Shimano XT Brakes Brake System

2.89/5

(27 Reviews)

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MSRP : $40.00

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Shimano 95 XT Brakes

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Reviews 1 - 15 (27 Reviews Total)

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Value Rating:

Submitted by Anon a Cross Country Rider from Portland, OR, USA

Date Reviewed: March 16, 2009

Strengths:    Stops the bike, eventually.
Can be bought cheap.

Weaknesses:    These things SQUEAL!
Stop the bike eventually.

Bottom Line:

The complaints about squeal and lack of power are very valid. These brakes just suck wind. Just tried a pair of Avid Shorty brakes of the new triangular design with road levers and the difference was just night and day. From sponge (XT) to solid (Avid). I'm going with the Avids for shure.

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Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Purchased At:   came with bike

Similar Products Used:   Onza HO, Shimano XT Linear pull

Bike Setup:   Independent touring bike

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Submitted by K. L. a Cross Country Rider from Calgary

Date Reviewed: October 17, 2004

Strengths:    Reliable
Durable (5+ years!)
Simple

Weaknesses:    Need three hands to set up
Out-classed by v-brakes (except for durability)

Bottom Line:

I've got two sets (8 years old!) that I tried putting on my bike after my v-brakes broke but can't find the proper cable holders. Too bad. V-brakes are more powerful and easier to set up but I was one-finger braking just fine with cantilevers. If you want two free sets drop me an email - I hate seeing these things just sit there.

The old XT levers (one-piece with trigger shifters) kick ass over my LX v-brake levers. I'll give em for free if you want em.

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Favorite Trail:   Anything super technical

Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Purchased At:   Came stock on bike

Similar Products Used:   Deore, LX, Avid, v-brakes, hydraulic

Bike Setup:   Who cares?!

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Submitted by Azza a Weekend Warrior from Essex

Date Reviewed: February 19, 2002

Strengths:    Light, powerful, lasts for ever.

Weaknesses:    none at all

Bottom Line:

I have used these brakes sinse Shimano released them back in 1996. I still have the same set of brakes in use on my hardtail. I have used them for XC, Duel, Dual, BSX, Downhill when other brakes have come and gone these puppies still shine through. you'd me mad not to at least have a go with some for a while.

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Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Price Paid:    $200.00

Purchased At:   heales cycles

Similar Products Used:   onza, Avid

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Submitted by Jim a Cross Country Rider from Robbinsville, NJ

Date Reviewed: January 26, 2002

Strengths:    none

Weaknesses:    i just could not take the noise anymore. i tried everything i could to shut these brakes up. thank god i got a set of xtr brakes for christmas. do not buy there brakes unless you got a good set of ear plugs.

Bottom Line:

the worst mountain bike product i ever owned. these brakes are the worst. pay a little more and get the xtr. you will be happy you did.

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Favorite Trail:   mercer county park

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $40.00

Purchased At:   jenson

Similar Products Used:   lx, xtr

Bike Setup:   khs alite 4000

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Value Rating:

Submitted by mike b from Sodom in the North

Date Reviewed: December 21, 2001

Strengths:    good xc brakes

Weaknesses:    bushing slop

Bottom Line:

why is there a photo of very old xt cantilevers at the top of this page?

why do riders who are free riding, downhilling, hucking and the like moaning about how bad these brakes are? all of you ought to be running discs if you're doing that kind of riding, and you know it.

with that said, these brakes are just ok. i would'nt buy another pair. mine are vintage 98 or 99, i don't really remember. all i know is that the bushings in the parrallel push mechanism wear quickly and cause the pads to wander hither and thither on the rims. one has to be care to keep the pads properly adjusted, or you will find them creeping up into your lower sidewalls. this is not good. my mechanic tried installed the kit that shimano devised to alleviate this problem, but to no avail.

now that i have installed a rigid fork on the ibis, these brakes squeal INCESSANTLY under hard braking. i find this very strange and annoying because when i was using a suspension fork on the alibi, i did not experience
this problem. rest assured, previous reviewers, it's not because of the shimano pads--i have no idea what the problem is nor does my lbd. thank god almighty that i have relegated the ibis to commute status--and will be re installing her sx-r soon, becuase i would never be able to stand this dreadful racket out on the trail.

all in all, these brakes have worked for me, albeit in sort of a so-so way. i will reiterate how i would not purchase another set
these screamers again--my xtr's have not given me any of the problems the xt's have and seem to feel so much better at the lever. when the weight of disc brakes come down to an acceptable point, i will begin to use discs.

two stars for value and three overall--these brakes work, but the problems you will encounter along the trail while using them are completely unacceptable for a component costing this much money.

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Favorite Trail:   boggs

Duration Product Used:   2 Years

Price Paid:    $5.00

Purchased At:   park cyclery sf

Similar Products Used:   xtr vees
many, many center pull cantilevers

Bike Setup:   ibis alibi xt

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Value Rating:

Submitted by Clay from Malaysia

Date Reviewed: December 20, 2001

Strengths:    Look quite good.

Weaknesses:    Where do I start?
Difficult to set-up. Tension adjustment is a joke. Keeping centred is a pain.
They are even worse in wet weather.
Pads do more they just squeal - they can out-right scream!
They do not work.

Bottom Line:

These brakes do not grip when you grab the levers. They should not be called brakes, but speed moderators, because that is all they do, which is not what anybody on a mtb wants or expects from the stop handle!
I was supposedly upgrading from Dia-Compes to these XTs. I was very disappointed and luckily got the shop to trade them to some new Dias.
The only vaguely good thing about about these brakes is that the pads really squeal (have Shimano realised that is everyones comment yet?)at any speed (speed is the volume control - higher speed at braking = major screaming)at the front. I am convinced this was done so as to warn the riders in front who are actually slowing down that some poor sod using XTs is either about to run into their rear, is going to pile into a tree or over-shoot the cut-back ahead! Don't even start about the flying over the drop off!
Do yourselves a favour - learn from the mistakes of others (like myself) and buy another brand.

