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Submitted by
Norm Ryall
a Cross Country Rider
from Bocabec, New Brunswick, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | North Glenelg Rosd--it's gnarly!! | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson USA | | Strengths: | Light weight--durable--awesome stopping power. | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX | | Bike Setup: | Ti Sport Hardtail Ti frame--RockShox World Cup fork-Mavic X618 ceramic/XTR hubs-Maxxis Wormdrive430 tires-Easton EC70 post/CT2 bar-Thomson Elite stem-RAceFace Deus XC crankset-Shimnao XTR ST M961 shifters-XTR rear der.--one light/durable rig!! | | Bottom Line: | I am responding to some posters who rated these brakes poorly. I have been using these brakes for six or seven years now and they still work great!! I have overhauled them 3 times now( cleaning internals, and replacing some small parts) but most components with moving parts will need maintenance at some point. I am unwilling to strap a couple of dinner plates on the wheels of this very light bike, and so have stuck with the v-brakes setup. I am not against disk brakes--I am currently building a longer travel bike which will have Avid mechanicals(BB7), but I think the magazines are full of crap when it comes to component recommendations. What they said was wonderful this year is described as unusable once the next latest and greatest thing comes along-- much of this is pandering to advertisers to keep their butts employed. Bottom line the XTR v brakes have excellent stopping power when properly set up--they are very light, and in my experience also very durable. I have encountered only one scenario where they can fail utterly--in winter riding where rims get wet in freezing temps the water will frwwze quickly on the rim and reduce v brake function to nil briefly. Pumping the brakes repeatedly as soon as rims get wet in this scenario to clear water helps a lot. For such riding disks are better. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Norm Ryall
a Cross Country Rider
from Bocabec, New Brunswick, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | North Glenelg Rosd--it's gnarly!! | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson USA | | Strengths: | Light weight--durable--awesome stopping power. | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX | | Bike Setup: | Ti Sport Hardtail Ti frame--RockShox World Cup fork-Mavic X618 ceramic/XTR hubs-Maxxis Wormdrive430 tires-Easton EC70 post/CT2 bar-Thomson Elite stem-RAceFace Deus XC crankset-Shimnao XTR ST M961 shifters-XTR rear der.--one light/durable rig!! | | Bottom Line: | I am responding to some posters who rated these brakes poorly. I have been using these brakes for six or seven years now and they still work great!! I have overhauled them 3 times now( cleaning internals, and replacing some small parts) but most components with moving parts will need maintenance at some point. I am unwilling to strap a couple of dinner plates on the wheels of this very light bike, and so have stuck with the v-brakes setup. I am not against disk brakes--I am currently building a longer travel bike which will have Avid mechanicals(BB7), but I think the magazines are full of crap when it comes to component recommendations. What they said was wonderful this year is described as unusable once the next latest and greatest thing comes along-- much of this is pandering to advertisers to keep their butts employed. Bottom line the XTR v brakes have excellent stopping power when properly set up--they are very light, and in my experience also very durable. I have encountered only one scenario where they can fail utterly--in winter riding where rims get wet in freezing temps the water will frwwze quickly on the rim and reduce v brake function to nil briefly. Pumping the brakes repeatedly as soon as rims get wet in this scenario to clear water helps a lot. For such riding disks are better. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Norm Ryall
a Cross Country Rider
from Bocabec, New Brunswick, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | North Glenelg Rosd--it's gnarly!! | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson USA | | Strengths: | Light weight--durable--awesome stopping power. | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX | | Bike Setup: | Ti Sport Hardtail Ti frame--RockShox World Cup fork-Mavic X618 ceramic/XTR hubs-Maxxis Wormdrive430 tires-Easton EC70 post/CT2 bar-Thomson Elite stem-RAceFace Deus XC crankset-Shimnao XTR ST M961 shifters-XTR rear der.--one light/durable rig!! | | Bottom Line: | I am responding to some posters who rated these brakes poorly. I have been using these brakes for six or seven years now and they still work great!! I have overhauled them 3 times now( cleaning internals, and replacing some small parts) but most components with moving parts will need maintenance at some point. I am unwilling to strap a couple of dinner plates on the wheels of this very light bike, and so have stuck with the v-brakes setup. I am not against disk brakes--I am currently building a longer travel bike which will have Avid mechanicals(BB7), but I think the magazines are full of crap when it comes to component recommendations. What they said was wonderful this year is described as unusable once the next latest and greatest thing comes along-- much of this is pandering to advertisers to keep their butts employed. Bottom line the XTR v brakes have excellent stopping power when properly set up--they are very light, and in my experience also very durable. I have encountered only one scenario where they can fail utterly--in winter riding where rims get wet in freezing temps the water will frwwze quickly on the rim and reduce v brake function to nil briefly. Pumping the brakes repeatedly as soon as rims get wet in this scenario to clear water helps a lot. For such riding disks are better. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Norm Ryall
a Cross Country Rider
from Bocabec, New Brunswick, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | North Glenelg Rosd--it's gnarly!! | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson USA | | Strengths: | Light weight--durable--awesome stopping power. | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX | | Bike Setup: | Ti Sport Hardtail Ti frame--RockShox World Cup fork-Mavic X618 ceramic/XTR hubs-Maxxis Wormdrive430 tires-Easton EC70 post/CT2 bar-Thomson Elite stem-RAceFace Deus XC crankset-Shimnao XTR ST M961 shifters-XTR rear der.--one light/durable rig!! | | Bottom Line: | I am responding to some posters who rated these brakes poorly. I have been using these brakes for six or seven years now and they still work great!! I have overhauled them 3 times now( cleaning internals, and replacing some small parts) but most components with moving parts will need maintenance at some point. I am unwilling to strap a couple of dinner plates on the wheels of this very light bike, and so have stuck with the v-brakes setup. I am not against disk brakes--I am currently building a longer travel bike which will have Avid mechanicals(BB7), but I think the magazines are full of crap when it comes to component recommendations. What they said was wonderful this year is described as unusable once the next latest and greatest thing comes along-- much of this is pandering to advertisers to keep their butts employed. Bottom line the XTR v brakes have excellent stopping power when properly set up--they are very light, and in my experience also very durable. I have encountered only one scenario where they can fail utterly--in winter riding where rims get wet in freezing temps the water will frwwze quickly on the rim and reduce v brake function to nil briefly. Pumping the brakes repeatedly as soon as rims get wet in this scenario to clear water helps a lot. For such riding disks are better. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Norm Ryall
a Cross Country Rider
from Bocabec, New Brunswick, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | North Glenelg Rosd--it's gnarly!! | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson USA | | Strengths: | Light weight--durable--awesome stopping power. | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX | | Bike Setup: | Ti Sport Hardtail Ti frame--RockShox World Cup fork-Mavic X618 ceramic/XTR hubs-Maxxis Wormdrive430 tires-Easton EC70 post/CT2 bar-Thomson Elite stem-RAceFace Deus XC crankset-Shimnao XTR ST M961 shifters-XTR rear der.--one light/durable rig!! | | Bottom Line: | I am responding to some posters who rated these brakes poorly. I have been using these brakes for six or seven years now and they still work great!! I have overhauled them 3 times now( cleaning internals, and replacing some small parts) but most components with moving parts will need maintenance at some point. I am unwilling to strap a couple of dinner plates on the wheels of this very light bike, and so have stuck with the v-brakes setup. I am not against disk brakes--I am currently building a longer travel bike which will have Avid mechanicals(BB7), but I think the magazines are full of crap when it comes to component recommendations. What they said was wonderful this year is described as unusable once the next latest and greatest thing comes along-- much of this is pandering to advertisers to keep their butts employed. Bottom line the XTR v brakes have excellent stopping power when properly set up--they are very light, and in my experience also very durable. I have encountered only one scenario where they can fail utterly--in winter riding where rims get wet in freezing temps the water will frwwze quickly on the rim and reduce v brake function to nil briefly. Pumping the brakes repeatedly as soon as rims get wet in this scenario to clear water helps a lot. For such riding disks are better. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bob F.
