Combined with the convenience of being able to use your existing levers & standard cables, and not ever having to deal with messy fluids or leaky seals, the Deore Mechanical Discs are a great upgrade for recreational riders looking for improved stopping power. Fits international standard (IS) disc mounts. For Manitou forks with direct-mount posts, please note you'll need to order the Manitou-specific front brake kit.
Submitted by
gorg_karlo
a Cross Country Rider
from Beijing
Date Reviewed: December 13, 2010
Strengths: Price point. Works as expected. Good performance on wet/muddy conditions. Easy to modulate.
Weaknesses: Squeals louder than a baby. Adjustment needs Allen key tool. Heavier compared to other competing models in the same price range.
Bottom Line:
I am a cheapo at heart and would normally run cheapo parts to death before upgrading. But after flirting with another near-accident experience during one rainy day in Beijing, I decided that my ProMax V-Brakes had to go.
My LBS suggested me going hydraulics, but since I was famous for carelessness I opted to have mechanicals - also I did not want to break the wallet. Unfortunately no Avid BB7 - the sort that I am familiar with back in my home country, the Philippines. What they had in stock were the Shimano BR-M495 Mechanical Disc Brakes.
I had these fitted - and never looked back. For the price that I paid and the complement to my riding style, they are great. Excellent for people who still have the V-Brake affair - combined with very good V-Brake Levers they are easy to modulate. Plenty of power even with one finger pull.
My only gripe - it squeals louder than a baby once the bedding process is complete. Are all Shimano brake products like this? I guess this is natural with the resin pads used.
If you are not a weight weenie and would like to have a cheap but very robust mechanical brake system, I highly recommend these.
Similar Products Used: V-Brakes of all sorts, Avid BB7
Bike Setup: Giant ATX 7 Frame, 2010 Shimano DEORE Groupset, Mavic XM 117, SR Suntour AXON ELD Fork
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Submitted by
Michaelk
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: December 4, 2010
Strengths: Stopping power, easy to adjust, pads wear well.
Weaknesses: Needs to be adjusted to work well plain looking.
Bottom Line:
I have the Shimano no name m416 mechanical disc brakes they came stock on my Brodie. If you have these brakes you might want to figure out how to adjust them. Unlike the Avid where you can adjust them with your hand. You need an Allen wrench on the inside of the brake (taking off the wheel helps). A couple of clicks of the allen wrench brings the pad in closer. To adjust the outer pad you can adjust the cable or with the barrel adjuster. The stock pads last a long time.
Submitted by
lewis
a Downhiller
from sandpoint id us
Date Reviewed: September 13, 2010
Strengths: Easy to tune and work with, and very strong. I have been using them on my dj lately. Not hard to find parts for it either.
Weaknesses: The pads wear down after a few months. They wear down alot after just a week of straight riding. And plus they dont look good.
Bottom Line:
These are a good brake for somebody who just wants 2 ride xcountry or firtjumping. Not to good for a downhill bike, for down hill i sugjest hayes 5.0 hydraulic.
Bike Setup: P.2. single speed drive, truvativ cranks truvativ stems and bars. eclat pedals maxiss hookworms and holy tires.
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Submitted by
frosty
a Cross Country Rider
from Hampshire, UK
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2010
Strengths: Price. Ease of set up.
Weaknesses: Looks. They're hideous
Bottom Line:
After having sooo many problems with the Mono Mini I went for the X2 but they just weren't compatable with the XTR gear shifters (flip flop levers too big). Needed a new set in a hurry and all the shop had were these Deores. Not sexy but so easy to set up and worked perfectly from the off set. No noise, easily bedded in and plenty of power for XC use. They are a bit on the heavy side so I will be changing for the XTR soon but in the mean time these are fine. Great for anyone on a budget!
Submitted by
choyinosante
a Weekend Warrior
from cebu phils
Date Reviewed: December 15, 2009
Strengths: Well! It's cheap compared to other famous American Brands. Works fine for regular biking and it looks good. Maintainance is smooth! This brake set can handle the job without punishing your pocket. Shimano, did a great for this one!
Weaknesses: The pads... you need to replace it after a few months... Also the noise is quite annoying compared to other mech disc brakes...
Bottom Line:
Shimano just realized the word VALUE... I live in a third world country and it's not also practical to spend that much.. Aslong you enjoy riding with your pals and buddies it's enough. Brakes really matters but, it also depends on how you take care yourself. If you are a member of the Philippine TEAM or the elite bikers society.. Why not??? More speed!
