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Looking to upgrade hydraulic brakes - have questions

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#23 ·
value depends on what you want and where you order from. merlin has the best prices i've seen. deore for 96 shipped, or slx for 125 shipped. xt is 187 if i remember right.

i just ordered xt's last week to replace my elixir 1s which will be going to my winter bike build
 
#24 ·
I have SLX front XT rear. Only difference is color and letters and some adjustment bolt on XT master that does nothing. So if anybody want to save money, go SLX. Deore also almost as good but does not come with finned pads, but you can buy them later.
 
#27 ·


I have XTs on one bike and SLX on another, both with HS1 rotors. I don't notice any weight difference and get the same power and modulation. Some pictures of the lever-hose-caliper assembly out of the box show 287g for both.
 
#28 ·
In the states, the right brake is the rear when sitting on the bike. If ordering from a site overseas make sure you get the correct setup. British riders seem to run them opposite, moto style. If you look online, you'll usually find XT's around $100. SLX about $10 cheaper. Recently got some Deores for $55 from Chain Reaction.
 
#31 ·
eb1888 said:
View attachment 921555
View attachment 921556
I have XTs on one bike and SLX on another, both with HS1 rotors. I don't notice any weight difference and get the same power and modulation. Some pictures of the lever-hose-caliper assembly out of the box show 287g for both.
Click to expand...
wow, would have never guessed, thanks for the picture, that blows any marketing material right out of the water
 
#32 ·
Bigb2000 said:
In the states, the right brake is the rear when sitting on the bike. If ordering from a site overseas make sure you get the correct setup. British riders seem to run them opposite, moto style. If you look online, you'll usually find XT's around $100. SLX about $10 cheaper. Recently got some Deores for $55 from Chain Reaction.
Click to expand...
Crap. I ordered a front and rear set from merlinbikes and the website did not let me choose which is which. I guess I am screwed....
 
#34 ·
Should be super easy to swap sides. Just make sure the brake line goes to the caliper you want to use with that lever. Brake lines are easy to swap. You'd probably need to bleed them either way since you'll be cutting the brake likes to fit you frame, so it's really nothing to worry about. Remember to use mineral oil with Shimano brakes.
 
#39 ·
eb1888 said:
But for anyone else, Jenson price matches the British sites with US versions in retail boxes.
Click to expand...
they don't anymore, asked 3 days ago. at least on XT. jenson said they have enough trouble keeping them in stock. $100 each was as good as they were willing to do, but you do get the retail box which comes with the line holder, a bleed block, and olives to shorten the lines

merlin has the best prices online and they are something like 185 shipped. jenson is 200 shipped, but, you get all those extras which you may not with merlin. most of their stuff has been OEM when i order

the xtm785 brake is probably one of the hottest sellers in cycling from what i gather talking to various sales people
 
#40 ·
I got the xtc m785 from nashbar a few weeks ago. But didn't get any of the bleed kit stuff. Only the caliper bolts, bolt lock thing, caliper, line, lever.


The cables are long but I didn't want to mess with them yet. But I do want to swap to euro brake style right lever for front.
 
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