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenix, AZ
Date Reviewed: May 19, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Too man to mention... | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | They stopped me when I needed to stop | | Weaknesses: | "squishy" feel | | Similar Products Used: | AVID V-style brakes | | Bike Setup: | 99 Mojo XTR and SRAM intermixed | | Bottom Line: | I expected the XTR V-brakes would blow away the AVIDS, but I found otherwise. It may be a personal preference, but I didn't like the soft feeling I got from the Shimanos. I prefer a more solid feel to my brakes, and as much as I messed around with these, I couldn't get the feeling I wanted. In fairness, I have to admit that these brakes never failed to stop me when I wanted (or needed) to stop, so they aren't THAT bad. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Guy Guppy
a Cross Country Rider
from Fareham
Date Reviewed: December 4, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Price Paid: |
$38.00 | | Strengths: | exellent power, easy to maintain, light, worth the money | | Weaknesses: | to powerful for some rims, causes screeching else. brake levers expensive to buy with the canter levers. | | Similar Products Used: | XT and LX used | | Bike Setup: | Secialized hardrock FS 01' version, Mavic D521 rims, Shimano LX front and rear brakes, rock shox Jett 01' edition, core stem and XC bars, XT front and rear mechs. | | Bottom Line: | Quality brakes, but can cause screeching if you've got a low standard of rims. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andreas Klauser
a Cross Country Rider
from Feldafing
Date Reviewed: January 28, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Rabe | | Strengths: | Low weight, functions now quite well (see below), very nice design, endure, | | Weaknesses: | originally, not equipped with brake boosters | | Similar Products Used: | Magura 10th, Magura Quick Silver, Shimano XT 98, Precision Billet | | Bike Setup: | Trek OCLV 9900, full XTR, Marzocchi Race, Moots Seat Post, Whizz Wheels (i.e. Mavic Ceramic, black Tune Hubs, black Swiss DT comp) | | Bottom Line: | This is an update. Form the beginning, I used the XTRs with Muddy carbon boosters (front and rear). Instead of the Gore Ride On Cable System I've put on the Nokon Konkavex Cable System recently. Now these XTRs works as Magura rim brakes do: perfect function. Nearly no hysteresis, dry pressure point, perfect modulation. No squeeking, by the way. And nearly 300g less than a Magura Quick Silver. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike b
a Cross Country Rider
from Sodom in the North
Date Reviewed: January 11, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | boggs | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Purchased At: | bike shops | | Strengths: | slows the bike down
look cool
apparent durability
very nice feel at the lever | | Weaknesses: | shimano pads are worthless | | Similar Products Used: | xt vees
many, many cantis | | Bike Setup: | superlight, dog dick red, no stickers 25.5 lbs, all solid sensible componentry. nothing "exotic". | | Bottom Line: | four frames, two racing seasons of ten-plus races and training rides, many thousands of miles on many different kinds of trails. all on my xtr vees.
all of this with no problems.
not bad.
shimano, love them or hate them, will get my vee brake dollar again next time, if there need be a next time.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kazeem Da Silva
a Downhiller
from Germany
Date Reviewed: January 11, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Down the Hill/DS | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Strengths: | looks cool,good delay and have enough brakepower | | Weaknesses: | complicate to hold the function for a long time on a maximum level - adjust adjust adjust | | Similar Products Used: | Magura Gustav M,XT V-Brake,Hayes Hydr. | | Bike Setup: | DS:Azonic Evo DH:Nicolai Lambda rulez,white,xtr,mrp | | Bottom Line: | for a v-brake excellent performance only the adjustment could be easier thats the only reason why i give the xtr 4 chilis - you searchin for a v-brake ready for dh? the xtr is hard enough for that ride | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Peter Matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Holmen, WI, UAS
Date Reviewed: November 16, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Flagstaff, AZ the best in the world!! | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$38.00 | | Purchased At: | online, Cambriabike.com | | Strengths: | Stopping,, do not try to lock them up, you will loose and go over the handle bars. | | Weaknesses: | none as of yet | | Similar Products Used: | Avid, LX | | Bike Setup: | Cannnondale fatty v-800,mavic crosslink, XT and XTR | | Bottom Line: | Could't believe the diffrence from a tradition arch braking system to the additional lever that the XTR's have. You can get these cheap online, just look up cambriabike.com
If you want a true mountain bike experence, try the mountains of AZ !!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Juho Kekäläinen
a Cross Country Rider
from Vantaa, Finland
Date Reviewed: August 21, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | You can't find it on the map... | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$56.00 | | Purchased At: | Shop in Finland | | Strengths: | -Looks good (nice color)
-Low weight
-Good modulation
-Good brake power (
-Real Bearings
-Maintaining free paraller push design
-Brake pad holders means fast fast pad repleacement | | Weaknesses: | -Lousy sealings
-Product is not worth of price
-No spare parts available
-Perfect pad adjustment takes time
| | Similar Products Used: | All Shimano V-brakes, SRAM 9,0 and 7,0 | | Bike Setup: | Marin Team '2000, full XTR group and Manitou Mars C
| | Bottom Line: | let me first clear out few things:
1. The XTR brake unit I bought before year 2000 is perfectly well made and works fine (second year in the row and counting...)
