XT/Shimano reviews, mention the wandering bitepoint. I know guy who'll sell me a pretty new set of Guide RS's with 203mm rotors for $120. I like the modulation, 4 piston, bigger rotors, and it'll match the SRAM components lol Wink . Only issue I guess would be DOT fluid (I've heard is nastier than mineral oil) and changing the brakes. Thoughts on which brakes?

Every pair of XT brakes I’ve had suffered the wandering bite point. I found it super sketchy, some don’t care. Guides are good, as long as you’re not hitting long steep descents, where their lack of overall power might not be great.
The whole dot vs mineral argument is silly. Dot is better for so many reasons (consistency, life, hydrophobic), but it is toxic and mineral is not. Personally I don’t care and I just make sure to handle dot safely and dispose of it appropriately (just like the car) and reap the benefits of legit brake fluid.
If you can, spend a bit more coin and get the code calipers. Power and modulation. If you have more coin, get the Hayes Dominions. Love the hell out of mine.
flag mtbikeaddict
Posted: Feb 3, 2019 at 8:00 Quote
Abacall wrote:
mtbikeaddict wrote:
Looking at a few bikes... most have Guides, although one ('16 Process 153 DL) has XT, 203/180mm f/r. From what I've heard, Shimano are more on-off due to ServoWave, and SRAM has more modulation. I currently have mechanical discs, and love the modulation. Plus the review of that bike in particular, and a decent number of XT/Shimano reviews, mention the wandering bitepoint. I know guy who'll sell me a pretty new set of Guide RS's with 203mm rotors for $120. I like the modulation, 4 piston, bigger rotors, and it'll match the SRAM components lol Wink . Only issue I guess would be DOT fluid (I've heard is nastier than mineral oil) and changing the brakes. Thoughts on which brakes?

Every pair of XT brakes I’ve had suffered the wandering bite point. I found it super sketchy, some don’t care. Guides are good, as long as you’re not hitting long steep descents, where their lack of overall power might not be great.
The whole dot vs mineral argument is silly. Dot is better for so many reasons (consistency, life, hydrophobic), but it is toxic and mineral is not. Personally I don’t care and I just make sure to handle dot safely and dispose of it appropriately (just like the car) and reap the benefits of legit brake fluid.
If you can, spend a bit more coin and get the code calipers. Power and modulation. If you have more coin, get the Hayes Dominions. Love the hell out of mine.
Thanks. So out of:
2018 Guide RS F/R 200mm $120
2017 Code R F/R 200mm $150
2019 Code R F/R no rotors $150
2019 Code R F/R 180mm $175
I should pick Codes if possible, maybe the '17 set?
flag yzedf
Posted: Feb 3, 2019 at 8:33 Quote
I don't understand all the fuss over dot fluid. It's easier to deal with, if you spill it you douse it with water until it turns milky white and then wipe it up. Wear rubber gloves (same as with mineral oil when you're using the degreaser to clean up) and that's about it.
flag jmartinbiking
Posted: Feb 3, 2019 at 9:22 Quote
mtbikeaddict wrote:
Abacall wrote:
mtbikeaddict wrote:
Looking at a few bikes... most have Guides, although one ('16 Process 153 DL) has XT, 203/180mm f/r. From what I've heard, Shimano are more on-off due to ServoWave, and SRAM has more modulation. I currently have mechanical discs, and love the modulation. Plus the review of that bike in particular, and a decent number of XT/Shimano reviews, mention the wandering bitepoint. I know guy who'll sell me a pretty new set of Guide RS's with 203mm rotors for $120. I like the modulation, 4 piston, bigger rotors, and it'll match the SRAM components lol Wink . Only issue I guess would be DOT fluid (I've heard is nastier than mineral oil) and changing the brakes. Thoughts on which brakes?