Similar Products Used: Avid BB... Shimano XT.. V brakes (Alivio and Deore)
Bike Setup: Just for cross country that can stand rough roads.. (KHS with mix Shimano parts and FSA)
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Submitted by
debusama
a Cross Country Rider
from Spokane, Wa
Date Reviewed: March 29, 2009
Strengths: They will lock if you squeeze hard enough, low maintenance (no bleeding)
Weaknesses: They don’t really have the stopping power that a disk brake should.
Bottom Line:
I have XT rotors that came with my new wheelset when I upgraded. I’m not sure how much difference it makes. I find the stopping power to be similar to quality v-brakes that I’ve used. You won’t get the stopping power that you might get from a hydro brake, or even an Avid BB 5/7, but you do get the benefit of not having your breaking surface covered in mud if you go through a puddle. I’ve had no problem locking up the wheels, but I do have to squeeze pretty hard to do it, which gets tiresome on long descents.
Bike Setup: Alubike 0.2, Marzocchi 44 Tst2, Deore LX and TX dereauliers
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Submitted by
Ktse
a Weekend Warrior
from Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 20, 2008
Strengths: Brakes work in rainy and muddy conditions far better than the typical rim brakes. Good consistent modulation in all conditions. Very smooth operation, no gritty feel while on the muddy trails.
Weaknesses: These are weak in comparison to rim brakes in the dry possibly due to the resin pads. The brakes have no catch and are require a lot of effort to slow down. I cannot get these brakes to lock up on the front brake and will often result in brake shudder under threshold braking. I have bedded and adjusted the brakes correctly, but the results are still disappointing.
Bottom Line:
Not a true substitute for good V brakes unless you intend on riding in wet or muddy conditions a lot. On typical rim brakes I can easily lock up the front and tip the bike forward because of the catch; these brakes lack the power to do such things in the dry.
Save your money and buy Avids if you want good mechanical disc brakes.
Strengths: Robust, durable, low maintenance, multiple adjustment points, good modulation for mech brakes, stylish, cheap
Weaknesses: Heavy, less-than-easy adjustment due to unimaginative design - they require an allan key through the spokes to raise/lower the pads from the INside, compared with Avid BB7s which have a tool-less dial on the OUTside.
Bottom Line:
I've commuted 1500km on these and they're still good. Overall Avid BB7s are better because they weigh less and don't need tools to adjust. Otherwise they're much the same, with similar braking power, modulation and multiple adjustment points.
These are good mech brakes for the AUD$60 I paid for them.
Strengths: Cheap and effective. Need shimming to set clearance.....clamp breaks onto a few sheets of paper and then tighten the tension screws. Simple and they stay good for weeks. Tension adjustment fast and no bleeding ever needed.
Weaknesses: hmmm well thats a tough one
Bottom Line:
These are great. 3000 km on set #1 pads and they work fine. Use a decent low friction cable liner so they release with a snap. How can you complain about these...set them up and they work a treat.
Submitted by
Jeff Pendergraft
a Weekend Warrior
from Colton CA, 92324
Date Reviewed: July 8, 2007
Weaknesses: Brakes have almost no stopping power
Bottom Line:
When I bought these brakes on ebay the price seemed too good to be true, and it was. They have no stopping power. I put them on and thought that they needed adjusting or to be broken in, but they still wouldn't stop right. Spend the extra money on Avid or Hayes, I am much happier now with the Avid BB7.
Submitted by
aventado69
a Weekend Warrior
from the Inland Empire
Date Reviewed: November 15, 2006
Strengths: these brake are simple so they last with an adjustment or two every so often
Weaknesses: none specially for the price
Bottom Line:
so now i've had them with the same pads for four years and i ride hard for a few hours on the weekends and bike to school to take my daughter for excersize in the mornings for a few miles at 6' 2" 300 lbs and they work just fine. they were a little weak but now i just replaced the pads and got adaptors for 203mm 8" rotors and if they stopped before with 6" rotors they have incredible stopping power with 8" discs. it was hard to get used to them, they brake so hard they almost threw me over a few times!! there is also less stress on them with an eight inch disc and could lock em' up with one finger!! for the price they beat the competition by $-hundreds-$ with the same result!
Similar Products Used: brand new juicy 7s for a week then the thing leaked eveywhere so back to mechanical
Bike Setup: surly instigator orange sm with deore eveything, hubs, cranks, the whole package salsa bar and psylo fork with rhino lytes now with haro escape frame L
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Submitted by
Nelson Hurd
a Downhiller
from Whistler
Date Reviewed: September 1, 2006
Strengths: the disk it self is stoung and wont bend easy. they look bad.
Weaknesses: the pads wear down fast, the ajusters will snap if their hit had enough, the leavers are dry and creaky, the wire at the caliper will frey and slip i would never buys these again if u want a disc set up just go with hydrolic.
Bottom Line:
not that great at all after u have used them for a while, they look bad u probably wont stop in time if u have to.
