Submitted by
Mike N
a Cross Country Rider
from Alice Springs, NT, Australia
Date Reviewed: June 8, 2007
Strengths: Lightest brake on market for any setup any system (except cable brakes from the early 80's), Simple, Effective, Cheap
Weaknesses: Nil
Bottom Line:
I wanted to keep V brakes instead of disc to keep weight down and also didnt want to spend a fortune buying a new wheel set. Swapped from stock Avid 5 V brake due to cheap appearance and constant noise. Also saw seeing my rim progressively being worn away despite cleaning the pads all the time (probably just the pads & not the brake itself. Differences: LX a little lighter, better finish, brake shoe is longer. LX has MASSIVE stopping power, as much as my mate's mech disc setup. AND, there is absolutely NO NOISE. I considered XTR V brakes but they were a lot heavier due to more moving parts (parallel lever system). LX were sweet and simple and I am so glad I made the right choice. I could have bought these brakes for a lot less on eBay but wanted to support my local bike shop
Similar Products Used: Avid 5, Deore combo shifter/lever
Bike Setup: GT Zaskar, X.0 RD & shifters, X9 FD, Avid Speed Dial Ti
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mike N
a Cross Country Rider
from Alice Springs, NT, Australia
Date Reviewed: June 8, 2007
Strengths: Lightest brake on market for any setup any system (except cable brakes from the early 80's), Simple, Effective, Cheap
Weaknesses: Nil
Bottom Line:
I wanted to keep V brakes instead of disc to keep weight down and also didnt want to spend a fortune buying a new wheel set. Swapped from stock Avid 5 V brake due to cheap appearance and constant noise. Also saw seeing my rim progressively being worn away despite cleaning the pads all the time (probably just the pads & not the brake itself. Differences: LX a little lighter, better finish, brake shoe is longer. LX has MASSIVE stopping power, as much as my mate's mech disc setup. AND, there is absolutely NO NOISE. I considered XTR V brakes but they were a lot heavier due to more moving parts (parallel lever system). LX were sweet and simple and I am so glad I made the right choice. I could have bought these brakes for a lot less on eBay but wanted to support my local bike shop
Strengths: Cost effective, easy to use, install, and adjust. As much power as you need without getting complicated. Perfect for cross-country.
Weaknesses: Wouldn't be suited for heavy-use nor intense downhill. However, use with ceramic pads and rims dramatically improves performance in these situations.
Bottom Line:
Used with XTR ceramic pads, the power-to-weight ration is unbeatable. For a cross-country racer looking to cut weight and keep power its the easiest way to go.
These brakes came stock on my mtb, let me tell you they are the worst.
#1 The pads literally just destroy your rims. Nasty sandpaper sound that is later followed by the nasty metallic sound which tells you pieces of your rim are embedded in said pads.
#2 The brakes are cheap and plasticy
Don't even test your brakes with the pads on it. Your rims WILL get damaged. Insist a swap out for these brakes if you get them stock.
Submitted by
Joel Silva
a Weekend Warrior
from Viseu, Portugal
Date Reviewed: December 27, 2004
Strengths: the paralelogram sistem, they always worked... They are very good wile new(except they make weard noises)
Weaknesses: wen they are new(and with the stock pads) they make a metal noise this is because the pads are shi... like a rock, bahh.. wen they ave several miles theyr braking power decreases a bit and they get a litle gripped and flex, some guy told me tu use a brake booster but y will not buy it...
Bottom Line:
They inspire confidence, never failed to me, are pretty, cheap, they don't give you problems but wen they get used(after many many many miles) they will decrease a litle the braking power nothing that would deseave a new ones
Bike Setup: scoot yz3 2004 :) with a marzocchi mx comp air :D front brake lx disk brake and lx v-brake at the back..
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Submitted by
Kiran Lerner
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary
Date Reviewed: October 17, 2004
Strengths: Cheap (got from a friend for free) Good stopping power Easy to adjust
Weaknesses: Colour is so-so Durability
Bottom Line:
Way easier to adjust than cantilevers, and the stopping power is better. After two years of weekend use I was doing my overhaul and the spring mechanisms (part of the parallel-push system) were shot. Maybe I need a separate freeride bike. Also broke the head off the screw that holds the cable. Considering I've seen their cantilevers last 5-10 years I'd expect better from Shimano. Maybe that's how they're getting the price down.
The levers are flexy, they're far to reach (compared to XT & hydraulics) and the swing action is annoying (a wide arc instead of straight back like hydraulics).
Submitted by
kai
a Cross Country Rider
from Boston, MA
Date Reviewed: August 20, 2004
Strengths: when they work, they seem to brake well...not that great, but well enough...
Weaknesses: they;re miserable POS'S that break when removed.
