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Submitted by
Jesse Citizen
a Weekend Warrior
from Toronto CAN
Date Reviewed: March 22, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | DonValley Native | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | some guy | | Strengths: | Stop pretty well, look dope | | Weaknesses: | Heavy compared to my old single digits and don't stop as well as I would have expected. | | Similar Products Used: | Avid Single digits | | Bike Setup: | Old Rocky Steel frame, Marzocchi MX comps up front, LX/Deore Drivetrain, Mavic 221, Avid Levers... | | Bottom Line: | I expected these to be way better than my old Avids. They do slow you down with ease, but it seems to take a lot for them to lock up. I've notice the squealing (lame) and they seem to put a lot of flex into the break bosses, which makes me wonder if I put my old Brodie Break booster on there if they wouldn't be way better.
Bottom line, I expected top of the line stuff to be unbelievable, but it's just pretty good. ?? | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris Pollett
a Racer
from London, ON, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 21, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Cains | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$110.00 | | Purchased At: | All Season Sports | | Strengths: | Great all around. I have found no thing wrong with them and they stop in all conditions | | Weaknesses: | I have heard the squeeling problem and have it on one bike. I have 2 bikes with this set up (trials and race). I think it has to do with the different parts on the bike. I can get them silent on the race bike but the trials bike is impossible but its work it for the power and modulation. | | Similar Products Used: | LX-XTR, magura hydrolics, canties | | Bike Setup: | XT-XTR on all bikes, mix of spin wheels, nukeproof hubs and lots of other goodies | | Bottom Line: | Great product and really the squeeling is good for keeping rodents out of the front wheel! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from Manchester, UK
Date Reviewed: May 27, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Peak district | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$28.00 | | Purchased At: | Chainreaction cycles | | Strengths: | Powerful Braking
Silent
No vibration | | Weaknesses: | I got a good deal on the price but otherwise maybe a tad expensive? | | Similar Products Used: | XT, Avid,tektro, el cheapos | | Bike Setup: | a total mish mash of parts, mostly LX and XT. | | Bottom Line: | Upgarded from XT to XTR on the front only and using LX levers the difference is immediately noticeable. These are the 2004 model. With the XT's I had to spend hours setting them up trying to minimise the squeal. These have been silent from the go. Am tempted to upgrade the rear for the sharpness and clarity and may well try some Avid Speedial levers, a combo I have heard works well.
Thumbs up to shimano for this top piece of kit. Outstanding. 5 flaming turds. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mitch
a Cross Country Rider
from Kurume
Date Reviewed: November 25, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Great stopping power, light. | | Weaknesses: | Occasional squeal | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Deore, XT; Avid SD3, SD5; Some old tektro | | Bike Setup: | Ceramic rims, XC hardtail, XT levers | | Bottom Line: | Great stopping power, especially combined with the ceramic rims. Can sqeual a fair bit when wet if not set up carefully. Pads wear really fast when dirty, but I suspect it's a trade-off for performance. If you ride off road a fair bit you will have to replace the pads reasonably often, but it's worth it to have the best rim-braking performance I've seen. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Marc
a Cross Country Rider
from Saratoga, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: September 21, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Soquel Demo | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$59.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Easy set-up | | Weaknesses: | Shimano...but they do work VERY well so.... | | Similar Products Used: | Avid, Shimano XT and LX | | Bike Setup: | SC Superlight | | Bottom Line: | The are $$ normally but a good deal at the shop made them hard to pass on. Once on there was none of the %@*&*&(&!!!! squeek that no mechanic or I could get rid off with my XT's. They work and are easy to dial in. What else is there? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from London, ON, Canada
Date Reviewed: January 14, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | The Ex Bike Show | | Strengths: | Light. Strong. Excellent breaking power. | | Weaknesses: | Pads | | Bike Setup: | Trek 4500, XT/XTR, Sid SL, Mavic X618 Ceramic | | Bottom Line: | Thow some Koolstop greens in there and a set of Ceramic Rims and quit standin around! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Clifford Louie
a Cross Country Rider
from Bellevue, WA. USA
Date Reviewed: January 11, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Excel Sports | | Strengths: | Flex free brake arms translate into firm lever feel while being confidence inspiring, with modulation unsurpassed even on the sickest slopes. Locking up the rear is easy. Easy slide-in pad replacement. Grey XTR colors are chi-chi. | | Weaknesses: | Am still thinking... | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX v-brakes and Avid Arch Rival | | Bike Setup: | 2000 Intense Tracer with full XTR gruppo, Marzocchi Z3 Flylight 100, Mavic Ceramic 517s. | | Bottom Line: | Absolutely the best rim brakes made. Especially with ceramic pads and rims, disc brakes seem like weighty overkill on a XC machine. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark Lohnes
a Cross Country Rider
from Skagway, Alaska
Date Reviewed: December 28, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | West Creek Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | Great modulation and supurb breaking. The levers are very comfy and are smooth. | | Weaknesses: | Sensitive to pad alignment resulting in squeel if incorrectly set-up. Not rebuildable...for the price it should be. | | Similar Products Used: | XT, LX, Deore v and canti brakes | | Bike Setup: | Trek Fuel w/ full XTR, Chris King, Mavic, Titec, Fox AVA shock and Black Elite fork | | Bottom Line: | I have used nearly every Shimano brake out there, v-brake and canti and these are simply oustanding. They are sensitive to pad alignment...specifically toe. Too much and the pads wear badly, too little and the pads squeel. Also, as mentioned above, the pivots in the arm mechanisms are starting to develop some slop and they are not rebuildable...a Shimano trait that should be changed on the XTR line. Otherwise...nothing but praise fro looks, performance and durability. They are very good in regards to modulation and this has prevented me from endo's going down over boulders or slick logs. Despite the praise, I'm am wanting discs..maybe I'll wait a little longer:) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jay
a Racer
from London, UK
Date Reviewed: September 11, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$180.00 | | Strengths: | Power, modulation, lightweight | | Weaknesses: | Soft pads, Avid levers are better | | Similar Products Used: | Avid, XT, Hope XC4 discs | | Bike Setup: | Specialized S-works hardtail (custom build), Fox Float 80RLC, XT/XTR mix, Hope Ti-glide hubs on X517. | | Bottom Line: | I got so sick of very poor pad life with my discs that I went back to V's. Performance wise, the XTR V's only suffer by comparison to discs about 2% of the time on steep fast downhills when you have to go a little slower to make sure you'll be able to stop in time. Don't believe the hype about hydro discs, V's are far less hassle, and spares are cheaper. I haven't had any squeel problems, the brakes are powerful, and can be modulated well. In fact I back mine off to slow me less since in racing you should be holding as much speed as possible. The levers are good, but not as good as the Avid speed dial. The best setup would be XTR brakes with Avid levers, but will you be able to resist those sexy XTR levers? I couldn't. Incidentally, Avid brakes are actually very ordinary, it's the levers that make all the difference, and XT V's are even more powerful than XTR, just heavier and not as elegant. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dan
a Racer
from mississauga
Date Reviewed: September 7, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | cyclepath | | Strengths: | great stoping power...enough to make my frame flex | | Weaknesses: | pads are really hard on your rims suggest changing...i broke my front xtr's pin off (the pinn that the spring pushes against) but that was from hard riding. | | Similar Products Used: | avid mag | | Bike Setup: | xtr and raceface | | Bottom Line: | these are some of the most powerful brakes i have ever used..just i suggest you change your pads before you damage your rims | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason
a Cross Country Rider
from Baralaba
Date Reviewed: July 2, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Similar Products Used: | XT, disc brakes, lots of roadbikes (ultegra, durace) | | Bike Setup: | Morati ti hardtail fame, xtr groupset, cane creek Zonos ti wheels, pace carbon fork, 959 pedals, titec ti bar, ritchey wcs stem, headset, FSA carbon seatpost, Selle era K saddle | | Bottom Line: | fantastically good sh*t. Stops every time. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Macomb, Michigan
Date Reviewed: June 26, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Purchased At: | Antoons | | Strengths: | Shimano XTR, need i say more? | | Weaknesses: | These babies can squeal. | | Bottom Line: | The can get a little anoying, but they keep me from hitting tree's and killing myself, so i think i can live with a little noise. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lionel
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 9, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | too many to list | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$89.00 | | Purchased At: | The Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Solid stopping power utilizing the full pad instead of a portion of it. Good looks. Easy to maintain. | | Weaknesses: | Like many of the other reviews when I first started using it there was that annoying squeal and I immediately thought of getting some after market pads, instead I took the bike to the tallest steepest hill I could find, putting the brakes to the test. They squealled for the first 10 meters then smartened up. I have not had any squeals since. | | Similar Products Used: | Avids, which served me well. | | Bike Setup: | Rocky Mountain Element Race, Race Face cranks and post, shimano | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are worth the money. The stopping power is impressive, and the overall design well thought out. Once the squeal was lost there was a smile on my face! A solid 5 on both accounts. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg Horn
a
from Atlanta, Georgia
Date Reviewed: May 28, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | uhh... | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$76.00 | | Purchased At: | Peachtree Bikes (well, by my father) | | Strengths: | (This is the 2003 model)
Quite powerful, they're v-brakes (they require virtually no maintenance), and the aesthetic scheme of 03 XTR is is, though I wouldn't usally say this about bicycle components, beautiful. Pad-to-rim clearance is easily adjusted by simply turning two screws. When paired with good levers, the modulation is impressive, being able to feather the rim at a wide range of intensity. If they're slammed on, they bring the machine to an immediate halt.
