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Does anyone BUY Sram brakes?

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#22 ·
I've heard more bad stories about SRAM than Shimano brakes.
I've heard plenty of good about SRAM too though.

My Chameleon is equipped with the lowest model of brake they make, and it shows.

It's not about the braking power, necessarily. It's darn close to my comparison model, but it's not quite the same. That's fine. What I dislike most is how inconsistent the brakes are.
I have to routinely remove the wheel and give the lever a bunch of squeezes to make it grabby.
I recently wore out a set of pads on the rear (oops, poor maintenance on my part). The ride back, with just a front brake, was ridiculously weak. Mind you I was riding in a way that one would ride with one brake.

anyway, I swung by the lock bike shop and they gave me a set of Elixr pads, which according to the package, is meant for my brake. It's not quite as powerful. Fast forward a few weeks too and now the lever goes to the bar for max braking. Time to once again remove the wheel and pump it up.

Instead of doing that, I'm taking my 5 year old Shimano M615 brakes off a full suspension and having them installed on my Chameleon then updating the full suspension to 4-piston Shimano.

This will make my maintenance a bit easier having only one brake fluid and an easy bleed procedure.

If all SRAM brakes are as unreliable as my "Level" brake is, there is no way I'd buy SRAM brakes, ever.
They did once make me faster though. On a steep set of switchbacks. Knowing I can't grab brakes and slow down as quickly as I'd like, I had to go slower. Turns out it was faster overall down the switchback segment. Slow down to go faster.

The Shimano M615 sometimes need adjustment to get the lever super sensitive too but it's not nearly as often as the SRAM Level brake requires this adjustment.

On the street, or on easy trails, the power is plentyful. Comparable to the M615. Once heated up or on steeper terrain, the SRAM Level isn't in the same leage as the M615.

The comparisons are from a 2016 Stumpjumper full suspension with Shimano M615 -considering the age of technology they used for a 2016 production model. The SRAM Level brake is installed on a 2016 Chameleon. The Chameleon has 180/180 and is still less powerful than the Full suspension 180/160.

It's silly to have to have a top of the line brake to get something that feels good for what an average rider with a nice bike would expect. Meaning listening to the SRAM brake suggestions from above sounds like one should plan to get the top level in order to have a good SRAM brake.
 
#23 ·
I dunno, but I don't buy shimano brakes anymore. After having my R/H lever leak out again (originally was a 785, then a 7000) I'm done buying their leaky brakes that you can't get spare-parts (like seals) for. They had known design issues and while they may have addressed them later, their "disposable brake" philosophy by not making or supplying seal kits is unacceptable. I also have the XTRs that weep fluid onto the pads due to the rough ceramic surface, which is very inconvenient, but I can address it by baking the pads. There are other problems too, with bite point, etc., but I'm just done screwing with this stuff. Again, they may have "solved" some of these issues, but nothing lasts forever and I would at least need to see seal-kits from shimano to know they are serious about making good brakes and not just selling their soul for OEM bike specs. Hope is a little down on power, but I can make up for it with larger rotors (220mm these days) and the quality is far better. I already have one set and my next is on it's way (due to the lever that gave out). Buddy was asking me on Friday, "hey, you should come ride the park tomorrow, so and so will be in the day-lodge and such and such will be going on". I had to say "sorry, I can't, my brake lever is leaking and under that kind of riding, it'll blow out fast".

Last time it happened i was on vacation and had to buy a new brake, but it wasn't that simple, I was using an M8000 shifter with an I-spec adapter to run the 785 brake...that wouldn't work with the M7000. To convert the shifter back to I-spec 2 required parts that no bike shop had, so it required some serious jerry-rigging and was a less than optimal (but at least functional) solution.

Those first shimano M755s were gold, but they didn't get better after that IME. I'll say that shimano also seemed to be the first to really try and address heat management, but now we see Magura, Hope, TRP and others doing the same.

I think SRAM has nailed drivetrains pretty well, but they seem to have had similar trouble to Shimano within the last 10 years with brakes. Part of that was the original codes I bought. Those were real bad.

Over the years, I've had Magura, Hope, Avid/SRAM, Formula, Hayes and many shimano variations. Magura worked ok, but the quality was usually pretty poor, poor interfaces, machining tolerances, levers, etc. Sometimes a bit leaky, but in general overpriced IME for what you get. Great modulation feel though. Hopes quality has always been great quality. I had a few older sets. The only problem was generating enough power and with one set of Mono M4s, I tried everything under the sun and never had enough. I have a new set of X2s and that seems to not be nearly as big of an issue anymore, although their MC/piston design does sacrifice some power. Quality wise though they were the best of what I owned. I also had Forumula, that was a little worse than Magura as far as quality.

But yeah, I'm done with their (shimano) brakes. I'm going to send back these leaky ones to shimano. They can put them up on their wall or something.
 