But
2. The unit I bought about two weeks ago has a sealing promlem;(front side sealing is not seal enought) bearings eats up dirt like a crazy and because of this whole brake arm will be totally jammed.
For some odd reason Shimano has ruined the idea of XTR V-brake construction.Why Shimano, what's the idea with that?
(Nope mine wasn't lemon, same promlem exists with all in the year 2000/2001 made units, I have checked it with 2 LBS's)
Overall the brake has excellent modulation and offers a lot breaking power even with wet rims.No squeeling is good thing too and I Really Like color of XTR (and it lasts a years without promlems).
They uses real bearings instead of reguraly used bushings, which means no rocking. Stainless steel hardvare is smart thinking and Paraller push design is maintaining free.
Bottom line is that at the moment XTR V-brake is good concept but as long as Shimano uses wrong sized (front side)bearing seals with XTR V's, it just is not worth to buy.
(Shimano, please fix this sealing promlem)
With correcly fitted sealings (like my rear brake is) it is absolutely one of the best v-brake and really worth of your bucks.
NOTE: rating below is for my 2000/2001 XTR V-brake
For my pre 2000 brake rating is:
Value: 4 Flaming Chili (and just because of bit overpriced price
Overall: 5- Flaming Chili (Pad adjustment could be easier)
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Juho Kekäläinen
a Cross Country Rider
from Vantaa, Finland
Date Reviewed: August 21, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | You can't find it on the map... | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$56.00 | | Purchased At: | Shop in Finland | | Strengths: | -Looks good (nice color)
-Low weight
-Good modulation
-Good brake power (
-Real Bearings
-Maintaining free paraller push design
-Brake pad holders means fast fast pad repleacement | | Weaknesses: | -Lousy sealings
-Product is not worth of price
-No spare parts available
-Perfect pad adjustment takes time
| | Similar Products Used: | All Shimano V-brakes, SRAM 9,0 and 7,0 | | Bike Setup: | Marin Team '2000, full XTR group and Manitou Mars C
| | Bottom Line: | let me first clear out few things:
1. The XTR brake unit I bought before year 2000 is perfectly well made and works fine (second year in the row and counting...)
But
2. The unit I bought about two weeks ago has a sealing promlem;(front side sealing is not seal enought) bearings eats up dirt like a crazy and because of this whole brake arm will be totally jammed.
For some odd reason Shimano has ruined the idea of XTR V-brake construction.Why Shimano, what's the idea with that?
(Nope mine wasn't lemon, same promlem exists with all in the year 2000/2001 made units, I have checked it with 2 LBS's)
Overall the brake has excellent modulation and offers a lot breaking power even with wet rims.No squeeling is good thing too and I Really Like color of XTR (and it lasts a years without promlems).
They uses real bearings instead of reguraly used bushings, which means no rocking. Stainless steel hardvare is smart thinking and Paraller push design is maintaining free.
Bottom line is that at the moment XTR V-brake is good concept but as long as Shimano uses wrong sized (front side)bearing seals with XTR V's, it just is not worth to buy.
(Shimano, please fix this sealing promlem)
With correcly fitted sealings (like my rear brake is) it is absolutely one of the best v-brake and really worth of your bucks.
NOTE: rating below is for my 2000/2001 XTR V-brake
For my pre 2000 brake rating is:
Value: 4 Flaming Chili (and just because of bit overpriced price
Overall: 5- Flaming Chili (Pad adjustment could be easier)
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
patrick Breau
a Racer
from Moncton, N-B, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | bud trails | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | bungay's | | Strengths: | it dosent lock up so u have opptimum controle on big downhills | | Weaknesses: | none........ | | Similar Products Used: | xt's suck and they skweal tooo much.!!!! | | Bike Setup: | kona cindercone full xt,xtr sid xc | | Bottom Line: | xtr rules and are th best brakes out there!!!!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a
from Canada
Date Reviewed: April 21, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | -lighter than discs
-powerful
-love that XTR color | | Weaknesses: | -none yet....we will see if slop or squeaks develop | | Similar Products Used: | XT-V's, many cantis, Avid disc | | Bike Setup: | Brodie Sovereign | | Bottom Line: | I haven't used these very long yet, but from what I can
tell they are excellent. Keep them adjusted and clean, and they should not be a problem. Excellent power and modulation with XTR levers. I actually prefer the feel of these to the discs I have tried.....and they are lighter, cheaper, and simpler. It's hard to go wrong with XTR!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andreas KLAUSER
a Cross Country Rider
from Munich
Date Reviewed: March 14, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Rabe München | | Strengths: | Low weight, good design | | Weaknesses: | Not fully equipped with the things you need (i.e. brake booster) | | Similar Products Used: | XT, Magura 10th anniversary, Magura quick silver | | Bike Setup: | Trek OCLV 9900 pro issue | | Bottom Line: | In the state they are on stock, these brakes cannot contend with Maguras. For weight's sake, I did not just reap them of the bike and throw them away, but tried to tune them. The setup is now as follows: Muddy carbon boosters front end AND behind, Gore ride on liners combined with Nokon track pearls. Now the thing works like it should. There is now a VERY dry pressure point and nearly no hysteresis at all. It still lacks the smoothness and modulation of the Maguras. So from a angle of perfomance, it is still Magura wearing the crown. The rating for the XTR is for the tunde version. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Drew
a
from illinois
Date Reviewed: March 6, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | all | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | great stopping power, i've used them in rain, snow, mud, all the conditions we get in illinois, and have had no problem stopping or locking up the wheel. | | Weaknesses: | i haven't found any yet. | | Bottom Line: | good breaks, have very good stopping power in all conditions. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: January 5, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Volkswagen Hill | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Strengths: | Simple set up, good performance. Clean XTR looks. | | Weaknesses: | Stock brake pads are a joke. I can't believe that I have to rebuild these things after one year. I can't find replacement Shimano "macaroni" tubes anywhere. Brake levers suck. Sort of a long list for a high end brake, eh? | | Similar Products Used: | XT V-brakes, Magura Race Lites, assorted cantis | | Bike Setup: | Fat City Ti, Marzocchi Superfly | | Bottom Line: | The braking performance when new and with non-stock pads is very, very good for a non-disc brake. However, these brakes have been nothing but a disappointment. Constant maintenance headaches, poorly designed levers, plus lack of support from Shimano have me ready to toss these in the garbage. I'm generally very satisfied with other Shimano products, but this is silly. Shimano, are you listening? | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from Columbus Oh USA
Date Reviewed: August 9, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | All Trails I don't get ran off | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Great stopping power | | Weaknesses: | Just like a boat..Just keep pouring money into..... | | Similar Products Used: | Avid..XT.Hayes | | Bike Setup: | 8.9 Elite.Full XTR | | Bottom Line: | Shim kits..rebuild kits.. Folks get ready to spend some of your hard earned money. If you wish to keep these brakes working, then you'll need a second job. (just read the mechanics reviews......