I can't say much about durability or perseverance yet, since I haven't had them for too long and I haven't ravaged them. | | Weaknesses: | The Avid Ultimates are nearly half the weight of these, but that dosen't really bother me. They emit a tad of rubbing noise while partially engaged, but I think that can be remedied by some adjustment. | | Similar Products Used: | Cheap Promax brakes that were standard on my bike. | | Bike Setup: | 2000 Gary Fisher Tassajara. I haven't done very many modifications to it yet, but I plan to. | | Bottom Line: | A very nice product. If you don't feel like dealing with disc brakes, I very much reccomend these. 5 for value since I didn't pay for them. 5 for quality. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thomas
a Cross Country Rider
from Upstate NY
Date Reviewed: May 4, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | came with bike | | Strengths: | Terrific stopping power, good looks, still tight as the first ride after more than a year of use, very few adjustments needed. | | Weaknesses: | Squeal! | | Similar Products Used: | xt | | Bike Setup: | Sugar with XTR, Crossmax & Thomson | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are great. I really can't say anything bad about their performance under any riding conditions except for that damn squeal. As many others have said, I couldn't get rid of it no matter what I did. However, by replacing the old XTR pads with KoolStop ceramic compound pads, the squeal is a thing of the past and I couldn't be more pleased with this product. With the KoolStop pads, the XTR brake system is flawless, period. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John Pafford
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder CO USA
Date Reviewed: May 1, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Road touring only | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$166.00 | | Purchased At: | Excel Sports Boulder | | Strengths: | Look nice. | | Weaknesses: | Front and rear NEVER stop squealing no matter who works on them. Four really pretty pieces of crap in my opinion. Dumped them and got Avid Ultimates. Should have done that in the first place! | | Similar Products Used: | LX, XT, old style XTR and Avid ultimate. No problems with any of these. | | Bike Setup: | 1997 Trek 970 set up for heavy road touring. All XT 8 speed except brakes. Sunn Rhino lite XL's W/wheelsmith dbl. butted, King hubs (BUZZZZZZZZ) & Headset and Conti 1.9 Town and Country tires. 747 Pedals and Brooks Pro saddle. Rigid custom Trek fork w/low rider rack lugs. Jandd rear rack & packs, Washburn custom low rider front rack. | | Bottom Line: | Just a word about Excel Sports Boulder:
They DO NOT have a universal customer satisfaction policy regarding product returns. So far they won't take the brakes back because of "pad wear" (about 30 miles of squealing and trying to get them set correctly).
On another occasion I had a rear wheel built by them (Mavic 517/DT/XT) which after only 8 days of use on paved roads blew the internal web through 5 spoke nipple holes. When I returned the wheel assembly to them they wanted to credit me for the rim only (said the hub and spokes were still good)! I had to contact the company owner to get a full refund! I suppose that after that experience I should have known better than to buy the brakes (or anything else) from them but they were the only shop in town that had the brakes in stock.
Anyway, if you buy anything from them, then it's probably yours forever whether it performs properly or not.
As for the brakes, I'd give them a zero for value and for overall performance if possible. (And the same for Excel Sports Boulder) | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark A. Lohnes
a Cross Country Rider
from Skagway, Alaska
Date Reviewed: April 13, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Any cross country type trail | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Fantastic stopping power, great modulation, and easy, easy setup!!! You must use XTR levers too fully experience the performance these brakes can deliver. Upgrading to aftermarket pads can make a difference too, but that is dependant on weather and riding conditions. | | Weaknesses: | Using stock pads - quick pad wear. Some say price, but I have found great deals now that 03 XTR is the rage. Same brakes, just a different look compared to 03 XTR v-Brakes. | | Similar Products Used: | Avid sd3, Deore, XT | | Bike Setup: | Cross country - 02 Fuel 90, 02 XTR complete (w/Salsa Carbon braces) XTR hubs/517/DT Comp (tied and solder) | | Bottom Line: | I replaced the stock Avids since they broke(tension spring on both front and rear), switching to Deore to get riding ASAP. I was unhappy with both Avid and Deore, so I upgraded to XT's, knowing the reputation that XT is 95% of XTR w/o the price. Immediately I noticed the increased braking power and feel, but never really had that one finger power I have heard was capable with V-Brakes. Don't get me wrong, these XT brakes were more than adaquate and I would have stuck with them, but I scored a great deal on a set of XTR V-Brakes and levers thru Ebay.
So I upgraded again, even though I was happy with the performance of XT. I wasn't expecting much improvement, but once I went to XTR, the power was slightly better than XT and the modulation was distinctly better. I could feel the onset of lockup, making the bike more cotrollable and predictable. But what really blew me away was the difference the XTR levers made. I replaced the LX levers last, after upgrading to the XTR's V-Brakes and WOW...Truly one finger brakes - Stoppies are not a problem - really an amazing transformation.
Using a tip from a friend, I tried running Ritchey red and blue pads, one from each set, front and rear. This is a great way to increase stopping power in wet and dry variable situations. The stock multi-condtion Shimano pads were fine, but were wore very quickly.
One thing I must mention is keep your bike clean: I keep my bike very clean, particularlly the drive-train and brakes, making sure the rims AND pads are free of debris. The bits of rock and grit that get inbedded in the pads will wear out the rim in no time and drastically affect the modulation and overall performance.
This is a highly reccomended upgrade to anyone who wants good brakes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bob Furneaux
a Cross Country Rider
from Surprise, AZ USA
Date Reviewed: April 13, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Shimano's top of the line, can't be that bad... | | Weaknesses: | Doens't give the solid feel I experience with Avids. Do brakes need to be this complicated? | | Similar Products Used: | Avid, Paul Components | | Bike Setup: | Ibis Mojo, XTR and Sram drivetrain... | | Bottom Line: | These brakes came with my Mojo. I was previously using Avids on my other bike and liked the solid feel the V-style brakes gave. I expected that Shimano's - being that they started the whole V-brake thing - would be as solid or better than the Avids. I was wrong. The XTR's were a little spongy. I thought it might have been user error, but no matter how much I adjusted them, they wouldn't give me the same feel the Avids did. Another problem I have is: do brakes need to be this complicated? I think the spongyness I experience is due to the loss of connection between my input and the pads connecting with the rim - primarily due to the cam system Shimano has "developed." The science of all this is impressive, but in my opinion, not necessary. If you want a solid, simple, and consistent brake system, go with another. If you are a gadget weenie or a true Shimano fan, go with these. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ryder drumm
a Racer
from pasadena, ca, usa
Date Reviewed: January 27, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | anything thats fast | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Foes | | Strengths: | Hmm, great lever feel, lots of stopping power, light setup since hubs are lighter, look great. | | Weaknesses: | Thinking, yup still thinking. | | Similar Products Used: | Paul's crosstops, Magura HS 33, Hayes, Hope Mini's, XT disc. | | Bike Setup: | 2002 Foes FXC with full Shimano XTR, Float 125 RLC, Float RL, SunRace hubs laced to T.H.E. ceramic XC rims and MAXXIS rubber. | | Bottom Line: | Stop complaining about squeal and get some ceramic rims, they cost a little more and the brakes are awesome. They stop almost as strongly as magura's and weigh so much less. Look at how many pro XC riders use XTR v-brakes in comparison to disc brakes, I know the new XTR discs just came out but if you dont have the money to get a light XC disc wheelset (and you can only use the Shimano disc hubs) then ceramic rims with XTR vbrakes are the way to go. Plus I am sure you will be able to pick some up now that a lot of people are going to buy those damn XTR discs, sucks you can't use other hubs. A bit pricey but it will go down considerably now that the ultralight disc set is out. For the stopping power and modulation you simply cannot beat them. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Job
a
from Delft, Holland
Date Reviewed: January 8, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | You look cool, status, light | | Weaknesses: | After a longer period you get play on your paralellogram, and then it's over | | Similar Products Used: | stx-rc, xt, hs33 | | Bike Setup: | oh so horny | | Bottom Line: | There are two types of xtr brakes(except for the 2003) the bmr-951 and the bmr-952, the first one doesn't have a spring on the paralellogram and rely's on the tight connection between the lever and the paralelogram. After a longer period I got play on the joint, you can buy small rings for this problem but that isn't sufficient, and it's all over with the braking powers. So if you wa't to buy xtr's pay attention to this problem and don't buy the bmr-951's. Now I'm riding magura brakes and there a much better investment. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jerry
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin
Date Reviewed: December 11, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson | | Strengths: | Good power, excellent modulation for rim brakes. Very well built. | | Weaknesses: | SQUEAL! Wet, dry, slow, fast, light heavy, two different brands of pads, toed-in, not toed-in, cleaned rims, lightly sanded rims, nothing worked. I surrender. Could be I have a flexy fork but I couldn't stand it anymore and put my Avids back on. Not quite as much power but they do alright and they're nice and quiet. | | Similar Products Used: | Avids, XT, canti's. | | Bottom Line: | It broke my heart to take 'em off but I hated sounding like my old Volvo station wagon every time I hit the brakes.
