Cheaper Alternative to Saint/XTR-Race Combo

January 1st, 2023 - Pinkbike Writes about a similar setup: https://www.pinkbike.com/news/review-shimano-br-mt420-4-piston-brakes.html

Note: I've updated this document for 2022. I originally wrote it back in 2018, and Shimano levers have changed a lot since then.

So, we all have heard about the popularity of combining a XTR-Race Lever (Non-ServoWave) with a Saint dual piston caliper. The result of which is a powerful brake that is relatively light and has great modulation.

The trouble is, this combo isn't exactly cheap. The XTR-Race lever (BL-M9100) is nearly $100 by itself.

The XTR Race Lever is a scant 63g. Primarily constructed of Magnesium and Carbon Fiber (lever blade). One of the big complaints is that the lever is pretty fragile, and quite expensive, and in some cases, difficult to source. The reason lots of folks haven't tried this is because the cost of experimenting with it is $200+.

There is however, a cheaper alternative: Shimano Touring Levers.

When I got to looking at the Shimano Touring Levers (available in almost every product line from BL200 up to XT), I noticed they looked strangely similar to the XTR-Race levers, but it was the lever blade itself that looked most different. I suspected that Shimano uses the same mold for the XTR-Race master cylinder, and different materials and lever blade design for the Touring lineup.

You can find these levers for as little as $25, sometimes less. I think I got a pair of BL-T4100 levers for $60 in 2020, which due to shortages at the time felt like a decent deal.

I've never been able to track down a scale shot of what the Touring levers might weigh, but I've got a pair that I could throw on a scale...if I ever get a scale.

The only weight estimate I was able to get was from Shimano - a claimed 108g for the BL-T8000 (XT Touring) brake lever. This would make the Touring lever approximately 40g heavier than the XTR-Race, and comparable with an XT ServoWave lever. Despite the huge lever, they don't weight dramatically more.

Lets compare:

Deore Trekking BL-T6000

XT Trekking BL-T8000

XTR-Race M9000 / M987

BL-M4100

XTR-Race M9100

Want to swap out the longer levers of the "Trekking/Touring" models? While it has been challenging to find just the Shimano XTR-Race carbon fiber lever blade by itself, the M9100 variant seems to have made that a bit easier, and you can find them for around $30. Part Number Y1XJ98010 - Not side specific.

Add any of these levers to a Shimano Saint BR-M820, Zee BR-M640, XT M8020 calipers to get better modulation with the additional power of a dual-piston caliper.

The main goal of this alternative is a cheaper setup, therefore more easily replaced. If the swap doesn't work out (some people have had issues bleeding this combo), you're out $50 (for two Deore Touring levers), instead of being out $200 for XTR-Race. You might not be saving any weight, but then again, if you require a dual-piston brake you can probably afford an extra couple of grams over a XTR-Race lever, or you won't mind ending up right around the same weight as your stock Saint or XTR Servo-Wave levers.

Here's a good summary from a guy who's running XTR-Trails with Saint Calipers.

Where this gets interesting is hose selection -

Per Shimano, the brake hose kit for the Saint and M8020 Caliper is the SM-BH90-SBLS.

The Zee kit is the only brake that specifies the SM-BH90-SBS Hose Kit, although I'm pretty sure you can use the Zee's hose kit with the Saint and vice versa.

The kits for the Saint/Zee/XT M8020 are different from the normal M8000/M7000/M6000 hose kits. If the internal diameters of these hoses or the fittings are different, this could muck with the combo. I'm not convince there is a different internal hose diameter between Shimano brakes, but I do know that the XT's use the BH90 hose, which has an OD of 5.0mm and ID of 2.1mm. Considering all the other kits utilize that same part number form of "BH90" I find it hard to believe the hose itself is any different between brakes. The fittings, banjo bolts, etc, however differ quiet a bit.b

I used the olive for the lever and barb for my Zee's Hose with the BL-M4100T lever and it worked perfectly.

Performance and Feel:

Honestly, not much different. I like actually like the longer three-finger levers as they allow me to change my handle position a bit more without worrying about getting a good grip on the lever blade. The levers have a tooled adjustment for positioning them closer to the bars if needed. Plenty of power for a big handed guy like me, and the modulation increase is nice during the dry summer and its blown out loose corners.