[OfficerFriendly]

Anyone got any advice on these two or any other suggestions? I don't mind buying used! Thanks

 

[Renovatio]

With the M785 brakes you get two nifty features; an easy tool-free reach adjustment and a free stroke adjustment. Then there are some other things such as, its a smidge lighter, most come with Icetech pads, the pad retainer is a screw instead of a cotter pin, and there is a few other things which, in the end, make it easier to adjustment and may have a slight performance advantage over the m615.

With the M615 you still get all the shimano performance but wrapped up in a none-blingy package. They are both a breeze to bleed too (buy the $6 funnel!)

IMO you can't really go wrong, both are fantastic. If you're looking to save some cash, you can't go wrong with the m615, but the m785 is a worthy upgrade too.

 

[moefosho]

They are both great brakes and have tons of power. Both accept finned pads (if needed) and both have the servo wave. The 615 are heavier and have a plasticy feel, but other than that, they are fantastic.

 

[OfficerFriendly]

With the M785 brakes you get two nifty features; an easy tool-free reach adjustment and a free stroke adjustment. Then there are some other things such as, its a smidge lighter, most come with Icetech pads, the pad retainer is a screw instead of a cotter pin, and there is a few other things which, in the end, make it easier to adjustment and may have a slight performance advantage over the m615.

With the M615 you still get all the shimano performance but wrapped up in a none-blingy package. They are both a breeze to bleed too (buy the $6 funnel!)

IMO you can't really go wrong, both are fantastic. If you're looking to save some cash, you can't go wrong with the m615, but the m785 is a worthy upgrade too.

That does sounds very very helpful if you can actually adjust it, I assumed all hydraulic brakes were non adjustable!

They are both great brakes and have tons of power. Both accept finned pads (if needed) and both have the servo wave. The 615 are heavier and have a plasticy feel, but other than that, they are fantastic.

Thanks you both for your input, really appreciate it! A mate offered me a brand new pair of juicy 5s with adapters and rotors for £50, imma just go for that

 

[time229er]

Anyone got any advice on these two or any other suggestions? I don't mind buying used! Thanks

my '14 Nail Trail came with M615, and they are almost too good to be true...if you are are just checking boxes though, the M785 moniker sure sounds better :skep: and no doubt they are better :thumbsup:

and I would suggest staying away from used brakes...new stuff is way too cheap to gamble on used :nono:

 

[Renovatio]

That does sounds very very helpful if you can actually adjust it, I assumed all hydraulic brakes were non adjustable!

For what its worth, one of the adjustments (lever reach) is on the m615, but the M785 is just toolless and easy to adjust on the fly. The other adjustment (freestroke) is pretty subtle, some people don't even both, others love it.

 

[OfficerFriendly]

my '14 Nail Trail came with M615, and they are almost too good to be true...if you are are just checking boxes though, the M785 moniker sure sounds better :skep: and no doubt they are better :thumbsup:

and I would suggest staying away from used brakes...new stuff is way too cheap to gamble on used :nono:

I have an m615 on my downhill rig, they seem good, about as good as my elixir 1s (only other brake I've had anyway), they do the job but they don't seem that amazing to me compared to others, am I missing something? And thanks I think you're right, the brakes are incredibly cheap now! My mate will sell me a set of avid juicy 5s for £50 including rotors and adapters, everything new, I'm gonna go for that, sound good? xD

 

[time229er]

I have an m615 on my downhill rig, they seem good, about as good as my elixir 1s (only other brake I've had anyway), they do the job but they don't seem that amazing to me compared to others, am I missing something? And thanks I think you're right, the brakes are incredibly cheap now! My mate will sell me a set of avid juicy 5s for £50 including rotors and adapters, everything new, I'm gonna go for that, sound good? xD

I would surely hope they are better than your elixir 1's...

 

[Max24]

Anyone got any advice on these two or any other suggestions? I don't mind buying used! Thanks

I never tried the M615 but I did use the M785 and I was very happy with it. Both seem like a good choice, you can't really go wrong with neither but I would recommend the M785 just because I actually tried it.

 

[Mac_Aravan]

M615 lacks ceramic pistons also, M675 are a better choice imho.
Same as XT, with cotter pin and without freestroke.
Btw, I prefer cotter pin, you could change your pad without tools and if lost it only cost a few cts.

 

[kiloman]

With the M785 brakes you get two nifty features; an easy tool-free reach adjustment and a free stroke adjustment.

tool-free reach adjustment, a worthless feature IMO. Set it once to your liking then forget about it. No need to be constantly adjusting brake lever reach while riding the trails.

 

[brimorga]

They are both great brakes and have tons of power. Both accept finned pads (if needed) and both have the servo wave. The 615 are heavier and have a plasticy feel, but other than that, they are fantastic.

How much heavier are they? I was trying to look it up and saw they both came in at 600g at set, but I haven't seen any actual weighed info.

I did think the ice-tech rotors were lighter than the deore rotors (as listed by Shimano), but when I weighed them, the Deore actually came in 2g lighter, 272g vs 274g. This is for 180mm/160mm 6 bolt.

I do like the Ice-tech better though.