My son's $300 Raliegh is sportin a little XTR these days. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Euan Orsborn
a Cross Country Rider
from England, Hampshire, Fareham
Date Reviewed: December 6, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Scotland | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$120.00 | | Purchased At: | Armstrong bike dock | | Strengths: | XTR brakes are very powerful and responsive. They are very easy to maintain and set up. the power of them is superb. | | Weaknesses: | The only problem i have is that they squeal when braking, even if i only pull on the brake lever gently. I have been running them on standard Mavic 517s with LX hubs. I have tried changing to softer compound brake pads, Putting play in the brake, taking all the play out of the brakes, cleaning the rims every day. I have just brought a bran new front wheel: 517 CD rim on a XT hub. The squeal has been reduced to when i start to brake harder. I have been thinking of getting ceramic rims, but i want to know if this will stop the squealing. I not bothered about replacing ceramic pads alot if it cures the problem. Any tips to solve the problem, im open to all suggestions! | | Similar Products Used: | Avid single digit 2.0., and standard V-brakes. | | Bike Setup: | Specialized rockhopper A1 SF (2000) Model. Manitou magnem forks, FRM headset, Roox stem and xc handlebars, Avid levers, XTR brakes, Deore shifters, Time freestyle pedals, Original chainset, Connex chain, XT cassette,fi'zi:k saddel with ti rails, oringinal saddle post, black 517 on LX rear up, XT front hub on 517 CD rim. Buying a s-Works hardtail frame soon and custom building it. | | Bottom Line: | Overall i would recomend the XTR brakes as there very powerful for a v-brake, if you don't mind the squeal then by all means get a pair if you want rim brakes. Apart from that they are easy to maintain and set up etc. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Putnam Blake
a Downhiller
from Marblehead
Date Reviewed: November 24, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Lynn Woods | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | scott lepaunn | | Strengths: | these things kick ass. more power than i've ever felt in a rim brake. no arm pump, EVER. Super strong. locks up my rear wheel without even trying. a great compaion to the 8" hayes hydro on the front of my bike | | Weaknesses: | none with the brake. although it became apparent that i need a booster for my frame since i can pull the lever all the way to the bar and the frame just bends more and more. | | Similar Products Used: | single pivot v-brake that came stock | | Bike Setup: | trek 4500 psylo hayes 8" hydro front xtr v-brake rear mavic D521/Rhyno Lite wheel set. RM DH pedals | | Bottom Line: | these brakes are awesome. if your bike can only take disc on the front, these brakes will balance out the rear pefrectly, they're very well matched | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Big Al
a Cross Country Rider
from Brisbane, Australia
Date Reviewed: October 27, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | came with bike | | Strengths: | power, power, more power, looks, adjustability, ease of use, power | | Weaknesses: | nil | | Similar Products Used: | LX, avid, hayes cable | | Bike Setup: | Titanium, XTR, sram 9.0, Chris King, Thomson | | Bottom Line: | All you morons complaining that these brakes skweek need to take five minutes to adjust them properly. I've never had a problem with them. They've been nothing but exeptional & did I mention they're powerful? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joel
a Cross Country Rider
from Lancaster, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: October 8, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Cannell Plunge | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Sealed bearing pivot keeps these brakes working smooth. Parallel push mechanism keeps brake pad contact face parallel with the braking surface. | | Weaknesses: | odd-ball hardware. Buy some spare attachment bolts and washers. Thin pads heat up on loooong downhills and fade | | Similar Products Used: | "Force 40" Cannondale POS (anybody remember those?), XT V-brakes, Magura hydraulics, Avid Single digits. | | Bike Setup: | Specialized M2, Marzocchi Atom Z2, XT/XTR, Race Face, Easton, Velomax Climax's | | Bottom Line: | My favorite set of brakes. I dont' ride enough mud to buy discs. I run the "extreme" pads, which are a little thicker to reduce the overheating issue. Gotta love those sealed bearing pivots...just one less thing to maintain! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary, Alberta Canada
Date Reviewed: August 15, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Sulphur Springs - Bragg Creek Alberta | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | jensonusa | | Strengths: | They don't squeal in dry conditions! Easy to setup and don't require the constant fine tuning the XT brakes needed. | | Weaknesses: | Haven't found any after three months of use. | | Similar Products Used: | XT, lower end Avids (which weren't too bad) | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Superlight, Sid 100, XT components, King with Mavic 517 wheelset, XTR brakes | | Bottom Line: | I bought these brakes to replace my XT brakes which drove me crazy with their constant squealing. No matter how the XT's were set up they continued to squeal - even when they were dry! Squealing has not been a problem with the XTR. They have excellent braking power and are trouble free.
The brakes were a great deal from jensonusa. Even with shipping charges and exchange rates, they were half the price of buying them locally in Canada!
You won't be disappointed with these brakes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
kevin
a Racer
from chicago
Date Reviewed: August 9, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | light, i love the xtr grey finish, wonderful modulation and probably the best v brakes you can buy. Much better than the XTs. Worth every penny. | | Weaknesses: | NONE. If thse still aren't good enough then buy some discs. | | Similar Products Used: | Avid Single Digit Ti, All the SHimano grades and cantis/ | | Bike Setup: | Fuel 100 | | Bottom Line: | I had these on an old Ti hardtail I no longer have and am running Avid Single Ti's right now which came stock on the Fuel and work extremly well also. With cermaic rims and these brakes, you will have near disc brake performance even when wet. Parrellel push system is smooth and these sop on a dime. I highly reccommend these brakes to anyone who wants great performance without the weight penalty of running discs. Awesome. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Giuliano
a Weekend Warrior
from Italy
Date Reviewed: August 8, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Strengths: | Seems quite solid | | Weaknesses: | Expensive, not so light, poor stopping power. | | Similar Products Used: | XT V brake | | Bottom Line: | I bought this one to replace XT's which became too loose to be considered safe. XTR performs the same poor power as XT, but they seem more robust. The are very unreliable: bracking power varies a lot in a completely unpredictable manner. It's a problem that affects nearly all rim brakes. I'm switching to disk brake anyway (front only). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Temple, TX
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$37.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson | | Strengths: | Light, best stoppers I have ridden. | | Similar Products Used: | Avid Arch Rival 50, Avid SD 25 | | Bike Setup: | Giant XTC SE II, Sun 0*/XT, Manitou Mars
| | Bottom Line: | I have only ridden these for 1 day, so they may only last a month. If they do, I have to say that I had the sweetest stopping for a month. I will post again how they stand up. I rode my buddies Hayes hydraulics, and still like these way better. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dimm
a Weekend Warrior
from new york
Date Reviewed: May 1, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Purchased At: | roys sheepshead bay bike shop | | Strengths: | the brakes have aswome stopping power the best i have seen before | | Weaknesses: | squeal a bit in dampy/foggy weather but i guess all the breaks do that | | Similar Products Used: | promax | | Bike Setup: | fisher sugar1 xt/xtr guts/thompson elite seatpost & stem/nokian gazzalodi core tires/shimano m-535 rims | | Bottom Line: | the bottom line is, i dont think there is a better system oput there for v-brakes then shimanos xtr. I've used other ones on different bikes and its just not the same. like the saying goes, "you get what you paid for"
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Terje
a Cross Country Rider
from Norway
Date Reviewed: May 1, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Nordmarka - Oslo | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Power and precision | | Weaknesses: | After some time use you may have to install shims to get rid of the rattling. | | Similar Products Used: | XT v-Brake | | Bike Setup: | VooDoo d-jab XTR | | Bottom Line: | Got my XTR v-brakes the same year they hit the marked.
Super brakes that has great power. The only thing that happened to the brakes was that the linkage started to make a rattling noise after some time. This was fixed using shimanos shims for this purpose. That was three years ago and never had any problem since. So for those of you that have this problem. It it much cheaper and easier to install these shims than buying new brakes.
This product is for the ones that don't want to jump on the disk brake wave. The ones that want durability and almost no maintenance. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from NH, USA
Date Reviewed: April 24, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Guinea Pond Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$36.00 | | Purchased At: | www.jensonusa.com | | Strengths: | Most everything-1.Power 2.Looks 3.Ease of Installation | | Weaknesses: | Few-1.Seem to collect dust and sirt easily around pivot pints(easy to clean off though) 2.Horrible brake pads come on them. | | Similar Products Used: | 1.Avid Arch Rivals 2.Cheap Shimanos 3. Avid Mechanical discs | | Bike Setup: | Schwinn Moab 3(pre buy-out) with M536 pedals, XTR V's, WTB Velociraptors, ODI Rogue Lock-Jaws, XTR Levers, LX rear Der., Deore Front Der., Kore cockpit, stock everything else. | | Bottom Line: | Awesome brake power, period. I have ridden bikes with avid mechanical discs and avid Arch rivals and I have to say these things seem more powerful than both. While they don't match the discs in wet weather, they come pretty close. The brakes were very easy to install, and the directions seemed very extensive and easy to understand for those people who are less experienced at working on their own bikes. Each caliper(brake for one wheel) cost me $36 at jensonusa.com. Overall, very happy with them and would reccomend them to anyone looking for an alternative for discs that come pretty near their stopping power. The only thing I would do with them is to change the stock XTR pads to a different brand. For some reason, the quality of the included brake pads do not meet the quality of the brakes themselves. I ordered some Kool-Stops and have been happy since. 5 Flaming Chilis in each category. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
andrew levick
a Racer
from cancord
Date Reviewed: April 22, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | trail 7 at killington | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$37.00 | | Purchased At: | jenson usa | | Strengths: | light, stiff, stops better then hayes discs, cool color | | Weaknesses: | none as yet tested | | Similar Products Used: | avid sd ti,avid sd mag, xt and avid sd5 | | Bike Setup: | giant xtc se2 with xt drivetrain, xtr breaks, psylo xc fork, spez. bar, titec stem, panaracer fire xc pro tires. best hardtail ever | | Bottom Line: | these breaks are the best made. for 37.50 a pop its hard to beat. the way the big S changed the paralell linkage is supereb, stops better then all but the xt disc break. the only problem i have is that i never need to use my breaks when i ace, it only slows you down. 5 flamin roadies across the board. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tony
a Cross Country Rider
from Newcastle Ca.
