I like Avid Elixirs. Disc size up front depends on your weight, riding style, and slope of the trails you ride. I know of little 135 lb guys who need a 180mm front disc 'cause they're always in the mountains scrubbin' their butthole with their back tires it's so steep...
What brakes for 29 er
Hi have a Selma and want to get a good set of disk brakes. With the 29" wheels I don't know if I should go with 160's or 180's. or 180F and 160R.
I use the bike for cross country riding and some racing. What brand would you guy recommend.
I use the bike for cross country riding and some racing. What brand would you guy recommend.
1 - 19 of 19 Posts
I have 185/160 (F/R) Magura Martas that work well for me (I'm 185-190lbs with kit on an XL Sultan). Brakes are a personal thing, so I would advise getting the feel for a few at the LBS. The Martas work well and have pretty good lever adjustment, but the lever does not spring all the way back out, which is a small nuisance, but at times annoying. I liked the Shimano hydro feel and am looking to check out the new Avid Elixirs next. Having had mechanical discs, I prefer the feel of hydros and find they worked better for me from a feel and performance standpoint. Lots of guys here swear by Formulas, Hopes, etc, so your best bet is likely to check these at the LBS.
I like formula 'the one' with 220mm rotors.
Light powerful, powerful, and very powerful.
The 220mm is overkill but looks great.
Light powerful, powerful, and very powerful.
The 220mm is overkill but looks great.
For what it's worth...
I ride an XL Sultan and weigh about 210, and 160mm's work great. However, I was on trip far from home, and wore the rear pads down to the metal backing. I didn't have a spare pad with me (my fault), so I figured I'd put the front pads on the rear.
To sum up, when only using one brake, the rotor heats up fast and the pad fades, soon you find yourself with no brakes at all. So in the future, I'm going with 180mm front and rear (especially if I don't carry extra pads....).
I ride an XL Sultan and weigh about 210, and 160mm's work great. However, I was on trip far from home, and wore the rear pads down to the metal backing. I didn't have a spare pad with me (my fault), so I figured I'd put the front pads on the rear.
To sum up, when only using one brake, the rotor heats up fast and the pad fades, soon you find yourself with no brakes at all. So in the future, I'm going with 180mm front and rear (especially if I don't carry extra pads....).
I won't ever stray from my XT Brakes. They have been way too dependable. Its kind of a If it aint broke sort of thing.
I had a mama with 160 Xt's front and rear, they worked more than fine. I used this bike for NUE events and never felt the brakes fade or lose power on some really long descends.
i have ridden 26er and 29er with 180 fronts and I dont feel that much of a difference. Not to say there isnt one, but I dont think it is as big as some make it out to be.
I would definitely say 180 in the front for over 180 or so.
On the rear no real reason for a 180, actually I was going to run a 140 rear on my MCR, but again I am running XT 160's front and rear and all has been fine.
I should add that I am not a very aggressive descender. I can go downhill, but I am not going to risk too much at the same time. Which means I am on the brakes more than others. However, I rarely ever get into that Oh FVCK I am in over my head situation where you need a lot of power fast.
I had a mama with 160 Xt's front and rear, they worked more than fine. I used this bike for NUE events and never felt the brakes fade or lose power on some really long descends.
i have ridden 26er and 29er with 180 fronts and I dont feel that much of a difference. Not to say there isnt one, but I dont think it is as big as some make it out to be.
I would definitely say 180 in the front for over 180 or so.
On the rear no real reason for a 180, actually I was going to run a 140 rear on my MCR, but again I am running XT 160's front and rear and all has been fine.
I should add that I am not a very aggressive descender. I can go downhill, but I am not going to risk too much at the same time. Which means I am on the brakes more than others. However, I rarely ever get into that Oh FVCK I am in over my head situation where you need a lot of power fast.
As mentioned Brand is definitely a personal preference-
I have recently run Avid Juicy 7's, BB7's and Elixir CR's along with some shimano XTR and Deore. They all have their little issues and good points- Shimano and most others use spacers to allign there calibers which can be a bit of a pain in the beginning but once you are done they seem to stay put for a while. Avid has a great conical system which offers alot of adjustment with no spacers etc... but I have found they do require more frequent tweaking.
