Finally done with Elixirs. XT the answer? Where to buy?

[Tech Tonics]

I am so tired of dealing with shitty brakes. I've had juicys and elixirs on my last three bikes and I am over it. They suck.

Are XTs the answer? SLX? No concerns about bling. XC style riding and really hard on my stuff. Certainly a break-shit type of guy. I like things that work.

I thought there was an online retailer selling oem take-offs for a good deal? Anyone?

WTB: XT brakes.

[smmokan]

BC.com has had some decent deals on XT brakes lately... but I think the best deals are over the pond from places like Merlin Cycles and Chain Reaction Cycles.

[alpineadventure]

You'll do just fine with slx. Pricepoint and crc usually have good deals on shimano.

[reynolds.trailrun]

blueskycycling.com also has good deals. Usually have SLX for $80 ($90 now so went up a bit) per brake excluding rotors.

[SB]

If you shop around there are deals on XT brakes. So happy I dumped the exlaxrs setup as I do not need help in that department.

If I recall I got mine off PricePoint for a good discount.

[kootenayskier]

XT's are the brake of choice in these parts. They work so well, and without issues, that you never have to think about them.

[NuMexJoe]

I'll second this recommendation. If you don't need new rotors, then the SLX from BlueSky are a deal that's hard to beat. I pulled that trigger over a year ago and can't imagine that paying the extra for XT would have gained me much in the way of performance. Best brakes I've ever used!

blueskycycling.com also has good deals. Usually have SLX for $80 ($90 now so went up a bit) per brake excluding rotors.

[ridevt]

Only weakness I've found is that Shimano brakes seep in the cold and contaminate pads if left for awhile. This gets expensive come Spring when you have to replace all the pads. I'm actually running the new XO trail's this season and love em so far. We'll see how they fair through the year.

SPAM> I'm selling a pair of XTR trail brakes for $275, no rotors. Ridden a season.

[Eluder]

Happily with XO trails here as well, coworker has a set of the 7 trails on his bike and I can barely tell the difference. I had the XT's on there, they are a great brake but they suck if your trying to set them up with a reverb.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

I rode XTs last week in Sedona. I am so done with my Avid XOs. The XTs are so much nicer.

[mntlion]

SLX + finned pads = XT.

buy either

[Lindahl]

SLX + finned pads = XT.

buy either

The new Deores are also the same. $120-$140 shipped for the pair from Merlins. Or at least they were.

[nickwm21]

The new Deores are also the same. $120-$140 shipped for the pair from Merlins. Or at least they were.

Can anyone confirm that?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using TGR Forums

[Soups]

Got my SLXs from blue sky last year. They were around $120 for the set, no rotors. Love them.

FYI they were pull offs and they didn't specify the hose length. The rear was around 56" in length and fit on my SB-95. I took them off after I sold it and it was too short for the new bike and had to buy a longer hose, extra $35.

[Dromond]

My XTs keep performing well while my riding's buddy's XO squeel, complain and fade sometimes. They are the best brakes I've had by a long shot. The Juicys were quite bad.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Careful with ordering from the English. I got a really good deal on lever/caliper set (without fins, blah, who needs 'em), with big rotors and adapters for under $300 total, but they were set up reversed. I had to stare at it and the handlebars for a good minute or 2 wondering if I was completely retarded.
That said, they were really easy to switch back around. Dealing with the mineral oil is...well, it's mineral oil, so you don't really have to "deal" with it, you can just wipe it off your fingers.
The general consensus seems to be that SLX is basically just a less shiny XT without the pad contact adjust that does very little anyway.
I'm running SLX's front and rear with 8" front and 7" rear XT icetech rotors. They're still basically new, so there can be a little bit of rubbing if they get really hot, but they are amazing. The 1 finger lever is my favorite part. Even with the 29" wheels, there is almost too much power with the bigger rotors, but they have the modulation to regulate it. I should add that this is on a hardtail, so rear rotor buggery is not an issue I can comment on other than the fact that Specialized Captains have shitty, non-existent braking edges and I can skid the rear wheel too easily.
The rotors are really nice. Stiff. Should resist warping. Make sure you read the instructions, as there's these weird washer/spacer things that come with them.
Yeah, so, buy them.

[Lindahl]

Yeah, easy to swap the levers (you want to trim the hoses anyway), but it can throw you off if you throw em on there for a quick test ride.

[Finstah]

SLX + finned pads = XT.

buy either

Almost. SLX does not have the Free Stroke adjustment.

[kidwoo]

Only weakness I've found is that Shimano brakes seep in the cold and contaminate pads if left for awhile. This gets expensive come Spring when you have to replace all the pads. I'm actually running the new XO trail's this season and love em so far. We'll see how they fair through the year.

Yeah I love the two sets of xts I have but they can have their problems. The calipers on one set that I have definitely seep. They're the strongest, 'poppiest' feeling brakes shimano makes though (yes, more than saints). I'd just say get a set because they're awesome and if you have problems, don't be shy about bitching to shimano and getting them replaced. They're a big company and they know the issues. They can take it.

[BDKeg]

FWIW my wife has an ibis mojo HD, all XT components except for the brakes which are formula. They seem like pretty kick ass brakes and if Ibis is putting those on their bikes instead of shimano there must be something better about them no?

worth looking into...http://www.formula-italy.com/en/bike-brakes

[joetron]

FWIW my wife has an ibis mojo HD, all XT components except for the brakes which are formula. They seem like pretty kick ass brakes and if Ibis is putting those on their bikes instead of shimano there must be something better about them no?

worth looking into...http://www.formula-italy.com/en/bike-brakes

Probably OEM pricing.

[D(C)]

I have XTs and they're great, as were the SLXs I had on the bike I had before. I don't think there's much if any difference between them.

I have Elixir 1s on my Kona Taro and they have been surprisingly good so far. The lever feel is consistent and the power is sufficient. Are the issues with Avids usually seen longer-term, or did I get lucky with my set?

[alpineadventure]

I'm with dc, never had any problems. I've had elixir cr's or X0/ codes on my past 4 dh bikes and never had a problem, just the usual bleed half way through the season. Also have had X0's on my the last two trail bikes, never had an issue.

[jm2e]

I took this deal from Merlin last week:
http://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-...set-58528.html
and did a price match with Jenson. It was a little goofy since Merlin lists a price for the pair and Jenson sells them as singles. My price match was for half the Merlin price. Once for the fronts, onece for the rears.
End of story, $153 shipped, no UK shipping or product risk.

I have XT on my hard tail and do not notice a difference vs the SLX brakes. I never touch the free stroke adjust.

Rented bikes in Italy last summer with Deore brakes. Hands down better than any Avid brake I've used. I can't believe how good Shimano product is these days, especially at the "common man" level.

From my perspective, Fins and Ice Tech rotors make little if no difference. 2000ft Pisgah descents. They stop the bike, they sometimes get out of true.

[robinhood]

Shimano are easier to bleed and setup, they are quiet and strong. I have had bad luck with SRAM. Formulas seem to be pretty close to SRAM from my experience, dot fluid sucks. Ibis is using Shimano brakes on all the HDR builds.