Date Reviewed: April 20, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | single track | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | CBE | | Strengths: | strong stoppers. | | Weaknesses: | SLOPPY ASS LINKAGE!!! bearings to maintain/wear out. Not as light as you think. | | Similar Products Used: | Avid Ti V-brakes, 'Ol school cantis | | Bike Setup: | Better than yours!! | | Bottom Line: | These brakes started out KILLER!! Then they started to rattle like an old Datsun B210!! I thought it was just a fluke. Then I realized I made a big mistake by putting them on 3 of my bikes.They crapped out too!! There is so much play in the linkage, the pads rub on the tire or slide off the edge of the rim towards the hub when I apply the brakes. Don't get me wrong I use XTR hubs and brake levers, they work great and last a life time with out any trouble, the brakes are over engineered and just dont last like other XTR products. I work in a shop, so I get to try all kinds of stuff. Spend your $ on something else cause these wont last long. I recently installed Avid ti brakes. They work just as well, are lighter, and last longer. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston, TX
Date Reviewed: April 5, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$37.00 | | Purchased At: | Jensonusa.com | | Strengths: | Great stopping power, easy to install, no complaints | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Similar Products Used: | Tektro garbage | | Bike Setup: | 2002 Specialized Stumpjumper Pro Frame - XTR brakes and levers, Manitou SXR Fork, King Headset, Thompson Stem, Easton Monkeylite Handlebars, LX/XT Drivetrain, Hugi Hubs w/517's. | | Bottom Line: | Great V-brakes for the money. Easy to install, no squealing noise, stops bike great.
These brakes beat the hell out of my old Tekro Brakes. If you don't go for disk brakes, these are a great choice.
Work great with XTR levers. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nate
a Cross Country Rider
from Wakefield Ma
Date Reviewed: March 24, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | light, easy to set up, love the parallelogram | | Weaknesses: | kinda squeaky when wet...origial pads sucked, went to ritchey pads when the old ones wore out. they seem fine. Pricey, very pricey. | | Similar Products Used: | P.O.S. tecktro, those will make anything look good | | Bike Setup: | specialized rockhopper...almost nothing stock but the frame and wheels. | | Bottom Line: | light weight, they stop, if ya got the bucks and think v-brakes are the way to go these should seriously be considered. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Desmond --
a Cross Country Rider
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: February 19, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Any XC | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | T.H.H | | Strengths: | 1.Light in weight
2.Nice design than others(parallel linkage)
3.Ease of maintanence
4.User-friendly adjustment
5.Free of friction against rim stopping | | Weaknesses: | I think this this the free of weakness brakes. | | Similar Products Used: | XT disc brakes | | Bike Setup: | Giant ATX890, sid 100, almost full XTR except crank n disc hubs XT | | Bottom Line: | Perfect n awesome brakes. The V-brakes (Very gd-brakes) really provide the strongest brake power almost similar with the XT disc brakes i had used. In this case, the Vee provide a ceramic type n a ordinary type. I majority prefer the normal type, bcoz that it provide a stronger braking power than ceramic type. Hence the odinary type brakes pad will not last longer than ceramic n it also spoilt the rim easily but who care, maybe everyone including me will change to ceramic type to avoid this small problem. But really i still recommend the XTR V-brakes to ya due to its cheap n effective. N i will grade infinite chilis instead of 5. If u have xtra bucks do one shot buy the ceramic type. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan
a
from Detroit
Date Reviewed: February 13, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Super strong,Light, makes boys jealous, and girls blush... | | Weaknesses: | They aren't free :( and they don't come in matte black... | | Similar Products Used: | XT / Avid Arch Rival | | Bike Setup: | Kona Koa rigid urban assault, MAMMOTH WHEELS,XVERT,RACE FACE STUFF, BLACK SPIRE BASH GUARD..BLA BLA BLA | | Bottom Line: | If your going to buy large wheels like the Mammoths, setup is a little tricky, but work great for freeriding when setup properly...
These are the BEST V-Brakes on the market!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tyler
a
from Albuquerque,NM, USA
Date Reviewed: February 8, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Light, responsive, structual integrity(very little arm flex)
| | Weaknesses: | Pads are good but have short life
| | Bottom Line: | Great v-brake system. I have not felt one I liked as much, the action is so light, two finger braking on technical spots or fast chop is not a stress on the flexor carpi's, making long decents with necessary braking easier on the fore-arms. I will put some higher end after market pads on though. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Keith Lawton
a Cross Country Rider
from The Lake District, UK
Date Reviewed: February 8, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Any long off-roads | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$179.00 | | Purchased At: | The UK Bike Show | | Strengths: | Lightweight and superbly finished braking system. Soft compound pads stop well in all weathers and despite being a fiddle to set-up are fine once done. Very smooth, controlled braking with lots of modulation - highly recommended if you're after a set of top-line V brakes | | Weaknesses: | Pricy, but not compare to discs. Some squealing from the brakes under load. | | Similar Products Used: | XT V's, LX V's, Deore, Hayes Discs. | | Bike Setup: | Cove Hummer, Psylo Race, Raceface, XT & XTR. | | Bottom Line: | Powerful and dependable with amazing feel and control for a V Brake. Buy a set! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
andreas klauser
a Cross Country Rider
from feldafing
Date Reviewed: January 28, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | hibike | | Strengths: | Design | | Weaknesses: | Not complete | | Similar Products Used: | XTR99, Magura Quick Silver, Magura 10th, Precision, Billet | | Bike Setup: | Hot Chili Zymotic, Marzocchi Atom 80 '00, Grip Shift, ... | | Bottom Line: | Good brakes. Excellent only when: 1. combined with brake boosters front AND rear (e.g. Muddy Carbon) 2. a longitudinally super stiff cable system, i.e. Nokon Konkavex or Nokon Trac Pearls. Try, and you'll get saucer like eyes how the thing works then. Very dry pressure point, no hysteresis at all, perfect modulation. One in all, just as Magura rim brake, and 250g less weight. A pity that Shimano does not include the necessary parts on its own. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ivan
a Weekend Warrior
from Brooklyn
Date Reviewed: January 15, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | powerfull, nice feel at the lever, perfect match for my avid disc in the front | | Weaknesses: | don't look as cool as discs | | Similar Products Used: | multiple v-brakes | | Bike Setup: | yep | | Bottom Line: | this is one of the most refined products i know(read teh earlier reviews, and you'll see what i mean) shimanoactually listens to their costomers.
these brales rule, thay feel really nice, thay give me a lot of control, and power only if i need it, unlike my hayer hydro(i'm afraid to touch the lever, cuz i don't want to fly over the bars)
i'll give these brakes five flamin' monkeys for thair great feel and price(#35) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
L Cunnion
a Cross Country Rider
from USA
Date Reviewed: January 4, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | simple enough to set-up at least - i don't quite get some of the complaints on this issue.
have adequate stopping power.
like much of shimano's top-drawer equipment, the ergonomics and construction feels spot on - "how did they know?"
very snappy in the responsiveness provides adequate modulation. | | Weaknesses: | there is brake chatter - i've found the brake shoe stud is rather loose in the brake shoe body. no big deal - you just hear a squeal under hard braking condition. | | Similar Products Used: | magura hs-33 is the only other top shelf ATB brake i've used on a personal bike.
i've demo'd plenty of brakes though... | | Bike Setup: | surly 1x1, xtr levers, salsa boosters (to prevent frame flex) | | Bottom Line: | the brakes work - i hardly know they're there.
they stop on a dime and offer enough modulation up to that point.
at around $120 for a set of calipers and levers - these are not unreasonably priced.
the pads wear a little fast - but that observation comes from using maguras and the pads on those get crazy wear before replacement.
modulation isn't as much as maguras but the return of the springs feels worlds quicker than a hydraulic set-up.
i've no real complaints with these brakes at all and would not hesitate to put them on a bike that i love riding. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike b
a Cross Country Rider
from Sodom in the North
Date Reviewed: December 30, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | boggs | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | park cyclery sf | | Strengths: | better than xt level vees
stopping power
industrial-strength appearance | | Weaknesses: | bushings develop slop over time, but not as bad as xt's | | Similar Products Used: | xt vees | | Bike Setup: | sc superlight, reasonably equipped, 25.5 lbs | | Bottom Line: | i see no other reason to use anything else but xtr vee brakes. when the weight/price/performance combo of discs comes to a level which i feel is acceptable, i will try them. if you're a cross country rider or a free-rider of the all day school, these brakes are for you.
like the reviewer way below said, the 950's develop some slop. even though my front ones have more slop than the rear, i don't feel that the slop creates a performance issue. at any rate, the slop is not nearly as bad as that of my early generation xt vees.
xtr vees are the single best upgrade you can make to your bike if you're not using them now. the do the job extrordinarily well and seem to be very durable. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from USA
Date Reviewed: December 30, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$38.00 | | Purchased At: | jensonusa.com | | Strengths: | light weight, look cool, no squeal so far, feel really strong, ease of setup once i knew what i was doing. Reading instructions helps. | | Weaknesses: | Had trouble setting up at first, if i had known what i was doing it would have been easy. NO OTHER WEAKNESSES so far. | | Similar Products Used: | shimano stock brakes, avid arch rival, tektros, avid mechanicals, avid single digits | | Bike Setup: | Schwinn Moab 3 with Shimano 536 pedals, WTB velociraptor tires, ODI lockjaw grips, XTR brakes and levers | | Bottom Line: | These breaks are great. No squeal so far but I havent really had the opportunity to try them when its really wet yet. They feel very powerful. I would advise getting nice levers like XTR with these brakes because the extra modulation is really nice and you can adjust them howwever you like. The cartide "slip in" style pads make pad replacement easy, although they are a really tight fit at first. I would also get Kool-stop pads with these brakes but the Shimano ones are not bad. Bottom line: 5 flaming chilis but more if i could. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt Kamm
a Racer
from New Ulm Minnesota
Date Reviewed: November 14, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | All | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | My sponsor | | Strengths: | Really strong, not much flex, I love the way they feel, only v-brakes i would buy, easy to setup. | | Weaknesses: | They flex my BMX frame but that is really thin aluminum. | | Similar Products Used: | Avid, Koski, LX | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher | | Bottom Line: | Best v-brakes ever. They are strong, they feel good, they are easy to setup, lightwheight. If you can not afford these at least buy the pads. They are awesome. I have the pads on all my bikes. What are you doing on the computer? Go and order a pair or go and order a pair online. Cheapest i found em online was at www.jensonusa.com | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dustin Smith
a Cross Country Rider
from Kelowna B.C Canada
Date Reviewed: October 5, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Jensonusa | | Strengths: | These brakes rock!! they are very light and have no vibration at all. Brake very well with little or no squeal. and have a long lasting finish on them | | Weaknesses: | Brake pads tend to wear the crap outta your rims sidewalls if you have the ridiges they'll be worn before you know it. | | Similar Products Used: | Tektro 824(crap) | | Bottom Line: | a very nice brake except for the pads, but thats what makes them brake so well. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Colin
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver BC in CANADA!!!