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Discussion starter · #24 ·
Went for a ride today in the heat and pulled this bike out of the garage.
The brakes felt perfectly fine. The first pull which was about 1/2 mile from my house, they were noisy has heck. 15 minutes later they were rock hard and barely had to pull them back. Way too much to be correct. Later in the ride going mostly down with hard braking, they went sideways.
One ride with numerous braking feels. Did I mention that Sram brake suck?
Can't wait to see what Specialized has to say from my email sent today.
 
#27 ·
Bought a set of Guide RE's for my 29+ mule...

Paired w/ 200mm rotors and sintered pads, they're my favorite brakes.

I've bought and used Shimano in the past... only mid tier stuff.

I'd take Guide R's over SLX any day.

Found on long descents, Shimano brakes faded too much.

Have ridden a bike w/ Guide RSC's and they were crap - so, I'm no fan boi.

One of my bikes has TRP brakes and they're probably better than both Sram and Shimano - ergonomics are a bit dated.

Would like to try Magura...

Sent from my HD1900 using Tapatalk
 
#28 ·
I've always run Sram brakes , currently running G2 Ultimate rainbow carbon lever ones , honestly I can't fault Sram I think if they are looked after, serviced and bled correctly they simply work (for me anyway) , I had RE before and they were great, I prefer the modulation to Shimano, and no I don't work for sram [emoji23]

Sent from my CPH2009 using Tapatalk
 
#29 ·
Sickmak90 said:
Shimano makes me feel like a professional bike mechanic. SRAM makes me feel like a complete noob but cheap tektros on my Giant are even more frustrating than SRAM.

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Click to expand...
Shimano are easy to bleed, but try rebuilding them. I really liked my old Shimano brakes a lot.
 
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#30 ·
I have really mixed feeling about SRAM brakes. I have a pair of Guide R's that came on my 2018 Hightower - the braking performance was so meh that they were one of the first things that got swapped out on the bike.

Since then I have ridden friends bikes that have Guide RSC brakes, G2 brakes and I rented a downhill bike with Code R brakes. All of these felt really good. So I put my Guide R brakes back on a different bike, bled them and I still haven't been able to get the performance out of the brake that I experienced on the others.

So I think I'm going to do a little more work on the Guides, just to give them a fair shake. I figure I can clean the pistons and make sure they are all moving freely, and I will also switch out the brake pads for something better (might try the MTXs referenced lower in this thread).

All I know, is that my Shimano M8020 brakes, which get used multiple times every week and which I have worked on a small fraction of the time that I have worked on the Guide brakes haven't given me a problem in the 2+ years I've been using them.

I will say though that the Code R brakes I used were really impressive. If I had any level of confidence that I could get the same performance on my own bike, I'd consider buying them.
 
#31 ·
I'm super happy with Sram. They have warrantied all of the Guides my friends have had. Which is all of them. Hot weather stick like clock work.

But yes people still buy em, lucky for me since I sell every set than comes on my bikes. It's not an IF they will get sticky or go soft & need a bleed. It's when.

Hence shimano. Trouble free for much longer & when they do have issues 90% of teh time it's a 2 minute lever bleed with their amazingly cheap & effective bleed cup.
 
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#32 ·
Here's the deal... the cheap "R" versions get aluminum caliper pistons which expand with heat soak so you get sticking brakes and fade. The "RSC" versions get phenolic pistons which do not expand and are some of the best brakes on the planet. Why Sram still uses aluminum pistons in their lower end brakes is just crazy to me because they are trashing their overall reputation. This is definitely a case of "you get what you pay for" tho.

Have FUN!

G MAN
 
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#33 ·
Dirtrider127 said:
I'm running Sram Code R brakes only because they came on my bike. 4 pistons, second from their best and they are pure crap! You buy an 8K bike and get these POS?
In checking around I've found most people are having many issues with them.
You never know how their going to feel today, noisy as heck, really bad with water on them, heat screws them up and expand the fluid/seals, need to be bleed often, just to make them ride-able. And that's the best I have to say about them. All my other bikes have had Shimano brakes and never an issue, not a one. Only bled them because it been a year and thought it would be best to do.

My question for you: Have you every purchased these brakes for an upgrade or new build? Were you satified with the purchase and they have proven to be great brakes without issues? Do I have a crappy set

In looking around for days on the interwebs, many others have had these issues and have swapped them out for Shimanos and are happy.
Click to expand...
Yes, I have had the same issues on both sets on two bikes I have purchased. Switched to organic (quiet) pads and it helped but ultimately replaced with TRP DH-R EVO's.
 
#34 ·
There's no perfect answer it seems...

I've never had any trouble with my Shimano brakes, and they're butt stupid easy to bleed, but in cold weather the bite point moves outward fairly quickly.

I had Guide Rs for a ride or two and was impressed with the feel, but they just didn't have anywhere near enough power to control my Canfield. Plus I detest DOT fluid. It's toxic and corrosive and it actively absorbs air and water.

