My new bike came with Sram brakes but I just couldn't grow to love them. Played with them constantly until realizing they're never going to be what I want. Long story short, I swapped them for XT's and never looked back.
Bleeding guide r or buy XT 4 pistons
Hi guys I bought a used Santa cruz Hightower that came with Sram guide r. The brakes are not performing well at the moment, the braking is spongy and not strong, the lever travel long. I was wondering if it worth to buy Sram bleeding kit and bleed them or replace with Shimano XT (i already have Shimano bleeding kit).
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I have Guide Rs, Guide Ultimates and XT 4 pots. My daughter has SLX 4 pots.
Set up properly, they're all good.
If you want XTs and they are available, buy them. Life is short. But like I said, IMHO they are all good (with their own sets of pros and cons).
For reference, my Guide Rs are on a 55 pound e-fattie which I have been riding the last couple of weeks on steep Rocky Mountain blacks, as shake out rides to make sure it's ready to go for the upcoming winter. The Guide Rs are a tad loud at times, but that's it. They function great. I fully intended to swap them out after last winter, but saw no reason to spend money unnecessarily. They effortlessly stop that 55 pound e-bike plus me at around 200 with gear.
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Set up properly, they're all good.
If you want XTs and they are available, buy them. Life is short. But like I said, IMHO they are all good (with their own sets of pros and cons).
For reference, my Guide Rs are on a 55 pound e-fattie which I have been riding the last couple of weeks on steep Rocky Mountain blacks, as shake out rides to make sure it's ready to go for the upcoming winter. The Guide Rs are a tad loud at times, but that's it. They function great. I fully intended to swap them out after last winter, but saw no reason to spend money unnecessarily. They effortlessly stop that 55 pound e-bike plus me at around 200 with gear.
Just because a set of brakes is spongy is not a reason to replace - that is a reason to repair.Hi guys I bought a used Santa cruz Hightower that came with Sram guide r. The brakes are not performing well at the moment, the braking is spongy and not strong, the lever travel long. I was wondering if it worth to buy Sram bleeding kit and bleed them or replace with Shimano XT (i already have Shimano bleeding kit).
Now if you have always used / preferred something else, and you are looking for this as an excuse to swap to what you prefer, then yes, replace.
I had guides, and that's exactly what they are. Weak, mushy, and have a long lever throw. If you know you like the feeling of Shimano 4 pistons, go for it. If you like the Sram feel, get some codes. I did the same swap on my bike a few years back. In my opinion, guides have no business ever being spec'd on an all mountain bike.
Can't argue with this.Just because a set of brakes is spongy is not a reason to replace - that is a reason to repair.
Now if you have always used / preferred something else, and you are looking for this as an excuse to swap to what you prefer, then yes, replace.
I'm the mechanic in this household (my GF & me); between our 3 mountain bikes and 2 ebikes, there are 4 bikes with Shimano and 1 bike with SRAM brakes. Every time I'm on the SRAM brake equipped bike (hers), I ask myself how anyone could tolerate these brakes. Maybe it's because she weighs 80# less than I do. Anyway I hate SRAM brakes.
I recall back about 20 years ago here on MTBR's Brake Forum there was an ongoing debate to figure out if power and modulation were at opposite ends of a continuum. At the time, I believed it because I'd never owned a powerful brake that wasn't touchy (aka "on/off.") In other words it seemed that at the time we had to choose one or the other -- power or modulation. But after owning Shimano 4-pot brakes, I no longer believe it. In my opinion, Shimano's 4-pot brakes offer both excellent modulation and awesome power.
I say get the XTs and don't look back.
=sParty
or SLX 4-Pot (if available) as there's little difference.
Thank you guys. Just bought XT 4 pistons.
I have ridden slx and xt. Only difference I have noticed is the XTs come with resin pads.
My M8000’s and M8120’s both came with metal pads. Luck of the draw maybe…
Side note but I prefer the older levers. Was a little disappointed with the new, wider style. Not a deal breaker though.
Side note but I prefer the older levers. Was a little disappointed with the new, wider style. Not a deal breaker though.
I love the additional bar connection on the newer style levers. Makes for a very solid feel. Agree the levers are meh.