Date Reviewed: September 30, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | anything with a good ride | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | Custom Setup With Bike | | Strengths: | Stiff, super strong construction, little to no flex. | | Weaknesses: | little amount of flex, can be cured w/ a booster | | Similar Products Used: | Avid 9.0s, old canti style | | Bike Setup: | 2000 Psycle-Werks WildHare, Mavic 517 rims (trading for rhyno lites or mammoths), '95 rock (c0ck) shocks (trading for Z1 qr20) Full XTR, RaceFace Turbine LP Cranks, BlackSpire Ring God (the god of all rings) | | Bottom Line: | Face it if your a pretty good rider your not gonna want XTR brakes, you are gonna want Discs (Hayes or Hope)... The perfect setup would be, Front: Hope disc, Rear:Shimano XTR V's... WHY??? BECAUSE you will never need that much stopping power on the rear... enless u do full boar DH | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gary Gao
a Weekend Warrior
from Shanghai China
Date Reviewed: September 27, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | all mountains | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | a local shop | | Strengths: | that's XTR, so powerful, stiff, the refined paralleled link and the sealed bearings. | | Weaknesses: | pads vibrate a bit while braking hard, perfect setup is a really killing job | | Similar Products Used: | 98 XT V-brakes | | Bike Setup: | a old Bridgestone mudrock, INDY C, XT-XTR | | Bottom Line: | my old XT vbrakes were under hard use for more than 2 years and they vibrated alot. so i upgraded them with the 99 xtr. the sealed bearings are real work of art. they make the cantilevers so stiff, no vibration at all. the pads setup took me....numerous hours before makin them perfect. but when braking hard, the pads still vibrate even with the added spring. annyway this is top of line products made by Shimano. and it works without a hitch and performs best in dry conditions. but if possible, i would like to try disk brakes like Hayes or Magura... anyway this is the best V-brake on the market. i recommand it to everyone who are looking for wonderful V-brakes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bob the Techno-Slut
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado
Date Reviewed: August 31, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Powerful,light,and SMMOOOTH modulation.No flex or play.I've tested Hayes disc brakes,and not even THOSE feel as strong as XTR V's with fresh pads.These may huck you straight over the bars!Sealed cartridge bearings at crucial pivots means that these brakes will last quite awhile.Very good in mud.Price is somewhat reasonable for what you get($45/brake,$110/levers+both brakes). | | Weaknesses: | Setup is a COMPLETE ARSE!I've never dealt with brakes that are as hard to set up(that includes cantis too)as XTR's.I suppose this is a problem common to parallel-linkage V's,but they have not come out of adjustment yet,even under fairly intensive use.The stock pads are a little too soft,but at least they don't leave black junk all over the rims. | | Similar Products Used: | Hayes hyd. discs,old LX cantilevers,LX direct-pull(not parallel push)V's | | Bike Setup: | Intense Tracer,full XTR,X-Fly..waiting for a new Maverick Monolink | | Bottom Line: | Great brakes,very trustworthy and have great modulation.Very smooth,controlled braking power,and yet these brakes can lock a wheel VERY quickly.It took me about an hour to get used to them,but once I did I had the confidence to ride much harder than I ever have before.Having the ability to stop fast also gives you the potential to ride faster.After the initial pain-in-the-ass setup,these brakes are FLAWLESS in every way,even in the wet.I also love the replaceable bearings.Bottom line:Get these brakes!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Christopher Mallardi
a Cross Country Rider
from St. Petersburg
Date Reviewed: August 30, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Morris Bridge | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Ease of set up and use. Light weight! | | Weaknesses: | None so far | | Similar Products Used: | LX v brakes | | Bike Setup: | All XTR Cannondale M800 | | Bottom Line: | These brakes set the standard. Easy to set up and rarely require servicing. Pad replacement is incridibly easy.
Provide enought power with two fingers to lock up eirther tire. Careful these could throw you over the bars.
Have friends that have converted to disc and have encountered nothing but problems. Especially with the mechanical discs.
Until the discs can beat the XTR V in both weight and reliability I dont see any reason for a XC rider to change. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andy
a Racer
from Portage Michigan
Date Reviewed: August 14, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | fort custer and tk lawless | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | these are the best brakes i have ever rode. these brakes have the strongest breaking power. the feel of these brakes make me feel more comfortable with riding which makes me go faster. | | Weaknesses: | the only problem was that the front braked squeaked a little but a little toe-in helps that. | | Similar Products Used: | nothing this great | | Bike Setup: | XTR, Coda 2x9, Thompson, Mavic 517 | | Bottom Line: | I would recommend these breaks to everyone, they will change the way you ride and will let you trust yourself to go faster because you now you will beable to stop before you hit a tree. this are the best v-brakes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jamie DeLong
a Racer
from Asheville, NC
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Bent Creek, Kitsuma | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Purchased At: | jensonusa.com | | Strengths: | Look Great
It's the best
Extremely Powerful
| | Weaknesses: | Nada | | Similar Products Used: | Avid single digit 7's
Cheap crappy Tektros | | Bike Setup: | Univega Alpina 700 XT/Mavic 221 Wheelset
Manitou Mars Xtr/Xt | | Bottom Line: | These breaks rock I hav'nt used them much yet but so far thay are great nice and stiff and very very powerful
I actually ditched my disks and disk wheelset to save some weight | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
hiroshima yakima
a Weekend Warrior
from peoples republic of china
Date Reviewed: June 15, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | greatwall | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | ben-chi-mcdoobich | | Strengths: | very very well, i like, i love, i loath, watch hidden tiger hiddn dragon | | Weaknesses: | none lacks the chi | | Similar Products Used: | trike | | Bike Setup: | trike with all xtr | | Bottom Line: | if ive got a trike with xtr soooo can you | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
rei nic
a Weekend Warrior
from Hong Kong
Date Reviewed: June 12, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Tai Hang | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$165.00 | | Purchased At: | Bicycle World Wanchai | | Strengths: | Design, quality of construction, lightweight, looks and stopping power. Comforatble levers. | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | Magura HS-33, Shimano cantilevers | | Bike Setup: | Porsche | | Bottom Line: | After months of struggling with my HS-33's and buying red pads, green pads, alloy boosters, carbon boosters, lightweight screwsets, spacers, I finally gave up and bought a set of XTR's. What a difference! The XTR's are light and look great. I tested them on a steep hill in the wet and they stopped better than the Magura's ever did. They're easy to set up and the XTR cables are braided stainless steel so I don't feel that strength is an issue for my kind of riding when compared to hydraulic rim brakes. Not having to fool around with the evolution adaptor anymore is a great relief! Any XC riders who want to stick with rim brakes should buy XTR's - there's simply nothing better. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JD
a Racer
from Austin TX
Date Reviewed: June 12, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$120.00 | | Purchased At: | Performacne | | Strengths: | Feel and consistancy. Brakes on demand. | | Weaknesses: | Have to get a shim kit every other year to tighten up the mechenism that holds the pads. | | Similar Products Used: | XT Vs, Magueras, lots o'cantis | | Bike Setup: | Ibis Mojo, full XTR | | Bottom Line: | These brakes rock. I don't have to use them in the mud much, but when I have they worked great.
I was using a rental bike with low end Avids, and all I could think of when(not really all) riding was how I missed the feel of my XTRs.
I priced matched these from a couple of mailorder companies at performace and got a great deal. Sub $120
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from michigan
Date Reviewed: April 7, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | pontiac lake | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Strengths: | great power.. light.. looks good | | Weaknesses: | price. | | Similar Products Used: | shimano lx parrallel bush | | Bike Setup: | xt shifter/frnt deralier, lx cranks, xtr brakes and rear der | | Bottom Line: | kick ass.... worth the $$ even if they are only ment to slow you down | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dustin
a Weekend Warrior
from Ga
Date Reviewed: April 5, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Mansell | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | Frankford Bike | | Strengths: | Excellent braking power, works great, stops great, in all weather. | | Weaknesses: | Price, but nothing good comes cheap. | | Similar Products Used: | Dia-Comp brakes (cheap) | | Bike Setup: | 99 FSR Sport, XTR brakes, xt rear derailleur, 517 rims, michelin front tire, wtb rear, xt shifters/brakes levers. | | Bottom Line: | These brakes work great, no matter the weather conditions. What else can you say, they are shimano top of the line. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
"Burt" Reynolds
a Cross Country Rider
from CANADA
Date Reviewed: April 5, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Grandmas Backyard | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | Cyclepath | | Strengths: | Extremely durable, very responsive and never fail. | | Weaknesses: | The brake pads that come with the brake wear really fast. I recommend changing them to CoolStop pads, last longer and are just as good. | | Similar Products Used: | Tektro(sucks huge A$$)wanted to try something different, my mistake. | | Bike Setup: | Devinci 1000 series(love this Canadian frame), raceface(Canadian beauties!) and XTR components. | | Bottom Line: | These breaks are everything they are cracked up to be. SUPERIOR to all others!!!!!! If you are a serious rider, and want some serious long lasting and very easy to rebuild(if necessary)brakes, go XTR!!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Giuliano Pochini
a Weekend Warrior
from La Spezia, Italy
Date Reviewed: April 3, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$110.00 | | Strengths: | Very light and stiff. They work fine when clean. | | Weaknesses: | Poor brake power when wet or dirty or overheat. Quite expensive. They eat the pads quickly. | | Similar Products Used: | XT V brakes | | Bike Setup: | Trek8500 '98 | | Bottom Line: | I bought this brake the XTs had too much play and my Manitou fork hasn't the mountings for a disk brake.