I only wish Shimano read these pages!!!!
Buy AVID..They will support their product.. Shimano will simply tell you...well..Spend more money.. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
DR. DRE
a Weekend Warrior
from B.D.P(Boogie Down Productions.)
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Anything Technical | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | THESE BRAKES R INCREDIBLY STRONG. 2 THE POINT WHERE THEY COULD BE PULL ME 2 HARD AND FLY OVER THE HAND BAR DANGEROUS. BUT VERY STRONG AND WORK VERY WELL. | | Weaknesses: | THE ONLY REAL WEAKNESS ARE THE PADZ. THEY WORK WELL, BUT THEY WILL EAT THROUGH YOUR RIM EVENTUALLY. TRY SOME RITCHEY'S OR KOOLSTOPS! | | Similar Products Used: | LX, XT,DISC BRAKES. | | Bike Setup: | FREERIDE BABY!!! | | Bottom Line: | THESE BRAKES ARE CRAZY STRONG. SET THEM UP RIGHT AND THEY WORK REALLY REALLY WELL. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kyle Rhodes
a Racer
from Brighton, MI USA
Date Reviewed: July 21, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Torn Shirt | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Light, strong, and very powerful. | | Weaknesses: | Mud clearance | | Similar Products Used: | Avid Arch Rival 50s | | Bike Setup: | Diamondback DBR Hardtail xtr 8spd rockshox quadra5.1 | | Bottom Line: | Great braking power for a reasonable price if you buy the set like I did. One problem however, the XTR cables that come with the set are too armored. you cant cut them to the size of our frame, or to fit in the cable grooves. I had to buy a new rear cable. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jimm
a Cross Country Rider
from SGV
Date Reviewed: July 20, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | XTR quality and looks; easy pad replacement; availability of parts; quiet; easy to adjust; lightweight; solid; one finger operation | | Weaknesses: | Modulation | | Similar Products Used: | Alivio; STX-RC; LX; XT; Avid; Maguras | | Bike Setup: | Ceramic 517's laced to XTR hubs | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are "fine" -- not outstanding and not terrible. They work much better than any other Shimano brake I've used but, only slightly better than the Avids. The modulation isn't even close to Maguras and provide less power than Maguras. Yep, they are slightly lighter, but can't compare in overall performance. Even though I commented on their lack of power/modulation compared to Maguras, I frequently use but one finger. Probably in the top 2 of V-type brakes -- close between these and Avid's Arch Supreme. Once these brakes break/wear-out, they will be replaced with Maguras. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jon
a Weekend Warrior
from Palo Alto
Date Reviewed: July 18, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Hwy 9 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Solid feel, better spring design than XTs, Less flexx than XTs, and thus less fade than XTs | | Weaknesses: | Not a disc. They still fade, just not as much as XTs | | Similar Products Used: | XT V-Brakes, Avid , Sram etc
| | Bike Setup: | Stumb M2 , XT except for cranks (LX) and Brakes(XTR) | | Bottom Line: | The best of the Vs in my opinion. The Older XTs I had would move back and forth about an inch on the braze-on. The shim kit was cheap but I said forget it, went to Cambria for a new setup.
Great performance, untill the trail gets really steap. Assuming you don't ride the front brake, you can really modulate the rear brake and slow yourself down without skidding. If you don't mind the hissing sound when they do heat up your golden with these brakes. Even when the brakes are very hot, you can still stop really well if you grab a handfull. Stay away from the older XT design which has since been updated. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike taylor xc hotrod
a Cross Country Rider
from dallas tx
Date Reviewed: July 6, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | tyler st pk. | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | works, no flimsy little springs. good lever feel. (xtr lever) havent' had any problems with squealing or slipping in rain (use salsa booster) | | Weaknesses: | I wish i had bought the srams instead, even though i have all shimano elsewhere. The new 90 brake looks better and sram is nicer company (shimano: how can i help you.... oh sorry that sounds like a user misuse problem we won't warrentie it.) i've seen the Shim kits for 5 to 6 dollars. Still when these go out i'm pitching them and getting sram or some avids. | | Similar Products Used: | cheapo lx pos | | Bike Setup: | xc 2ring racer with riser bar and zoki | | Bottom Line: | I like this brake a lot, and it does have substantial power. I keep my machines very clean between rides, and expect it to last a long time. But if they go out, i'm changing brakesets. I do like these pads very much though, i use them on a road bike too.