Cost is usually an issue of course, Formula makes great brakes but they are none too cheap, though you can get the K24's for a decent price (the One's are in outer space). The new Xt's have been getting alot of love as well. I have had Hayes in the past and they were very reliable but I did not love the feel of the lever (pre "strokers") Avid Juicy 7's have a trillion ratings on this site for a reason, they are not to expensive for the amount of adjustability and performance you get. I have used them on 4-5 different bikes and they performed very well, I did get the dreaded turkey warble noise on 1 set-up though- seemingly unfixable. I am currently running the Elixir Cr's on 29er and the feel is great, I never had a stopping problem with the Juicy 7's but do feel a bit more confident with the elixir's- and I went from running a 185 in front to a 160 when I changed over from the J7's to the Elixir's-
As for rotor size you can gather from above that this can vary depending on your brakes. a 160 is more than fine for the rear in a cross country set-up but 160 or 180 for the front is more dependent on your ride style and rider weight. I am about 210 with gear so no light weight. I have almost always run a 185 up front since I am not a little guy. Other than gram counting I don't see a whole lot of down sides to running the 185 up front - I ride almost pure XC with no extented down hills so it may very well be more than I have needed. now I am just as happy with 160's front and rear but may add the 185 up front eventually since I have a few around-
I have recently run Avid Juicy 7's, BB7's and Elixir CR's along with some shimano XTR and Deore. They all have their little issues and good points- Shimano and most others use spacers to allign there calibers which can be a bit of a pain in the beginning but once you are done they seem to stay put for a while. Avid has a great conical system which offers alot of adjustment with no spacers etc... but I have found they do require more frequent tweaking.
Cost is usually an issue of course, Formula makes great brakes but they are none too cheap, though you can get the K24's for a decent price (the One's are in outer space). The new Xt's have been getting alot of love as well. I have had Hayes in the past and they were very reliable but I did not love the feel of the lever (pre "strokers") Avid Juicy 7's have a trillion ratings on this site for a reason, they are not to expensive for the amount of adjustability and performance you get. I have used them on 4-5 different bikes and they performed very well, I did get the dreaded turkey warble noise on 1 set-up though- seemingly unfixable. I am currently running the Elixir Cr's on 29er and the feel is great, I never had a stopping problem with the Juicy 7's but do feel a bit more confident with the elixir's- and I went from running a 185 in front to a 160 when I changed over from the J7's to the Elixir's-
As for rotor size you can gather from above that this can vary depending on your brakes. a 160 is more than fine for the rear in a cross country set-up but 160 or 180 for the front is more dependent on your ride style and rider weight. I am about 210 with gear so no light weight. I have almost always run a 185 up front since I am not a little guy. Other than gram counting I don't see a whole lot of down sides to running the 185 up front - I ride almost pure XC with no extented down hills so it may very well be more than I have needed. now I am just as happy with 160's front and rear but may add the 185 up front eventually since I have a few around-
Good post!!knottshore said:Shimano and most others use spacers to allign there calibers which can be a bit of a pain in the beginning but once you are done they seem to stay put for a while. Avid has a great conical system which offers alot of adjustment with no spacers etc... but I have found they do require more frequent tweaking.-
But what spacers do you speak of on shimano on their calibers? I dont have any. shimano brakes are the fastest easiest brakes I have set up and once they are set up I have never had to adjust them.
I refuse to buy avid brakes because of those stupid cones and cups. I don't know a soul who sets those brakes up on the first try.
I have used XT brakes for the past 5 years(new ones each year) and I have also owned, BB5, Juicy 5 and currently have a bike with Elixir on them. The elixir's are almost as good as the XT but definitely give the nod to the xt for ease of set up.
Good call I should have been more specific -many the "tab" mount style older Shimano brakes used a shim to align the caliper/pads on the Rotor ( I would be curious to know if you never needed to use shims on multiple bike builds and brands). The "post" style just have elongated mounting holes and do not use this system, it depends on the caliper design. Post mount calipers are a fairly recent design (Rockshox just started in 09' on their forks, fox in 08'). I agree that the set-up of the avid washer system can be a bit annoying, but it does allow for a bit more adjustment- especially in a world of imperfectly faced mounting surfaces on forks and frames. As I said Brand is a personal preference and after using Shimano, Avid, Hayes and Formula you get a pretty good feel for the little differences-heythorp said:Good post!!