XTRs are lighter that XTs, but nothing more. They have the same problems of XTs: poor power, squeals, etc. when they're wet or dirty.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
BVBR
a Racer
from Ocomukowonowaukesha, WI
Date Reviewed: March 2, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance Bike | | Strengths: | Its Shimano
Smooth bearings
Lots of Power | | Weaknesses: | Not good in the mud (but that can be said for any rim brake)
Bearings can get gunked up in the mud (but they're rebuildable) | | Similar Products Used: | XT, Avid SD 2.0, Avid Arch Rival Mag | | Bike Setup: | ProFlex 857 | | Bottom Line: | Update on an earlier review. In my earlier review I commented on how I wish I would've bought the Avids...well I finally did buy some Avids and all I can say is I should've stuck with ol' trusty XTR. The precision of the XTR design is way beyond that offered by Avid. My XTR's are rock solid, and smooth as butter. I did have to rebuild them once after a muddy week of riding in Snowshoe, WV. But now they're good as new again.
Sorry I doubted you XTR. It won't happen again. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tal Zimnavoda
a Cross Country Rider
from Jerusalem Israel
Date Reviewed: February 28, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | mail order; not gonna push | | Strengths: | durability
power
simplicity
price | | Weaknesses: | the stupid little noodle + boot arrangement that doesn't work very well and is seemingly nonreplaceable (nobody ever has these parts in stock) so I keep using them over and over. | | Similar Products Used: | XT V's, dia comp, cantilevers | | Bike Setup: | Independent Fabrications Deluxe, XT 8 spd all around, LX 9 spd splined crank, Chris King headset, Time pedals, Mavic 217 | | Bottom Line: | I cannot complain. I always wonder when I should. I have taken good care of this stuff and it has served me well.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
matt
a Cross Country Rider
from maryland
Date Reviewed: February 28, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Strengths: | great stopping power for rim brakes, sleek look | | Weaknesses: | if there are wet conditions and you break really hard sometimes they squeal | | Bottom Line: | These brakes have great power for a rim brake. If you set up your levers well, you can get a great one finger feel. They look good on your frame as well. I found that sometimes when I brake really hard they front brake will make the loudest high pitched squeal. But it dosen't happen very often. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jon Marshall
a Weekend Warrior
from Auckland NZ
Date Reviewed: February 17, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Redwoods Rotorua | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Pack & Pedal Manukau | | Strengths: | Relatively easy to set up.Excellent braking power on front. Good modulation. No sign yet of wear in XT linkage | | Weaknesses: | Front brake squeals(perhaps I should clean my rims more often),Almost too powerful up front. Back brake a bit spongy at lever(rear suspension frame flex ?) but still good response. | | Similar Products Used: | Cheap factory fitted Tektro V-brakes. Magura rim brakes | | Bike Setup: | Specialised Rockhopper FSR 2000 model.Easton MonkeyRiser bar, otherwise standard. | | Bottom Line: | So far these brakes are proving too be very good.I'm not a real daredevil just an average rider who needs good quality gear at a reasonable cost so time will tell if these brakes are durable or not.I like the fact that the front brakes work so strongly as this is the end I use most. They look good so I hope they do last the distance as they cost about $350 NZ for the 2 sets. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ian
a Racer
from Peterborough UK
Date Reviewed: February 15, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | Woodston Cycles | | Strengths: | Top of the range, what the pros use | | Weaknesses: | if u set them up wrong they'll make a lot of noise, make sure they're set up so the arms are parallel when levers pulled, this gives max power. also dont bother with toe in, just push the arm so the pad is pushed on the rim, check its hitting square and tighten, easy! | | Similar Products Used: | nearly every v out there, plus hope, hayes and magura | | Bike Setup: | GT Zaskar Team, Custom Issue | | Bottom Line: | Pro looks, great power, XT's are slightly more powerful, but these puppies rule the roost, yeah Avid mags are lighter, but a few grams means nothing, go for a big poo before riding if your that bothered, you'll lose more weight. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robertani
a Cross Country Rider
from Canberra
Date Reviewed: January 3, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Good when new | | Weaknesses: | No durability | | Similar Products Used: | STX cantis, XT Vs, Hayes Hydraulic, Avid | | Bike Setup: | Giant ATX 990 Bomber Z1 | | Bottom Line: | Im only reviewing the 950 (early version) here. I have a friend with the 951s who has no problems. If you see any 950s for sale- DO NOT BUY EM- even if they are way cheaper, get 00 XTs instead if that is your budget. The problem is the linkages wear out over time and create slop which is hopeless. The 951s acctually have a spring to keep the pads upright to prevent this and slightly Beefier linkages- the 00 XTs are even beefier again. The 950s were superb when new, but now they are hopeless. For the 951s, which a friend has , I'd give em 4 stars. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Luke
a Cross Country Rider
from Knoxville, TN
Date Reviewed: December 14, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | many | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | lbs | | Strengths: | Strong, powerful stiopping. Excellent setup. The ONLY lightweight alternative to a disk bake. | | Weaknesses: | Ugly. Pads wear fast in wet. pivots do eventually develop play. | | Similar Products Used: | Hayes disk. Many many many Vs. | | Bike Setup: | 99 Jamis Dragon. Custom Build. | | Bottom Line: | There is a little trick that you may see on Pros bikes--- Adjust the washers in the pads so that the brake arms are literlally paralell to each other. This allows for the optimum alignment of the pads and arms and will stop you on a dime. These are the V brakes that best all V brakes. Disk brakes are cool, but thats just ridiculous stopping power I dont need. The setup is key. If you set these up crappily, then of course youre not going to get max performance, but baby these things during setup and you don't have to worry about them. Well, thats my two bits. For XC or a DS guy on a budget, then defenitely go XTR. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Zerg
a
from Hong Kong
Date Reviewed: December 6, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Very good braking, light and cheap | | Weaknesses: | none........ | | Similar Products Used: | LX, XT v-brakes | | Bike Setup: | Megamo shock trials | | Bottom Line: | The brakes are VERY powerful, light..... i used it with a cheap levers, but the performance is so good. XTR V-brakes are good for trials riding, too........ | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Anthony
a Cross Country Rider
from Canada
Date Reviewed: November 1, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Anything rough and steep | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | The Bike people | | Strengths: | Good solid braking in dry weather, and decent braking in the wet if you set them up right. I find they chatter a bit when wet, but if you're smart you can set them up right to stop that. | | Weaknesses: | The brake arms flex a little under braking, but what do you expect from a lightweight parrallel push brake. | | Similar Products Used: | XT V-brakes, LX V-Brakes, Tried XT Discs | | Bike Setup: | Full XTR, Mavic 517's | | Bottom Line: | For a cross country rider looking for lightweight, at a decent price, with excellent performance, this is the brake. If you are a hardcore rider weighing over 200 lbs, and who breaks a lot of stuff, go buy the new XTs. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
NATHAN MATTIMOE
a Cross Country Rider
from TOLEDO
Date Reviewed: October 10, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | POTOWATOMIE PINCKNEY MI | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Purchased At: | WERSELLS TOLEDO OH | | Strengths: | LEVERS ARE BUTTER. TOOK THEM TO SNOWSHOE WV AND HAD NO PROBLEMS. GREAT LOOKS. NOT TOO EXPENSIVE. DID I MENTION THE LEVERS...THEY RULE. | | Weaknesses: | SQUEALS IN FRONT WHEN WET. DO NEED TO BE ADJUSTED WITH HARD CORE DOWNS USE. THEY ARE SHIMANO FOR THE ANTI BIG BUSSINESS FOLKS. | | Similar Products Used: | XT | | Bike Setup: | KONA KULA, RACE FACE, RINGLE, THOMSON, XTR. | | Bottom Line: | GOOD FOR THE MONEY. GREAT MODULATION/ LEVERS. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nate Ullenberg
a Racer
from WI
Date Reviewed: October 5, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | John Muir | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Doctor | | Strengths: | NONE AT ALL
ITS A TOP OF THE LINE? | | Weaknesses: | sUCKS SH!T, THE WORST BRAKES IN THE WORLD, NO POWER, HORRIBLE RATTLING, TERRIBLE BRAKE PADS AND NO ADJUSTABILITY
ABSOLUTELY THE WORST BRAKES EVER MADE... XTR SUCKS | | Similar Products Used: | AVID 2.0
AVID MAGNESIUMS SWEET
AVID ARCH RIVALS KICK A$$ | | Bike Setup: | 98 KLEIN PULSE PRO | | Bottom Line: | THEY ARE THE BOTTOM OF THE LINE GO WITH XT INSTEAD | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Weekend Warrior
from Gladstone MI
Date Reviewed: September 24, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Sports Rack | | Strengths: | Good braking when dry. | | Weaknesses: | Scratchy when wet ever sence i got them, chews up brake cables, hurt your rims, alot of greese all over them | | Similar Products Used: | Old Junkers | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | There ok if you only go out on the weekends but a pain if you want to beat your bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve
a Racer
from Mississauga, Ontario
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | any technical singletrack | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Light weight, great modulation, powerful stopping power. | | Weaknesses: | Fades easily when riding in muddy conditions. | | Similar Products Used: | XT V's, STX cantilevers | | Bike Setup: | xtr rear and front vees, lots of raceface.
| | Bottom Line: | These brakes are light and do the job impeccably well. Especially when in dry/normal conditions. The xtr v brakes are the best v brake for the money. The only real turn-off is that the vees start to lose their power in really tough downhill descents and in muddy conditions. All in all, 5 flamin piles of sh*t for value, and 3 for overall (minus one for below average muddy performance).