I give it 4 because they cost too much. and b/c i could have goten some other better brakes for the cost. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
vasek
a Racer
from czech republic, brno
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | slick road :-) | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | design | | Weaknesses: | everything but design | | Similar Products Used: | all | | Bike Setup: | morati hc 1.3 titanium hardtail,morati titanium fork,titanium seatpost, titanium saddle, time atac Ti....:-) Plus shi(t)mano xtr&mavic crossmax wheels | | Bottom Line: | after few months of riding these f!(@#&^# brakes, there is an unbeliavable play in the paralellogram mechanism, the result is, that they almost don't brake (in fact, they never did), when riding, I sound like "jingle bells". Apart from this problem, they are overpriced, heavy than the competition, the XTR pads are torning the rims, the support is amateur - weak or none, you are not able to replace them, even they're under warranty. Before long you can read my ratings on other shimano stuff, but the conclusion sounds the same. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
eric l
a Racer
from Madison, WI
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Devils Head | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Smooth/light feel, nice 'n' grabby, confidence that your money was well spent.....(not so much) | | Weaknesses: | Can you say Huffy brakes? They are so loud it is embarassing. | | Similar Products Used: | LX and XT linears. Most recently Avid Mags. | | Bike Setup: | Specialized M4 S-Works | | Bottom Line: | These brakes have been the dark cloud over my head for the last year and 1/2. I was a mecahnic at a shop in town and bought the bike on an employee purchase. I have danced every little B.S. XTR dance there is. I've bought the re-build kit. I dissassembled the brakes and crimped that loose bushing. I've toed the pads in, out, sideways, and upsidedown. I've filed the pads....again....and again. I've rubbed the rim down w/ acetone, I've even switched wheels!!!! I was misled into thinking that if you spend the money, you'll get what you pay for....not so much. I work in the bike industry for a major company and so I called the Shimano service guys. This is what they told me (O.K. are you ready for this) "oh, all you have to do is buy a SHIMANO carbon brake booster." (gasp) YES!!!!! That is probably the biggest racket I've ever witnessed!!! But hey what a great way to get people to buy more of your product.
O.K. now don't get me wrong. I honestly don't hate Shimano, quite contrary actually. I really love their product but it is very disheartening to buy the top of the line product and get a piece of junk. Why don't I just buy XT or Avid instead? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Lancs, England
Date Reviewed: April 28, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Coed-Y-Brenin | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Work Fab
Look Fab | | Weaknesses: | Need fettling (see Below) | | Similar Products Used: | Avid V's
XT V's | | Bike Setup: | Specialized FSR Elite | | Bottom Line: | All the people who complain of squealing - align pads carefully, and clean rims with meths or white spirit.
Also, top Brit tip use electrical zip ties around canti and linkage, no rattle without buying Shimano shim kits.
I have no squeal, no rattles - I just stop, quick!
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ed
a Weekend Warrior
from Bay Area, California USA
Date Reviewed: April 20, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Great stopping power in dry conditions | | Weaknesses: | Okay stopping power in wet conditions | | Similar Products Used: | Avid 10, All cantilevers... | | Bike Setup: | Klein Attitude- Chris King, XTR, Thompson post | | Bottom Line: | For where I live and the style of riding I do, these are great brakes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian
a Racer
from Newton, MA, USA
Date Reviewed: April 19, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Gillbert hills State | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Strong braking capabilities. Wicked sweet looking, sleek black color. Very light and have a good feeling to them. Make the bike look better. Usually this formula works, XTR parts=better biker=makes you look better=awsome. | | Weaknesses: | Can dent rim if tension settings are too high. Lever system catch dirt very easily. A little pricey. | | Similar Products Used: | XT brakes, Avid 20 brakes | | Bike Setup: | gary Fisher Paragon frame with upgrades | | Bottom Line: | These are the best brakes that i have used. I have not had any problems with them at all. They are very strong brakes and are good at both slowing down and stopping. They are great for experienced bikers. They are a great edition for any bike lacking strong brakes, or any bike that is being upgraded. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jh
a Cross Country Rider
from cape cod
Date Reviewed: April 18, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | otis | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | stops the bike, says 'XTR' | | Weaknesses: | RATTLING!!! grabs rim dings. tons of maintenance. expensive shim kits | | Similar Products Used: | LX. XT. | | Bike Setup: | RM element TO, XTR/race face | | Bottom Line: | just because they say XTR, doesnt mean that they are great. i am going to try avid arch rival 50s. these brakes rattle while riding. XTR stuff shouldnt do that. they also need to be rebuilt with expensive ($28 per brake) shim kits. also, the stock pads suck, so you have to drop another $10-15 or so on new pads. at that point you might as well have bought some avids. another bad thing is that because of the inherent slop in the pivots, these things make any rim ding unbearable as they grab. hey, i get rim dings and they should affect performance, but not like this. look at the reviews, they work great for about a season, until you have to rebuild them. i expect more from XTR. but the levers are great and they do stop the bike and look great because they say 'xtr' on them so everyone thinks you are fast. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark Ratke
a Downhiller
from Wiltshire
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Savernake Forest | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Extremely good in dry,looks, only a very slight drop in the wet. | | Weaknesses: | They squeak (sometimes), They rattle(most of the time)and if you show them a bit of wet mud they skwidge and squelch like mad). | | Similar Products Used: | other v's | | Bike Setup: | GT STS 1000, XTR, Rock shox Judy DH, Spins etc. | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are extremely powerful in the dry and still work very well in the wet. They just are really annoying when they rattle. It's also really fiddly to adjust the pad to rim distance too. But overall i'll give them 4 for performance and 5 for value because they are still the best V's out ther for the money. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark EG
a Weekend Warrior
from Liverpool
Date Reviewed: March 24, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | No-Brains (Delemere forest) | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | very sharp in the dry | | Weaknesses: | try to keep your rims clean
front brake would'nt stop squealing no matter what was done to them | | Similar Products Used: | XT V's
HS-33's | | Bike Setup: | Dual slalom, Planet X frame, Z1's, XTR-XT throughout | | Bottom Line: | very strong brakes that'll last and take anything you dish out | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
GJ
a Cross-Country Rider
from Amsterdam
Date Reviewed: November 29, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
XTR | | Weaknesses: |
frame flex at the rear | | Similar Products Used: |
XT
Magura HS33 | | Bike Setup: |
Cannondale (2000)F1000SL
Customized with Mavic rims/XTR brakes hubs/Syncros seatpost/Flite saddle | | Bottom Line: | If you are going to use v-brakes you certainly have to take a look at these. I am using these brakes almoast a year now and they haven't become sloppy like my old '97 XT brakes. For maximum stopping power you have to use the XTR brakes with ceramic rims. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross-Country Rider
from MD
Date Reviewed: November 28, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Avalon | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
nothing the XT doesnt have | | Weaknesses: |
The XT V-brakes are cheaper and work five times better. | | Similar Products Used: |