But what spacers do you speak of on shimano on their calibers? I dont have any. shimano brakes are the fastest easiest brakes I have set up and once they are set up I have never had to adjust them.
I refuse to buy avid brakes because of those stupid cones and cups. I don't know a soul who sets those brakes up on the first try.
I have used XT brakes for the past 5 years(new ones each year) and I have also owned, BB5, Juicy 5 and currently have a bike with Elixir on them. The elixir's are almost as good as the XT but definitely give the nod to the xt for ease of set up.
Post mount forks are now becoming common. Post mount calipers have been common for much longerknottshore said:Good call I should have been more specific -many the "tab" mount style older Shimano brakes used a shim to align the caliper/pads on the Rotor ( I would be curious to know if you never needed to use shims on multiple bike builds and brands). The "post" style just have elongated mounting holes and do not use this system, it depends on the caliper design. Post mount calipers are a fairly recent design (Rockshox just started in 09' on their forks, fox in 08'). I agree that the set-up of the avid washer system can be a bit annoying, but it does allow for a bit more adjustment- especially in a world of imperfectly faced mounting surfaces on forks and frames. As I said Brand is a personal preference and after using Shimano, Avid, Hayes and Formula you get a pretty good feel for the little differences-
I don't know the history of Shimano brakes too well, but I believe the last few years of XT brakes have been post mount just like Avid and Hayes (minus the avid cone washers).
I have had every year XT brakes since 2004. They have all been post mount since then. Not sure before that as I did not ride for the prior 10 years.boomn said:Post mount forks are now becoming common. Post mount calipers have been common for much longer
I don't know the history of Shimano brakes too well, but I believe the last few years of XT brakes have been post mount just like Avid and Hayes (minus the avid cone washers).
The xt br 755 era brakes were tab mount, the br 765 and 770's are post. Where as with xtr the 965 and 970 era brakes are tab mount (the current 970's still require shims)boomn said:Post mount forks are now becoming common. Post mount calipers have been common for much longer
I don't know the history of Shimano brakes too well, but I believe the last few years of XT brakes have been post mount just like Avid and Hayes (minus the avid cone washers).
I wanted to add that Shimano makes the BR-975-P which is P for post mount so they now make a post and a tab mount-
at any rate....None of this is all too relevent to the op but I just want to clarify for future reference and made the mistake of generalizing in an earlier post-
Thank guy for the replays. I think I might go with the Formula because I have them on my Trek Top Full and Rocky Mountain.
The Hope Brakes look good also, but I will take a good look at the XT or XTR brakes.
Avid with the washer system don't sound good to me.
The Hope Brakes look good also, but I will take a good look at the XT or XTR brakes.
Avid with the washer system don't sound good to me.
I forgot. I think I will try the 180F and 160R. I'm 175 and have fast down hills and drop off with hard turns sometime at the bottom of the run. Most of the time it's just good Cross Country riding.
Formula on everything. I have K18s 180/160 on my 29er HT, K24s 180/160 on my 29er FS and Mega 200/180 on my 26er DH bike. All of them provide awesome modulation, reliability and power. Bang for buck on a 29er it's the K18s.
most top shelf brakes are phantastic, period.
having said that, having owned lots of good brakes, i am sold on newer (ie, >= 2008) Shimano stuff and absolutely love it and will no longer run anything else. Only non Shimano brakes left are Biancos and they are ok so will keep em otherwise no way
i think thats the right call on rotors - i too weight 175 and 180f/160r is great for said riding
having said that, having owned lots of good brakes, i am sold on newer (ie, >= 2008) Shimano stuff and absolutely love it and will no longer run anything else. Only non Shimano brakes left are Biancos and they are ok so will keep em otherwise no way
i think thats the right call on rotors - i too weight 175 and 180f/160r is great for said riding
I love my new Hope X2s. If you are doing a lot of heavy trail riding I would go 180/160 but for my SS the 160 has been great. I plan on M4s for my 6 inch bike.
I am using the Hope x 2 's on my bike, I went 160 front and rear. These brakes where a bit of a pain to set up properly ( thank god for the tech videos ) but once they are on I have had zero complaints. Tons of modulation and lever adjustment and plenty powerful.
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