TRPs feel great, use mineral oil and don't wander, but I've never had so much trouble bleeding a brake in my entire life. I can get a Guide bled perfect in ten minutes tops. TRPs take me hours.

If SRAM would just suck it up and convert to mineral oil, it might solve a lot of problems.
 
#35 ·
eicca said:
There's no perfect answer it seems...

I've never had any trouble with my Shimano brakes, and they're butt stupid easy to bleed, but in cold weather the bite point moves outward fairly quickly.

I had Guide Rs for a ride or two and was impressed with the feel, but they just didn't have anywhere near enough power to control my Canfield. Plus I detest DOT fluid. It's toxic and corrosive and it actively absorbs air and water.

TRPs feel great, use mineral oil and don't wander, but I've never had so much trouble bleeding a brake in my entire life. I can get a Guide bled perfect in ten minutes tops. TRPs take me hours.

If SRAM would just suck it up and convert to mineral oil, it might solve a lot of problems.
Click to expand...
I have a cheap bike with cheap tektros and cannot get the rear bled correctly. Every time I bleed it there ends up being copious amounts of air in it. I ordered some Shimano and may shoot these damn tektros.

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#36 ·
I'm low key surprised that you're having problems with a set of Codes. By all accounts, the Code series is the one that seems to be the most reliable (unlike the Guide series and its sticking pistons/etc).

I don't personally have much time on SRAM brakes. My bike came with Level T's, which I replaced with a set of TRP Quadiems pretty quickly (Levels aren't really suitable for a long travel 29'er with a heavier than average rider). My buddy has a set of Guide T's, which seem to give him lots of problems, (pulsing, noise, fading, etc).

I do have an older set of Tektro brakes (Arugira pro?), and they are a giant pain to bleed. I'll agree with everyone on that without any hesitation.

In contrast, my Quadiems bleed super easily, just like shimano brakes (usually only do a lever bleed). I really like how much modulation they have, but the standout for me is their consistency. They don't fade, squeek, squak, pump up, change bite point, or anything weird like that.

I'm also fine with Shimano brakes, but they do have less modulation than I seem to prefer.
 
#37 ·
Does anyone BUY Sram brakes?

I don't. The only SRAMs in the garage are those that came on a new bike. By the time the first set of pads are worn, Shimano's replace the SRAMs. But to be honest, I just like the feel of Shimano's better, so personal preference is the real reason I swap out the SRAM's. Although, a few of the SRAM's fitted on new bikes were just plain junk. Not all, just a few. At the same time, I've never had a bad set of new Shimano's, whether on a new bike, or out of the box.
 
#38 ·
I personally wouldn't buy any Sram brake below the RS series. After running Sram for awhile I bought XT 8120's for my latest bike. They feel good. I kinda prefer the more direct feel for regular singletrack. However, I'd still pick Code RSC for serious descents.
 
#39 ·
sqizzle said:
I've had such a bad experience with SRAM hydraulic brakes that sometimes I think that the people who speak highly of them, on this forum, are employees of the company.
Click to expand...
Nope, not an employee. Been running sram brakes since the V-brake days of the mid-90s, and have never been let down. I have, however, been let down by Shimano. I can't stand the on/off feel or the wandering bite point, but to each their own.

I can't for the life of me figure out what all the hate is about. When the complainers start, I just see a bunch of guys in one of those "as seen on tv" commercials, fumbling around in a shop. Sram brakes are so easily serviceable and adjustable that I have to assume user error. I only have to bleed them once every 1000 hours of riding, or so, and their combination of consistent power and modulation works for me. I run the G2 Ultimates right now and love them. On my other bike, I have X0 Trail brakes and have never had a problem.

I absolutely will buy Sram brakes again. I know that I am sure to offend a host of Sram haters, but c'est la vie.
 
#40 ·
I had Code RSCs for awhile (and rode Code Rs on a rented downhill bike). The Code Rs felt bad, but still stopped me.

The Code RSCs - I bled once a month to keep them feeling good. They had huge amounts of power and modulation. I eventually sold them with the bike. I got rid of the SRAM rotors pretty quickly for Shimano because I could not stand the turkey warbling and replaced the pads with Galfer green pads.

I got Zees on my next bike, overall a little less power, but incredibly consistent. I also only done a full bleed once in a year of ownership and a lever bleed once also. I also replaced the pads with Galfer green.

I have used the generation old xt 2 pistons for a year and just got the new XT 4 pistons. All feel great to me.

I overall prefer Shimano to SRAM. It seems to just work pretty, and the lever shape fits my hands significantly better. My SRAMs seemed to work well, they were just finicky and required a lot of attention.

Luckily I haven't really run into the floating bite point issue with Shimano brakes.I have felt it a couple times, but it's never been a big deal.
 
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