XT V-brakes | | Bike Setup: |
Giant ATX 890, Judy SL, mostly XTR, rest custom | | Bottom Line: | If you are trying to make a decision between XTR and XT, you have to go with XT. The XTR had too much flex (and subsequently squeeled) and I had to buy and install the rebuild kit for them. The kit reduced the noise a bit, but I have to run a brake booster on my fork now to minimize as much flex as possible. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
chaz
a Racer
from amherst
Date Reviewed: November 22, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
too many to name | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
power
modulation
feel
everything xtr should be | | Weaknesses: |
not a one | | Similar Products Used: |
97 stx canti's
98 lx
avid 3.0
99 xt
hayes hydralic | | Bike Setup: |
mountain bike | | Bottom Line: | xtr's are my favorite brakes, although in terms of durability you can't beat the 98 lx's. i've had a set for a year and a half now and they still work awesome. the avid i had sucked ass, it was porked after 3 months. hayes i've only demo'ed, but i didn't like them. they have awesome power, but i just don't like the feel of them. hayes have more power than xtr and are better in the muck, but i like xtr's a lot and they're way cheaper than hayes. cinco poopies | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin
a Downhiller
from Denver, CO
Date Reviewed: November 11, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Logger's Way, Keystone, CO | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
STIFF and basically everything about them especially the new box section spring which holds tension way longer than the old round ones do | | Weaknesses: |
???? | | Similar Products Used: |
XT v-brakes | | Bike Setup: |
XTR/XT with XVert R | | Bottom Line: | Stronger than XT and the berings are slick willies | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
gary
a Racer
from socal
Date Reviewed: November 5, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
strong, sleek, and performs better than anything i have ever tried | | Weaknesses: |
brake pads | | Similar Products Used: |
'98 xt, diacompe 747 | | Bike Setup: |
ht 22lb racer | | Bottom Line: | i still have the stock pads, i removed them before even riding it and installed ritchey red pads, the shimano pads realls suck, but the brake works like a champ | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ken Chang
a Cross-Country Rider
from Tucson, AZ
Date Reviewed: November 3, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Starr Pass, Tucson, AZ | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
Absolutely Beautiful.
Strongest Brake I've ever owned.
Lightweight.
It's XTR! | | Weaknesses: |
None, so far. | | Similar Products Used: |
1998 LX
1999 LX | | Bottom Line: | These brakes were as easy, if not easier to install than anything I've tried. They are so much stronger than the LX V-Brakes. Although I've only had them less than a month, they feel really solid like they've been on my bike for years. No slop here. I'll never look back. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jim
a Racer
from sycamore, il
Date Reviewed: November 1, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
looks
power
adjustability | | Weaknesses: |
none yet | | Similar Products Used: |
lx
xt
m-system canti's | | Bike Setup: |
klein
sx-r
esp 9.0sl
race-lite wheels | | Bottom Line: | while i admittedly have limited use with this system, i felt so happy with them i had to send them some props. they work so much better than all that i have tried, and with the slop issues supposedly resolved. i am especially pleased with how they fit over my esp shifters. this is definitely a huge plus, and an added incentive to go xtr brakes even though you may have sram drivetrain. looking forward to many happy miles of excellent braking performance. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jamie
a Racer
from nova scotia
Date Reviewed: October 20, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
wenthworth hostel | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
power smoothnes | | Weaknesses: |
none really, well maybe the crappy shimano pads | | Similar Products Used: |
98 XT
98LX | | Bike Setup: |
specialized s-works M4
SID SL | | Bottom Line: | I love these brakes. They feel so much better then my old 98 XTs. They have an awasome amount of power but they modulate vey well. The pivot bearings mean these won't devlope slop like the XTs. The only thing that comes close is avid arch surpream. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rich
a Weekend Warrior
from Tallahassee, FL
Date Reviewed: October 19, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Tom Brown Park, Tally | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
XTR Quality
Looks awesome
Light | | Weaknesses: |
Not a one | | Similar Products Used: |
Old dia compe canti's, and '96 LX v-brakes(worked good too) | | Bike Setup: |
Giant MCM 990, Marz Z-4 Alloy, full xt drivetrain, xtr brakes | | Bottom Line: | Well, what can you expect with XTR. Looks great, function even better than they look. I can throw myself right over the handlebars onto my ass with these, and I'm 6'3 and 235 lbs. Enough said. And they were a killer deal at FrankfordBike.com for $41.95/set. Great deal considering the XT's cost only $10 less. Get some and you will never regret it! 5 flaming Plymouth Neons(my dream)! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Josh
a Weekend Warrior
from Easley,SC
Date Reviewed: October 8, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
any | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
every thing | | Weaknesses: |
none | | Similar Products Used: |
avid 2.0 | | Bike Setup: |
don't worry | | Bottom Line: | they are the best | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jay
a Cross-Country Rider
from Vancouver
Date Reviewed: October 7, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Ape Canyon | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Design
Black color
Easy set up
Price
Power | | Weaknesses: |
Pads | | Similar Products Used: |
'97 XTR brakes
'98 XT brakes
'99 XT brakes | | Bike Setup: |
Curtlo
Jamis Dakar | | Bottom Line: | This is a much improved rendition of the famed XTR brake calipers. The beefing up of the pivots helps the brake stay tight longer without the annoying squeel of years past. However, true to Shimano, the price is similar. Great brakes! However, that said, discs will soon kick the crude out of these antiquated braking systems (or maybe they already have?). Save your dough, don't become a Magura freak...If you are going to spend dough like that, just get discs. This is the best rim break for the dough! Hands down. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Marcus
a Weekend Warrior
from Stockholm
Date Reviewed: October 3, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Works perfectly so far, even in wet and mud weather. Used it down the mountain of Are , sweden, where VM was hold. It rained every day but i had excellent stoping power anyway. | | Weaknesses: |
none. | | Similar Products Used: |
Avid SD 20 (worked very fine to) | | Bike Setup: |
Kona Kula 99, Marzorcchi Z2 a-bomb | | Bottom Line: | Rocking power, beautyfull colour, very light. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bill Benak
a Cross-Country Rider
from Misawa, Japan
Date Reviewed: October 2, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Makado Mining Trail | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Great stopping power in all conditions, very impressive | | Weaknesses: |
that annoying 1/4 inch of play that developes in the front lever | | Similar Products Used: |
LX cantilevers, Piranha Pro Racing | | Bike Setup: |
Giant XTC frame,Marzocchi Z2 Atom Bomb up front with an XT drivetrain pushing a Hugi hub in the rear and a CODA in the front on Mavic 238SPB | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are the best I've ever been on. Even fellow riders are impressed with my abaility to stop in the face of disaster. They work when you need them to and the bottom line is-these brakes are the poop! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Erwin Deuring
a Downhiller
from Wels , Austria
Date Reviewed: September 12, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Lake Garda Trails | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
brake power at dry conditions | | Weaknesses: |
weak brake power at wet conditions | | Similar Products Used: |
XT V-Brake
LX V-Brake
Magure RaceLine D | | Bike Setup: |
Rocky Mountain DH Race
Bomber Z1 Bam LT
Race Face LP 99
XTR completer mixed with RaceFace Comp.