BTW - I am switching to the new XT hydraulic disc, it will perform better than the xtr which is in the front right now. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
marco righetti
a Weekend Warrior
from uddingston,lanarkshire,scotland u.k.
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | race circuit aberfoyle scotland u.k. | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | the ceramic pads with mavic 517 rims are a good combo,good stopping power if levers are squeezed hard but pads are one year old and still going strong and there is no bevelling on the rims,i,m really impressed with these 517 ceramic rims! | | Weaknesses: | not just as much power in wet conditions but they still stop you. | | Similar Products Used: | xt v's | | Bike Setup: | russian titanium hardtail,98 sxti,xtr kit,nokian boazobeena x tyres. | | Bottom Line: | i'm 210 lbs and these brakes stop me fine which means that i dont need heavier disc brakes,i really recommend these brakes | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
James
a Cross Country Rider
from Wisconsin
Date Reviewed: July 1, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Good power. Much better quality than my old XT's which developed lots of play. | | Weaknesses: | SQUEEEEEEEEEEEL when wet. Fade on long downhills. Prone to mud clogging due to complexity. Pads wear very quickly. | | Similar Products Used: | XT V brakes, Avid V brakes | | Bottom Line: | Works much better than my old XT's which developed lots of play. Lots of squeal when wet or damp. The pads wear extremely fast...especially if they encounter mud. I'm in the process of rebuilding mine after a muddy ride. The mud totally infiltrated the bearings virtually causing the brake arms to seize. My other bike (which got equally as muddy) has Avid brakes....after rinsing them off they worked as good as new. If I had to do it all over again I'd buy the Avid brakes over XTR. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Emil
a Racer
from Denmark
Date Reviewed: June 22, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | cities | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Power. They certainly mean business - especially with a horse-shoe "servo" on the front fork. I reckon they beat the new XT Discs for ultimate braking power.
Easy to set the pads up right, and then they never need adjusting again! BIG improvement over previous generation cantilevers.
Only slight delay in wet weather, but that's probably up to the non-original pads. | | Weaknesses: | Original pads are prone to snatching, making it hard to brake accurately - so I use Ritchey's replacements.
Might squeak on some frames. | | Similar Products Used: | XT V-Brakes, XT-Discs | | Bike Setup: | Marin "Eldrigde Grade", stiff front fork, XT running gear, X-Lite parts everywhere else. Salsa "Arc de TriOOMPH" brake "servoes". Michelin tyres, both for on or off-road. | | Bottom Line: | No way out, they are the best. True XT V-brakes offer the same qualities, but when I replaced them I got the XTR jobs at the same price - how could I refuse?
These brakes have saved my skin many times over, both in the city and on the trails.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
'96Klein
a Cross Country Rider
from Maryland
Date Reviewed: June 19, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Avalon | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Durability, Strength, Price, Easy to setup/mantain. | | Weaknesses: | Can't work with bent or outta true rim. | | Similar Products Used: | Magura, Disc | | Bike Setup: | '96 Klein Attitude solid XTR w/RF Cranks and King Hubs | | Bottom Line: | I have used every system of brake since the mid 80s. My favorite is the v-brake or side pull system. I found Magura's and discs had a soft feel, but detatched feel. They are also tough to service and expensive. I like the power of linear pull brakes, but love the linkage system of shimano's design. I had XT brakes at first but the bushings left lots of play. I upgraded to XTR and foudn the bearings to be great. Lets face it...brakes are only there to stop a 18lbs bike not a B-17. I am not an extreme free rider so for XC riding the v-brake is my top choice. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
X-Biker
a Cross Country Rider
from Netherlands
Date Reviewed: June 13, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Weight, Color, XTR, Power | | Weaknesses: | Brake only on/off, noisy, pri$e | | Similar Products Used: | Sachs Disc, Magura HS11, 22, 33, V's LX, XT, Paul | | Bike Setup: | American Eagle Durango, Magura HS33 (!), King wheels, XTR | | Bottom Line: | They brake only on/off, they are too expensive, they are very noisy. But they look good, and are light... Try Magura's first and you never buy V-brakes... www.magura.com | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Aaron Vidas
a Downhiller
from Vancouver, British Columbia
Date Reviewed: June 12, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | The XTR V-brake has excellent stopping power (when properly set-up), and nice modulation. Pad wear is even becuase of Shimano's pad alignment device and the brakes have a solid look and feel to them. I have never had a problem with a part on the brakes failing (which is surprising) and the longetivety on these brakes is simply amazing. | | Weaknesses: | FADE! As with any rim brake the XTR V-brake fades on long downhills and in the wet. Too bad most of the North Shore is like this. The beginning of a trail is fine but by the end my barrel adjusters on my brakes are fully dialed out.
Mind you, I go through pads about every 3 rides. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XT (a little cheaper, not as solid feeling) | | Bike Setup: | The brakes came with my Kona and have provided great stopping (It had to be dry and on a short downhill) and fit the bike's character perfectly. | | Bottom Line: | Excellent brakes if your sponsored by a brake pad manufacturer and love to stop quickly, with minimum if any noise, and love anything Shimano. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
chad
a Cross Country Rider
from annapolis md
Date Reviewed: June 11, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | light, sweet lever feel, good looks | | Weaknesses: | a tad expensive but not too bad | | Similar Products Used: | avids | | Bike Setup: | joshua xo full xtr zi x fly x517 ceramic w/ king hubs eatone corbon riser and eaton ct2 post tiem carbon pedal body goemetrt pro ti
| | Bottom Line: | great brake, awesome feel in your hands, run mine with a shimano carbon booster on ceramic rims and they just as well as disks w/o the weight | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ryan
a Racer
from Williamstown, MA
Date Reviewed: June 2, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Waterbar | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Relatively light.
Parallel push mechanism.
Strong, predictable performance.
Cartridge pads.
Good looks. | | Weaknesses: | Like all rim brakes, they do tend to fade a bit on long downhills and in the wet. | | Similar Products Used: | XT | | Bike Setup: | Gripshift 9.0sl, Cook Bros cranks, Race Face rings, Easton bar, Thomson post, WTB saddle, Avid levers, Crossland wheels with Bontrager tires. | | Bottom Line: | The strongest argument to buy these brakes are their consistent, predictable performance. One finger is usually good enough for bringing you to a quick stop. The parallel push mechanism is great - setup is wicked easy. For the gram counters out there, I'm sure you can find something a little lighter, but will the performance be all that much better at this price range. If you have the money, sure, buy Avid's top of the line. If not, these work great! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bill swire
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle, WA, HELL
Date Reviewed: April 17, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | track 13, Snquamie ski park | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | fair stopping power, temperaily | | Weaknesses: | they wear out quick, allways have to be a justed | | Similar Products Used: | avid 3-ways, paul, hope disk, magura xc, alivo, K-Mart specials | | Bike Setup: | Cannadale v 700 | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are trash, maybe all you guy's like them, but ride them in wet, rainy, muddy wheather, or any long downhills, they bad. Shimano should stop selling all thier garbage products. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Guy
a Cross Country Rider
from Urbana
Date Reviewed: March 30, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Porcupine Rim | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Sweet brakes, Good braking power, good looks | | Weaknesses: | None really... | | Similar Products Used: | Avid (almost all of them except Supreme) | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale F1000, XTR shifters, XTR rear der, XTR brakes and levers, Race Face crank w/ rings, Time ATAC pedals | | Bottom Line: | really good brakes. I would suggest upgrading your brakes if you have a midpriced rig, so get either these are arch 50's. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alvin
a Weekend Warrior
from Concord, CA
Date Reviewed: December 21, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Briones Trail | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Looks, Design, feel, power, set and forget | | Weaknesses: |
None | | Similar Products Used: |
XT/Avid/Canti | | Bike Setup: |
XTR build, 8 speed, Selle Italia Gel Titanium Kevlar saddle, Manitou SX-TI Carbon, Time ATAC Carbon Pedals, DuraAce Chain, Mavic 217 rims/GT CNC hubs, Michelin Wildgrippers, Race Face LP cranks, Azonic ORC stem, Azonic 1.5 riser, Thomson seatpost, Serfas grips, Cane Creek C-2, Fox Alps 5R air shock, | | Bottom Line: | I like these brakes. Usually, in the Shimano food chain, the top feeders require more upkeep. Not so with this product. The v-brakes were adjusted once and haven't been since then. These babies stop you on a dime without bleeding or adjusting. Plus the cables and brake handles work in concert with the v-brakes to the point where it feels like I am placing the power to stop directly on the v-brakes themselves. Excellent product. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Daryl G.