Bottom Line:
These brakes are terrible. They do they're job, but after about a year of doing their job, theys top doing it. The tension screws stop working and the breaks simply wont retract, more dragging with these than improperly set up disc brakes!!! There are two metal plates that rotate independently and the tension scre that's attached to one simply does not engage to bottom ring, making it impossible to properly tension the brakes. parallel puch really doesnt do much besides make these brakes incompatible with older forks and rub more. Try Avid single digit 7's if you want to feel what a real v-brake should feel like, smooth even braking, that consistently works...Is it just me or are shimano products really starting to suck? These brakes cost too much for being a big heap of....
Strengths: Cheap to buy. Compared to my old cantilevers, these v-brakes offer a lot more braking confidence.
Weaknesses: Pads wear out fast
Bottom Line:
After using cantilever brakes since 1991 I finally upped my spec to v-brakes 3 months ago. I'm considering getting discs in 2017 :) I was amazed at the increase in braking performance, gone was the long-pull squishy feel of cantilevers, transformed to stop-on-a-dime braking by the v's. Maintenance is easier and cheaper, cable replacement now means only 2 new cables instead of 4. I can't complain about them really, they cost less than I was anticipating and seem well designed. Perhaps the levers feel a little 'cheap' mainly because they are a lot smaller and lighter than my old Dia-Compe plastic-levered cantilever ones. My only quibble is with the pads, rear to be specific, which are wearing at an alarming rate. I'm about to fit my 3rd pair in 3 months! I cycle a lot on the road in the wet, and I think the road grit is wearing them out fast. Perhaps I should look at other pads, maybe Kool Stops.
Similar Products Used: None. These are my first v-brakes.
Bike Setup: '95 Cannondale CAD1 (replacement frame for my original '91 Cannondale Chameleon which broke), mainly Shimano Deore components, Mavic X221 rims.
Strengths: Great with paralellsystem which boosts the break power...
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
I'v seen a few complans about Shimano breakpads but mine works fine. When they're worn out I might upgade to Coolstop since they've got such good reviews...I had Scott Comp V's earlier an LX are alittle better !
Similar Products Used: "old" XTR, Ritchey RED,Scott comp ...
Bike Setup: Rear LX,front Deore...
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Submitted by
Gera Brian
a Cross Country Rider
from Naga, Cebu, Philippines
Date Reviewed: April 12, 2004
Strengths: good braking power, strong enough to flex the frame, affordable.
Weaknesses: its stock pads makes metal to metal noise and can ruin the rim, a bit heavy.
Bottom Line:
im very satisfied with this product. it's easy to adjust and its powerful. this brake is perfect for riders on a budget but still performance conscious. weight freaks will shun this stuff for it's a bit heavy. im giving it 4 flamin' chilis for its performance and affordability.
Bike Setup: GT Zaskar, LX/XT gruppo, FireXC, Manitou Six
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Submitted by
owen fackrell
a Cross Country Rider
from uk
Date Reviewed: March 26, 2004
Strengths: price colour stopping power
Weaknesses: none (but have never used the stock pads)
Bottom Line:
this brakes are v good the price i paid included the leavers arms and cables for both front and rear so a bit of a bargain they manage to flex the rear trangle and my front forks never tried the stock pads put cartridges from new the sandy mud round here means that i go through pads fast but after spending time setting them up in the first place it is now very easy to just change the cartridge and i off must gat a brake booster for the rear brake. if you like me can only run v's and arn't weight concsious then you should get these.
Bike Setup: giant atx 860 full lx throughout rock shox forks
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Submitted by
Phil Frary
a Weekend Warrior
from St Nazaire, France
Date Reviewed: January 30, 2004
Strengths: Light, "parallel push" is powerful even in wet/muddy conditions
Weaknesses: Probably the stock pads which are a bit pants but can't fault the brake system.
Bottom Line:
Certainly a good upgrade from the Avid SD3s and I won't be going back! If you want to loose more weight go to XT or XTR but I reckon only good discs could rival stopping power under normal conditions. You'll probably want to change the pads from the start to get the best performance. Price is certainly a bonus too.
Similar Products Used: Avid SD3 that came as stock - don't even go there!
Bike Setup: Trek8000, RS Sid Race, LX-GOLD V's, Hutchinson Mosquito Air Light tyres (see reviews), the rest is stock.
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Submitted by
nikolas
a Weekend Warrior
from Greece
Date Reviewed: January 5, 2004
Strengths: Very good stopping power,shimano reliadility,relitively cheap
Weaknesses: Shimano pads suck,a bit heavy
Bottom Line:
The shimano pads are nogood for any kind of ride.I gave them back to the shop(had previous experience with them).I now have a set of swissstops and they rock.Also tried out coolstops-same thing.This brakes are so powerful i had to istall brake boosters to stop them from bending the frame while braking.(along with avid sd levers)I tries also arches,magura discs,hayes disks and NONE of all that had the same power or durability over use even in very wet conditions.Excelent choise.if you are looking for something lighter go for xt or xtr but the stopping power of theese babes is unmached