EASTON Monkey Bar | | Bottom Line: | as soon it begins to rain the xtr v-brake loses 60% of the braking power.
it's lightweigth but too expensive. i would use Magure RaceLine instead of xtr v-brake
or a Magure Lousie (which i m going to buy) | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JL
a Racer
from Champaign, IL
Date Reviewed: September 7, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Kickapoo | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
nice looking
XTR brand name | | Weaknesses: |
squeal badly if not setup correctly | | Similar Products Used: |
Avid 2.5 | | Bike Setup: |
Xizang (SID, XTR, RaceFace, etc) | | Bottom Line: | Don't know if I'm the only one. I just put on a pair of new 99 XTR brakes($80) a week ago and went for several rides since then. Other than the fact that XTRs had a tiny bit less tendency to lock up the wheels, I could not distinguish the difference between the XTRs and my old 98 Avid 2.5s which cost a mere $40 (plus the 2.5 is lighter). Parallel push would be helpful if the range of motion is greater, otherwise it only increases weight and chance of breaking down. For $80 you sure do get XTR quality assurance, however, you can spend half of that and maintain the same stopping power. It's pretty much up to peer pressure and the size of your wallet. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
SHS
a Cross-Country Rider
from Manchester, NH
Date Reviewed: September 7, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
solid design, XTR quality | | Weaknesses: |
squealing is unstoppable | | Similar Products Used: |
XT Vs, LX V's, Avids | | Bike Setup: |
Schwinn Homegrown | | Bottom Line: | great stopping power but for the price squealing is unacceptable. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John McCool
a Weekend Warrior
from Atlanta, Ga
Date Reviewed: August 19, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Flume | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
stopping | | Weaknesses: |
squeeling | | Similar Products Used: |
98 xtr v's | | Bike Setup: |
trick heckler | | Bottom Line: | Stops great, still squeels like the 98 unless perfectly set up and dry conditions. I have a more detailed post under the other xtr v brake reveiw. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Treebark
a Weekend Warrior
from Canada, the true north strong and free, fa la la
Date Reviewed: August 7, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
the one to the bar | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
Shimano quality, smooth, one finger stopping power, top of the line. | | Weaknesses: |
It took having crappy Formula discs to know that these are worlds better. | | Similar Products Used: |
LX | | Bike Setup: |
rocky mtn instinct | | Bottom Line: | I never would have believed how good these brakes would be. But now I know. Save your cash and skip discs. These brakes won't be outdated any time soon. Definitely worthy of 5 flaming, hemorrhoid-inducing, get out the prep H, habeneros. Buy some soon, you'll see. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Melissa Norcross
a Downhiller
from Seattle, WA
Date Reviewed: August 5, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Rigid, lightweight, powerful. These brakes do stop you. I'm really thinking of changing my downhill bike's Hayes Disc's to XTR V-Brake's. Nothing beats these guys. | | Weaknesses: |
Nothing. | | Similar Products Used: |
Magura Hydraulic Brakes, Hayes Dics Brakes. | | Bike Setup: |
Litespeed Owl Hollow, Rock Shox SID SL | | Bottom Line: | They are little bit expensive for standard mountain biker but, you know, XTR is for the professional so it is normal that they are pricey. If you don't wanna pay this much, go buy XTs. They are cool too. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Cdale
a Cross-Country Rider
from Singapore (come from Sweden)
Date Reviewed: July 5, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Bukit Timah (where else????????) | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
None | | Weaknesses: |
None | | Similar Products Used: |
Lx v's , Tektro Rbp ,Alivio v's (their the crappiest brakes in the world, even cantis are better!) | | Bike Setup: |
Cannondale F2000- xt-xtr
Fatty sl,Coda disks.
Peugeot Excuss 26trial
bike-mag tomac, Esp 9.0 , Fatty p bone rigid. | | Bottom Line: | Hiyall fellow riders.I just got a mongoose sgx (bmx)and NEED to replace the crappy tektro's that came with the bike but can't decide which brake to get,the Avid Arch Rival 50's or Shimano Xtr V brakes.Can someone please help me out?They both have great ratings in the reviews.Also, which levers should i use with them for the best stoppin power.Thanx, C'dale. E mail = cannondale38@hotmail.com | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
richard chittick
a Racer
from littleton co
Date Reviewed: July 1, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
lookout mountain, harrisonburg, va | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
by adding a little spring to the linkage, the slop found in older xt and xtr has been eliminated. the modulation on these things is absolutely insane, and if you're riding older v-brakes such as lx or avids, the upgrade will absolutely floor you. when i went from avid sd's to these, the difference was like going from canti's to avids. be wary, though, as a huge chunk of brake performance is the quality of your brake pads. | | Weaknesses: |
standard xtr gripe: price. brakes are $50 a pop and the levers are about the same.
also, the linkage is amazingly complicated. lots of small intricate parts, which is prolly where the extra weight comes from. | | Similar Products Used: |
xt, avid, lx, performance topo. | | Bike Setup: |
speckle lizard stumpjumper with a manitou sx-ti. mavic 517's for rims. | | Bottom Line: | if you got a bill to drop, drop it on these brakes. you can use them with any brake lever and still get a primo upgrade in performance. best thing i did for my bike this year (except maybe for the sx-ti). | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
TrailRipper
a Cross-Country Rider
from Wisconsin
Date Reviewed: June 14, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Rock Lake | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Strong!