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Duration Product Used: 3 months

Similar Products Used: Dia Compes. Shoe heels, hedges and a few other options with the XTs.

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Value Rating:

Submitted by Scott Frazier a Cross Country Rider from Alpine, UT

Date Reviewed: September 11, 2001

Strengths:    Can get these integrated with Shimano shifters, to save a little weight.

Weaknesses:    Only average stopping power
Modulation only pretty good
Poor adjustability

Bottom Line:

Any v-brake is great compared to the old cantilevers they replaced, and Shimano is to be applauded for leading this revolution.

However, I've found the XT v-brakes sadly lacking compared to the Avid 7's on my year-old SantaCruz Superlight. In this comparison the XT v-brakes have poor modulation and adjustability (reach is not adjustable and power adjustability is difficult). Also, stopping power seems better with the Avids.

My two sons have LX v-brakes on their bikes and these have performance very similar to the XT v-brakes, not nearly as good as my Avid 7's.

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Favorite Trail:   Green Valley Loop, St. George, UT

Duration Product Used:   2 Years

Purchased At:   local bike shop

Bike Setup:   Retrofitted my old Proflex Beast from Magura HS 22 hydraulics.

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Seung a Downhiller from San Francisco, CA

Date Reviewed: July 23, 2001

Strengths:    Brakes well and linearly. Predictable stopping power.

Weaknesses:    Makes the loudest screeching noise ever! The brake vibrates and is generally embarassing to brake.

Bottom Line:

Don't buy because it's just not good overall. A brake shouldn't be so complex that it has rattling parts. It quickly degrades to loud shaking status from new.

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Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $45.00

Purchased At:   Lombardi Sports

Similar Products Used:   none

Bike Setup:   Cannondale F1000, all XTR parts except the damn loud brakes.

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Sam Hewitt a Downhiller from Surrey

Date Reviewed: September 28, 2000

Strengths:    VERY very good canits. Worked like a dream, set up b4 I used them and they were great. ALSO very flashy and nice colour. Cool pads and u can pull as hard as u like without braking them.

Weaknesses:    Cantis.
They did look ok but again, old style. Took AGES to remove

Bottom Line:

Good cantis if you can get them about $20. I like but others dont.

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Favorite Trail:   Mine

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Purchased At:   With bike

Similar Products Used:   Apse V brakes, Usual cantis, LX cantis, Shimano deore Vs

Bike Setup:   Not with Cantis, I use Vs now, only a bit better and more more squeely

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Tyler from Sandy

Date Reviewed: April 15, 2000

Strengths:    smooth operation

Weaknesses:    the squealing sound scares the hell out of me.

Bottom Line:

decent stopping power... they wear a little to fast and under rough condition they squeal like no other... I'm just going to bite the bullet and go to some Avids.

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Favorite Trail:   all

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Similar Products Used:   many canti's

Bike Setup:   k2 5000

Overall Rating:

Submitted by gabriel a Cross-Country Rider from fort riley ks

Date Reviewed: September 17, 1999

Strengths:
good looks, stops good setting them perfest is hard

Weaknesses:
When i brake the only thing i hear is REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
( THE SRUELING SOUNDS LIKE A LITTE GIRL RUNNING FROM A RADID DOG)

Bottom Line:

OK FOR THE MONEY, BUT ID GO TO THE XTR, CAUSE IN A YEAR YOU WILL WANT TO UPGRADE

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Favorite Trail:
dinosaur vall/ tyler state park

Duration Product Used:
1 Year

Similar Products Used:
first Vs and old cantis

Bike Setup:
CANNONDALE KV900, DD60

Overall Rating:

Submitted by Nick Reis a cross-country rider from Novato, CA

Date Reviewed: February 26, 1999

Bottom Line:

Definitely an improvement over canti brake systems. No more sore forearms
on the downhills. The trade off seems to be when the brakes are wet they
are a mite touchy on the modulation. The rim dries and the next thing you
know the brake bites and you got yourself an endo if you are on a steep
section. The pads that come with the brakes are okay but you'd do better
with some kool stops or another after market pad. The shimano pads wore
out in one good wet muddy ride. Just the same pads are cheap and the brakes
worth the money. Four flamers cause they aren't perfect but I still love em.

Overall Rating:

Submitted by Dan the Man a weekend warrior from Ontario Canada

Date Reviewed: December 30, 1998

Bottom Line:

Man these braks suck ass!!!
You can't ride with them and they dont even stop you when it's wet. There a waist of money.
I wouldnt reccommend them.
get a set of maguras or something
1 Big Flaming Dead Cow!

Overall Rating:

Submitted by jesse from downhiller

Date Reviewed: November 3, 1998

Bottom Line:

Man these braks suck ass!!!
You can't ride with them and they dont even stop you when it's wet. There a waist of money. If they fit your bike you should get some Dia-Compe DP7 there only about 20 to 30 bucks and they stop you on a dime in any kind of weather.

Overall Rating:

Submitted by Steve a weekend warrior from WA

Date Reviewed: August 22, 1998

Bottom Line:

I don't have the XT brakes but I do have a set of XT pads on my Alivio cantis. Due to the size and profile, these are the hardest pads to set up that I've ever used. They're also filthy when it's wet. However, they do work reasonably well in the wet and they're the bes dry pad I've ever used, bar none. I'd use something like Kool Stops in back to keep the rim clean, but once you get them adjusted they are the best front brake pad out there.

Reviews 1 - 15 (27 Reviews Total)

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