Every pair of XT brakes I’ve had suffered the wandering bite point. I found it super sketchy, some don’t care. Guides are good, as long as you’re not hitting long steep descents, where their lack of overall power might not be great.
The whole dot vs mineral argument is silly. Dot is better for so many reasons (consistency, life, hydrophobic), but it is toxic and mineral is not. Personally I don’t care and I just make sure to handle dot safely and dispose of it appropriately (just like the car) and reap the benefits of legit brake fluid.
If you can, spend a bit more coin and get the code calipers. Power and modulation. If you have more coin, get the Hayes Dominions. Love the hell out of mine.
Thanks. So out of:
2018 Guide RS F/R 200mm $120
2017 Code R F/R 200mm $150
2019 Code R F/R no rotors $150
2019 Code R F/R 180mm $175
I should pick Codes if possible, maybe the '17 set?
I would go for the codes if you are looking to do sustained descents, but guides are ok for just general trail riding
flag DC1988
Posted: Feb 3, 2019 at 9:51 Quote
Abacall wrote:
mtbikeaddict wrote:
Looking at a few bikes... most have Guides, although one ('16 Process 153 DL) has XT, 203/180mm f/r. From what I've heard, Shimano are more on-off due to ServoWave, and SRAM has more modulation. I currently have mechanical discs, and love the modulation. Plus the review of that bike in particular, and a decent number of XT/Shimano reviews, mention the wandering bitepoint. I know guy who'll sell me a pretty new set of Guide RS's with 203mm rotors for $120. I like the modulation, 4 piston, bigger rotors, and it'll match the SRAM components lol Wink . Only issue I guess would be DOT fluid (I've heard is nastier than mineral oil) and changing the brakes. Thoughts on which brakes?

Every pair of XT brakes I’ve had suffered the wandering bite point. I found it super sketchy, some don’t care. Guides are good, as long as you’re not hitting long steep descents, where their lack of overall power might not be great.
The whole dot vs mineral argument is silly. Dot is better for so many reasons (consistency, life, hydrophobic), but it is toxic and mineral is not. Personally I don’t care and I just make sure to handle dot safely and dispose of it appropriately (just like the car) and reap the benefits of legit brake fluid.
If you can, spend a bit more coin and get the code calipers. Power and modulation. If you have more coin, get the Hayes Dominions. Love the hell out of mine.
Dot fluid is hygroscopic, mineral oil is not.
flag mtbikeaddict
Posted: Feb 3, 2019 at 10:20 Quote
They'll be on my first burly full-suspension, something around 130-165mm rear 150-170mm front, (Tracer, Process, Rune, Prime, Instinct BC, Altitude, Patrol) which hopefully I'll use pretty much forever for everything, so... sustained nasty descent stuff won't be the norm, but definitely in the cards, since I'll probably use my HT for most other stuff. So general trail riding, with occasional trips to parks like Whistler, Galbraith, Stevens, Moab, Park City, DH stuff like Leavenworth, freeriding whatever I can find... jmartinbiking how was the Guide set you just sold? Keep in mind guys that I've never really had/used super nice bikes/components, so since this will be my first, even the Guides will probably knock my socks off lol, at least initially. So correct me if I'm wrong, but what I'm hearing is if I'm building/buying my bike and want it to be up for anything, I might as well go big with Codes, even if they're a little more expensive, possibly older/lesser rotors, and R instead of RS?
jmartinbiking wrote:
mtbikeaddict wrote:
Abacall wrote:


Every pair of XT brakes I’ve had suffered the wandering bite point. I found it super sketchy, some don’t care. Guides are good, as long as you’re not hitting long steep descents, where their lack of overall power might not be great.
The whole dot vs mineral argument is silly. Dot is better for so many reasons (consistency, life, hydrophobic), but it is toxic and mineral is not. Personally I don’t care and I just make sure to handle dot safely and dispose of it appropriately (just like the car) and reap the benefits of legit brake fluid.
If you can, spend a bit more coin and get the code calipers. Power and modulation. If you have more coin, get the Hayes Dominions. Love the hell out of mine.
Thanks. So out of:
2018 Guide RS F/R 200mm $120
2017 Code R F/R 200mm $150
2019 Code R F/R no rotors $150
2019 Code R F/R 180mm $175
I should pick Codes if possible, maybe the '17 set?
I would go for the codes if you are looking to do sustained descents, but guides are ok for just general trail riding
flag TheGnome
Posted: Feb 3, 2019 at 10:42 Quote
avid elixir 5 sl with 203 mm rotors
flag EliasFritzen
Posted: Feb 3, 2019 at 10:53 Quote
Shimano saint front and rear 180mm rotors. On Kona process.
flag Abacall
O+
Posted: Feb 3, 2019 at 14:14 Quote
DC1988 wrote:
Abacall wrote:
mtbikeaddict wrote:
Looking at a few bikes... most have Guides, although one ('16 Process 153 DL) has XT, 203/180mm f/r. From what I've heard, Shimano are more on-off due to ServoWave, and SRAM has more modulation. I currently have mechanical discs, and love the modulation. Plus the review of that bike in particular, and a decent number of XT/Shimano reviews, mention the wandering bitepoint. I know guy who'll sell me a pretty new set of Guide RS's with 203mm rotors for $120. I like the modulation, 4 piston, bigger rotors, and it'll match the SRAM components lol Wink . Only issue I guess would be DOT fluid (I've heard is nastier than mineral oil) and changing the brakes. Thoughts on which brakes?

Every pair of XT brakes I’ve had suffered the wandering bite point. I found it super sketchy, some don’t care. Guides are good, as long as you’re not hitting long steep descents, where their lack of overall power might not be great.
The whole dot vs mineral argument is silly. Dot is better for so many reasons (consistency, life, hydrophobic), but it is toxic and mineral is not. Personally I don’t care and I just make sure to handle dot safely and dispose of it appropriately (just like the car) and reap the benefits of legit brake fluid.
If you can, spend a bit more coin and get the code calipers. Power and modulation. If you have more coin, get the Hayes Dominions. Love the hell out of mine.
Dot fluid is hygroscopic, mineral oil is not.

Funny, I somehow mixed those up. It’s totally the other way around. What I meant was that being hygroscopic was it’s advantage, not separating the water from the fluid, avoiding water pooling at the calipers.

Anyhow, here’s an awesome little read for socme background info on the differences - http://https://www.epicbleedsolutions.com/blog/dot-brake-fluid-vs-mineral-oil/

BTW, I definitely vote for the codes. No one ever complains about too much power, as long as the brake is well modulated (and the code is).
flag panaphonic
Posted: Feb 3, 2019 at 14:32 Quote
Abacall wrote:
DC1988 wrote:
Abacall wrote:


Every pair of XT brakes I’ve had suffered the wandering bite point. I found it super sketchy, some don’t care. Guides are good, as long as you’re not hitting long steep descents, where their lack of overall power might not be great.
The whole dot vs mineral argument is silly. Dot is better for so many reasons (consistency, life, hydrophobic), but it is toxic and mineral is not. Personally I don’t care and I just make sure to handle dot safely and dispose of it appropriately (just like the car) and reap the benefits of legit brake fluid.
If you can, spend a bit more coin and get the code calipers. Power and modulation. If you have more coin, get the Hayes Dominions. Love the hell out of mine.
Dot fluid is hygroscopic, mineral oil is not.

Funny, I somehow mixed those up. It’s totally the other way around. What I meant was that being hygroscopic was it’s advantage, not separating the water from the fluid, avoiding water pooling at the calipers.

Anyhow, here’s an awesome little read for socme background info on the differences - http://https://www.epicbleedsolutions.com/blog/dot-brake-fluid-vs-mineral-oil/

BTW, I definitely vote for the codes. No one ever complains about too much power, as long as the brake is well modulated (and the code is).

I don't really consider the Code RSC to be overly powerful. It's definitely a good brake but I think it could use 25% more power.
flag Josh144
Posted: Feb 15, 2019 at 2:23 Quote
I ride guide R’s on my downhill bike but they were gen1 internals. They had returning issues and seized up eventually but replaced internals with gen2 ones and they have worked fine for 6 weeks through hard downhill riding and uplift days
flag swompy13
Posted: Feb 15, 2019 at 8:25 Quote
Shimano Zee`s front & back with 203mm rotors..

 


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