Good even in wet. | | Weaknesses: |
Price | | Similar Products Used: |
Dia Compe 727's | | Bike Setup: |
Ritchey SCX wheels w/ Judy XC and Englunds | | Bottom Line: | Wonderful! They are great brakes, and if one was to have Ceramic coating on their wheels, they would offer the same hesitant-to-touch-the-front-brake-because-I-don't-want-to endo power that these brakes offer in the dry weather. They're really nice! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew D
a Weekend Warrior
from San Antonio Texas
Date Reviewed: June 2, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
700 Acres | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Really powerful. Looks great. Parallel linkage | | Weaknesses: |
Nothing yet. | | Similar Products Used: |
XT V's
Avid 1.0 | | Bike Setup: |
98 GF Big Sur , Indy XC Long Travel | | Bottom Line: | Minor changes to 1999 have hopefully cured the brake slop. They look sharp they're powerful enough to cause quite a bit of frame/fork flex. They stop all the time whenever I need them. Easy to set up. I can't find a fault with them yet. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross-Country Rider
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: June 2, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
anywhere | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Excellent stopping power with very good feel | | Weaknesses: |
Heavier than some - could have had more weight saving design - perhaps that's what the S company wants to use as planned obsolescence (the '00 model will be lighter I bet) | | Similar Products Used: |
XT, Avid, Ritchey | | Bike Setup: |
Lodestar Team issue - almost full XTR gruppo, SID, Race Face, X-max | | Bottom Line: | Almost no regrets (weight weenie speaking) | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Charlottesville VA
Date Reviewed: May 19, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Anywhere its technical | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Great Brakes | | Weaknesses: |
None I've seen so far | | Similar Products Used: |
97 XT v-brake | | Bike Setup: |
Judy XC, Litespeed Ocoee, mostly XT, Chris King Head set, Chris King Hubs Bontrager Asym Ceramic rims. | | Bottom Line: | I thing Jorg from Germany in the first review must have reviewed the wrong product how could he have used the 1999 XTR v brake for 2 years. He's talking about the old XTR's I give these brakes 10 flamers if I could. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jörg
a Cross-Country Rider
from Nuernberg/Germany
Date Reviewed: April 30, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
you all know what's nice | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
they are light, one of the best working rimbrakes on the market (especially when new...) | | Weaknesses: |
the links of the parallelogram are horrible, | | Similar Products Used: |
many shimanos, cheap avids, SRAM 9.0 | | Bike Setup: |
Nuke Proof Ti, ritchey, tune, esp, xtr | | Bottom Line: | The links of the superfluous parallelogram are horrible, they aren't tight anymore after 3000 km, i would buy SRAM brakes because of their better durability, same performance and cheaper price... why does Sram use this parallelogram on their latest model ? I think if the rider takes care of his bike and checks the brakepads regulary, there won't be any problems. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nils Heinis
a Racer
from maastricht (holland)
Date Reviewed: April 28, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
light and excellent performance | | Weaknesses: |
none | | Similar Products Used: |
avid single digit 20 | | Bike Setup: |
manitou hard tail, full xtr and manitou sx ti fork | | Bottom Line: | it kicks ass!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Racer
from Philladelphia
Date Reviewed: April 22, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
colorado | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Solid, it helps a little if you add boosters to resist flex. Super light, and strong stoppers if kept adjusted properly. The finish and look is very cool. | | Weaknesses: |
none, They are lite and strong. They are a smart buy. | | Similar Products Used: |
Avid V's, Many discs tested. | | Bike Setup: |
Klein Attitude, Mant. triple clamp. Slalom set-up | | Bottom Line: | Not cheap for V's, but well worth it. Very killer. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ross W.
a Cross-Country Rider
from Hawaii
Date Reviewed: April 15, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
With XTR levers, modulation feels the same as my Avid Ulitmate/Arch Supreme combination with same braking power. | | Weaknesses: |
None noticed but have only had for 3 months | | Similar Products Used: |
98 LX, Avid 1.0, Avid 2.0, Avid Arch Supremes | | Bike Setup: |
Full Suspension with BAM Z1 | | Bottom Line: | For the price, these are the best right now. Hard pressed to say which is better in feel and braking power: 99 XTR's or Avid Arch Supremes. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Racer
from Woodcliff Lake
Date Reviewed: April 9, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Skyline Drive | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
very strong braking power and never wobbles | | Weaknesses: |
none | | Similar Products Used: |
XT'v, Avid 20's, LX'v | | Bike Setup: |
Tellico | | Bottom Line: | the best brake for your money | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John B.
a Cross-Country Rider
from Urbana,Il
Date Reviewed: March 20, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Waldo Canyon Colorado Springs, Co | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
Does'nt speal like the older v-brakes and has improved stopping power since you don't have to toe in the brake even though Shimano said you should. Everyone knows that was the only way to get rid of the sqealing. Beefed up linkage with spring no longer ratlles on trail. | | Weaknesses: |
None. | | Similar Products Used: |
other Shimano v-brakes. | | Bike Setup: |
Easton elite Dean Oscar with a Marzocchi Atom Bomb, XTR, 517 Dt revolution wheels, Specialized ti bottom bracket with a Race Face crankand Avitar Weks rings and Time pedals, Cane Creek head set with a Kore Elite stem Race Face bars with Control tech stubby barends. Gripshift 8.0 Attach shifters XtT front Derailuer and XTR rear. Dean ti seatpost with a SDG Slim Jim saddle using Gore-Tex cables. | | Bottom Line: | They are much more refined then in the past and Shimano has seemed to work the bugs of them. They were good brakes before but now they are great. You can't argue with what works. I don't love Shimano, but you can't beat the quality, durablity, lightness and price on some of their components. | | Overall Rating: |
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