a Racer
from Collingwood
Date Reviewed: December 1, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
best cable acctuated rim squeezing
brakes on the market
easy set-up(then forger)
power power power | | Weaknesses: |
none | | Similar Products Used: |
XT Cantilevers
DX
LX
Magura Hydraulic | | Bike Setup: |
24 lb Univega (94)
99 SID SL, XTR, Mavic, Kore,
Chris King | | Bottom Line: | great cross country braking, no need for discs or hydraulics | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
YaMon
a Cross-Country Rider
from Miami, Fla
Date Reviewed: November 29, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Hamilton Mountain | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Relatively Light | | Weaknesses: |
Pads Wear Fast | | Similar Products Used: |
Magura Hydraulic | | Bike Setup: |
Manitou FS Ti
Specialized Ultimate
Chris King
Top Line Cranks | | Bottom Line: | Like everything these days, you have to pick the product for what they are intended for. These are great for dry weather and even technical courses. However, keep them the hell away from mud and wet conditions. They do not brake at all when going down hill in the rain and if conditions are muddy, your pads will last one afternoon. Just got another bike, a Mantra and putting on Maguras. A bit heavier ( I'll find some other way to compensate). But at least I don't have to worry about my brakes and the rain anymore. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross-Country Rider
from Traverse City MI
Date Reviewed: November 23, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Vasa, North Country | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
A lot of strength | | Weaknesses: |
none really | | Bike Setup: |
Klein attitude SID XC | | Bottom Line: | I have ridden these brakes for 2 years and love them to death. Very powerfull, when combined with the Crossmax's ceramic braking surface. Mine never squeal wet or dry. They did at first, but all you have to do is make sure there is absoulutly zero toe in, the pad stikes the rim perfectly flat. Some say to toe them in, but this is why they squeal. Also using non shimano brake pads may cause squeal, belive me the shimano ceramic pads are burly enough. Five flammin piles for some awesomes brakes and long term durability. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ChkYaHead
a Weekend Warrior
from Jacksonville, Fl
Date Reviewed: November 5, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Belleview | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Just that...strength | | Weaknesses: |
WHEEEN....WHEEEEN | | Bottom Line: | These brakes squeal louder than Ned Beatty in Deliverance. However, they do their job and do it well. They have a nice look to them as well. I am kind of surprised that Shimano would let such a noticably sloppy linkage ever reach outside of their doors. I think this is the culprit as far as the squealling is concerned. The more I think about it, the whole squealling thing is very annoying....so I will give it 3 flaming Beattys | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
biff
a Weekend Warrior
from b.c., man!
Date Reviewed: October 29, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
any in b.c. | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Strong, reliable stopping power. Just carefully grab a fingerfull, release and rocket around the next corner or over the next obstacle. | | Weaknesses: |
The wieners that whine about squealing. Ever thought about cleaning off yer rims? | | Similar Products Used: |
Avid, LX | | Bike Setup: |
Rocky Mountain Instinct | | Bottom Line: | I guess that if you ride in a lot of mud any brake will complain a bit. These brakes replaced my Formula Discs which belonged on a shopping cart. No problems, only legendary xtr quality and performance. Better application for cross country cannot be found. Period. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Barrie
a Weekend Warrior
from London
Date Reviewed: October 28, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Good looks, light and excellent stopping power. Price and Quality. | | Weaknesses: |
Can squeal like a pig | | Similar Products Used: |
Crappy Dia-compe brakes (stock with Trek 6500zx) | | Bike Setup: |
1998 Trek 6500zx, Race face cranks, Mavic Crosslinks, SID XC Long Travel, XTR/XT/LX components. | | Bottom Line: | When I first used these brakes they had brillant stopping power, no doubt helped by the machined rims on my Mavic Crosslinks. Compared to the crappy stock brakes, which came with my bike, there was no comparison and I was almost thrown over the bars the first time I used them as i had been used to slamming my old brakes hard to get any real response. I can see that Avid's Arch Supremes are much better but they cost over twice as much as XTR which heavily influenced my choice. I have only one complaint, after a day riding in Epping forest in heavy mud they began to squeal like a little piggy and they are still sqealing a few days later after I have cleared all the mud of my rims and pads. I guess I will have to do a little more tinkering to resolve this problem. Still they are a better design than the 1998 model which I hear was terrible. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Racer
from Canton, MI
Date Reviewed: October 27, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Island lake | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Looks
Good power when squeezed hard | | Weaknesses: |
Sloppy linkages from day 1
Terrible modulation | | Similar Products Used: |
XT, LX, Avid 10 | | Bike Setup: |
Y bike with XTR/XT/Race Face, Judy XL | | Bottom Line: | AFter riding these for 2 years, I built a bike up with the cheap Avid 10 Vs. They felt t=so good, I bought another set for another bike. The Avids kill my XTRs and they are half the price. Shimano V brakes suck. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ben
a Cross-Country Rider
from butte, mt
Date Reviewed: October 8, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Excellent Stopping power, lightweight, nice color | | Weaknesses: |
reputation for bad squealing, but nothing yet | | Similar Products Used: |
LX V-brakes, Tektro, | | Bike Setup: |
Pro-Flex 657, Noleen NR2 (fr) NR4 (rr), XTR brakes/shifters, XT drivetrain | | Bottom Line: | great product although expensive. see if you can find last year's. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jayson
a Weekend Warrior
from Arkansas
Date Reviewed: October 7, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
womble | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
Extremely Strong, seem to be light, XTR name... | | Weaknesses: |
havent found any yet... keep waiting for them to start squeeling like everyone says they do... | | Similar Products Used: |
LX, XT, Avid 10's, 25's, rival 50's and Arch Supreme's | | Bike Setup: |
Fisher Big Sur, Judy xc, with xt & xtr mix | | Bottom Line: | Seem to be really nice brakes, put the brakes on a few days before I installed my xtr levers, couldnt really tell a whole lot about the brakes, didnt seem to have anymore power than my avids did, but after I installed the levers it was amazing at how much more power they had... I actually almost threw myself over the bars once when I was playing with the Servo adjustment.... So I guess the bottom line is that the brakes themselves dont seem to be that much better than anything Ive had but the levers kick a$$, I wish I would of just put the levers on and kept my avids, I have a feeling that the levers would of made them alot better, and I would of saved some money, My opinion the best brake out there is the Avid Arch Supreme's but my wallet wouldnt allow me to order them... I have no gripes with the XTR's and dont figure I will, but if I do I will post them... Im giving them a four for now, only because I havent rode them much yet, if they continue to be as flawless and powerful after about 3 to 4 months of riding I will rate them again at a 5.... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
eric
a Cross-Country Rider
from n.cal
Date Reviewed: September 26, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
stops when i need it
nice color | | Weaknesses: |
none | | Similar Products Used: |
shimano cantis | | Bike Setup: |
rigid single speed
sun o degree rims
lx levers | | Bottom Line: | these brakes work great. they stop me every time when i need it without failure, however i have yet to try them in the mud and rain. but i remember when cantis worked like that. mine did anyway. expect the same from these. they break nice and smooth and quiet. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ilan
a Cross-Country Rider
from Austin
Date Reviewed: September 19, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
stop on a dime | | Weaknesses: |
none yet | | Bike Setup: |
XT levers, Bonty BCX front rim, Sun CR-18 rear rim | | Bottom Line: | These brakes stop like mad in any condition. Even in think mud when my pads were beginning to worry me, these brakes clamped down hard and saved my butt. I dont think they are very heavy either.
get 'em. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan
a Weekend Warrior
from Kalamazoo, Michigan
Date Reviewed: September 7, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Fort Custer | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Awsome stopping power
Light weight
great levers | | Weaknesses: |
None | | Similar Products Used: |
XT V's
Coda Disc's | | Bike Setup: |
Cannondale Caad3 With C-Dale fatty | | Bottom Line: | These brakes kick azz. As a large rider (280#) I find them to be the best I've tried to date. I love the feel and power and the levers are very ergonomic and comfortable. I use ceramic pads on mine and mate them to a pair of Rolf Propel wheels with ceramic rims. What an awsome pairing. They also work well with my Mavic Cross max's. No problems or noise at all from this combination. I ride every day and fine them to be very durable and easy to maintain. Take it from a big guy, these brakes are tops.. 5 Hot ones for the big S | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John McCool
a Weekend Warrior
from Atlanta, Ga
Date Reviewed: August 19, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
The Flume | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
stops as good or better than any other rim brake | | Weaknesses: |
squeels if not perfectly adjusted with clean and dry rims | | Similar Products Used: |
canti's | | Bike Setup: |
heckler, z-1 bam, bontrager race lights with ceramic rims, xtr combo lever/shifters, xtr brakes, xtr derailleur, race face everything else | | Bottom Line: | I'm going to replace the brake arms with Odysee A-Arms. They are a simple design without the parallel push bull****, at half the cost. The only reason I'm replacing them is the squeeling, otherwise they stop great. It is unacceptable for such a high end part. I'm sending them back to my bike shop and disputing the cost with my credit card company. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
doug
a Racer
from albuquerque, NM
Date Reviewed: August 10, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
otero canyon | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
extremely powerful | | Weaknesses: |
shimano sent me a bolt that was broken, but other than that they kick azz | | Similar Products Used: |
shimano lx | | Bike Setup: |
stumpjumper rock shox | | Bottom Line: | you can't go wrong with the shimano XTR stuff, and they really stop, sometimes too much ... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Weekend Warrior
from Sparks, MD
Date Reviewed: July 13, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Bunker Hill | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Good looking
Light
Strong front | | Weaknesses: |
Soft feel on the rear compared to the '97 XT it replaced. Maybe I need to try a booster? | | Similar Products Used: |
XT, Avid 2.0, many cantilevers | | Bike Setup: |
1997 Jamis Dakar | | Bottom Line: | I love how they look on my bike; however, I'm not as impressed with the power. They get the job done, but they are no more powerful than the XT's that came with my bike. I will not change again until disk brakes come down in weight. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
C-Dale Man
a Cross-Country Rider
from Westlake Village, CA
Date Reviewed: June 7, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
amazing brake power, very sturdy and strong, | | Weaknesses: |
someone stop the ringing in my ears! | | Similar Products Used: |
other v-brakes | | Bike Setup: |
'99 SuperV 700 | | Bottom Line: | These are amazing v-brakes...hands down. The braking power handles me on some tough downhill rides, and with the xtr levers it takes one finger braking to a whole new world. Only problem is the excessive squeeling. I quieted it on normal rides but the second a drop of rain comes down, these puppies won't shut up. It can and WILL drive you insane. But, they are much cheaper than the Avid Arch Supremes, so because of that these ARE the best v-brakes out there. 4 flamin chillies. | | Overall Rating: |
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