Agreed. Much better clamping system. I was able to mount the shifter and dropper clamps dead center of the mounting points for a cool, clean look. Although, I did recently replace the Sram shifter and opted for the I-Spec mount on the new one. Guess I just really don’t like Sram ergonomics lol.
I agree. In fact I agree so much that I bought Saints instead of any of Shimano’s newer 4-pot models. The way my bars / controls are set up, I can’t get everything where I want it with the wider perch of the latest model lever. All my controls employ discreet clamps. I’ve never detected any flex in the old style lever among the myriad pair of Shimano brakes I’ve ridden hard over the years. But that’s just me.Side note but I prefer the older levers. Was a little disappointed with the new, wider style.
=sParty
I was SO close to buying Saints! In hindsight I probably should have lol. The price difference was negligible.
To be fair, the Sram brakes stopped fine and had plenty of power, they just felt consistently bad, even when not using them lol. I also locked them up often because they felt so disconnected, if that makes sense. With Shimano’s, I know exactly when the pads start to make contact and it’s easy to modulate from there.
Still have the Sram drivetrain which is fine, no complaints, but adding an XTR shifter is still one of my favorite upgrades… aside from brakes of course lol.
To be fair, the Sram brakes stopped fine and had plenty of power, they just felt consistently bad, even when not using them lol. I also locked them up often because they felt so disconnected, if that makes sense. With Shimano’s, I know exactly when the pads start to make contact and it’s easy to modulate from there.
Still have the Sram drivetrain which is fine, no complaints, but adding an XTR shifter is still one of my favorite upgrades… aside from brakes of course lol.
I bought M7120 SLX 4 pot brakes recently. I upgraded them to XT spec with 2 of M4x12mm grub screws which cost me precisely one dollar.
Having said that, I actually believe that the best upgrade you can do is increase rotor size. I justify this by saying that the power difference between the M7120 and my 2 pot M615 deore brakes is... noticable, but its actually not that significant.
2 pot brakes are more on/off whereas the 4 pot are more linear. Both have heaps of power.
Shimano brakes are very easy to do a quick, bad bleed job on. The full multi-step technique as documented in the dealer manuals at si.shimano.com takes time gives you a great feeling brake.
Both are way better than some M420 4-pot brakes on my wifes bike.
Having said that, I actually believe that the best upgrade you can do is increase rotor size. I justify this by saying that the power difference between the M7120 and my 2 pot M615 deore brakes is... noticable, but its actually not that significant.
2 pot brakes are more on/off whereas the 4 pot are more linear. Both have heaps of power.
Shimano brakes are very easy to do a quick, bad bleed job on. The full multi-step technique as documented in the dealer manuals at si.shimano.com takes time gives you a great feeling brake.
Both are way better than some M420 4-pot brakes on my wifes bike.
Yup. Want more power, quick & cheap? Quickest / easiest way to get it is with bigger rotors. No question.I bought M7120 SLX 4 pot brakes recently. I upgraded them to XT spec with 2 of M4x12mm grub screws which cost me precisely one dollar.
Having said that, I actually believe that the best upgrade you can do is increase rotor size. I justify this by saying that the power difference between the M7120 and my 2 pot M615 deore brakes is... noticable, but its actually not that significant.
2 pot brakes are more on/off whereas the 4 pot are more linear. Both have heaps of power.
Shimano brakes are very easy to do a quick, bad bleed job on. The full multi-step technique as documented in the dealer manuals at si.shimano.com takes time gives you a great feeling brake.
Both are way better than some M420 4-pot brakes on my wifes bike.
=sParty
Agreed. My long story is that I swapped M8000’s from another bike to replace Sram RSC’s. Everything I wanted with lever feel was there but power was lacking going from 4 piston to 2. So I went 203mm up front and 180mm rear. Honestly, rotors were an excellent upgrade but still wasn’t enough until I bought M8120’s lol.Having said that, I actually believe that the best upgrade you can do is increase rotor size.
Nevertheless, I’ll never run anything less than 180mm on a mountain bike again.
I'm gonna install the new brakes. After disconnected the cable and passed it into the frame, do you suggest to put a new hose insert or can I just replace the olive?
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