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Sub £100 hydraulic disc brakes?


bikeperson45

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From what I heard whilst being around them a lot, the SLXs are pretty damned good for the money. Getting a rotor and adaptor would put it at around £100, depending on choices.
http://www.tartybikes.co.uk/hydraulic_disc_brakes/shimano_slx_m675_no_rotor_or_adaptor/c558p12335.html

Maguras seem really hit and miss. Some peoples' work really well and never go wrong, where others' just seem to... not :P

But really - BB7s were the go-to in trials for as long as they were for a reason.
Really don't get the fuss with hydraulics - they're just expensive, complicated, messy and - for me, at least - unreliable.
BB7 with an SD7 lever, rotor of preference and Trialtech pads.
(Or if money's an object, even a BB5. Slightly different pad shape and only one side adjusts, but once you've set it up the performance is pretty much identical. The difference seems to just be convenience-expense really.
Especially when they're £30 a piece, including a rotor (which you might find a bit small on a stock, but then Trialtech pads really are insane :P ), but since you've already got the BB7...).
I never went in for the posh cable fuss either - just fiddle with the spring tensions until it feels right. I always got the 80p Wilko's universal brake cables :lol:

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  On 8/5/2016 at 10:44 AM, niconj said:

Same as MT7 just a different lever (materials used). You can get some Trialtech pads and Shimano SM-RT66 for either and you are all set.

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It's not just the materials, you miss out on the BAT adjustment and have a slightly fiddlier reach adjust, but that's about it really.

  On 8/5/2016 at 10:50 AM, aener said:

From what I heard whilst being around them a lot, the SLXs are pretty damned good for the money. Getting a rotor and adaptor would put it at around £100, depending on choices.


Really don't get the fuss with hydraulics - they're just expensive, complicated, messy and - for me, at least - unreliable.

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Thing with the SLXs, as most Shimano brakes, is that the pad knock is pretty bad on them.  It's possible to work around that, but they're not that fit-and-forget.

For me having used BB7s for a good few years and used hydraulic discs too, I just prefer the lever feel on hydraulic brakes, plus I didn't find my BB7s were all that maintenance/f**king around free.  The adjusters used to wind themselves off, and they took a bit of looking after to keep the lever feel reasonably decent.

Under £100 I think I would go for a BB7 though simply because of the cost of them.  You could get a really, really good setup for comfortable under £100 that'd need less fiddling with than a sub-£100 hydraulic brake.  The BB7/SD7 combo rules, and with a cheap SLX rotor, some Trialtech pads and a cable of your choice you're set.

 

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  On 8/5/2016 at 10:35 AM, bikeperson45 said:

And you've found these all right? Mind letting me know what kind of pads and rotors you're using?

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Yes really good, standard pads and shimano rt76 rotors. I looked and they are all sold out now. I have seen mt5 at around 60 a brake and mt4 for 50 a brake so over budget. Do you only need one brake?

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  On 8/5/2016 at 1:21 PM, Mark W said:

Thing with the SLXs, as most Shimano brakes, is that the pad knock is pretty bad on them.  It's possible to work around that, but they're not that fit-and-forget.

For me having used BB7s for a good few years and used hydraulic discs too, I just prefer the lever feel on hydraulic brakes, plus I didn't find my BB7s were all that maintenance/f**king around free.  The adjusters used to wind themselves off, and they took a bit of looking after to keep the lever feel reasonably decent.

 

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Ah. Wasn't aware of the pad-knocking. Does sanding/taping the back of the pads not work?

I like the lever feel of cable, plus the SD7s are sooooo comfy (and knowing they're <£20/pair means you can be less worried about crashing etc. which makes riding a nicer experience, in my view).
All about putting a tiny dab of threadlock on the adjuster pin ;) I think I'm just "a fan", and I'm even more a fan of the whole "80% performance for 20% cost" ethos (I'm aware those percentages don't quite work here, before you go there :P).

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  On 8/5/2016 at 4:20 PM, aener said:

Ah. Wasn't aware of the pad-knocking. Does sanding/taping the back of the pads not work?

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On my echo, I had a set of 2016 slx's. Couple layers of duct tape on the backs, they were completely fine. What shocked me the most though is that I used the STANDARD PADS. And they were f**king ridiculous! Shimano is stepping their game up... (Slx rotor too, of course.)

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  On 8/5/2016 at 4:57 PM, Herbertlemon102 said:

On my echo, I had a set of 2016 slx's. Couple layers of duct tape on the backs, they were completely fine. What shocked me the most though is that I used the STANDARD PADS. And they were f**king ridiculous! Shimano is stepping their game up... (Slx rotor too, of course.)

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That's why for the SLX they use organic pads which are pretty good. The Saint comes with sintered ones that aren't that good or at least take a ton to bed in.

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  On 8/5/2016 at 7:00 PM, niconj said:

That's why for the SLX they use organic pads which are pretty good. The Saint comes with sintered ones that aren't that good or at least take a ton to bed in.

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I had standard pads in my saints, I always dribble some water on, pull the brake a fair bit, wipe rotor clean, dribble water again, and it's golden, did the same to bed in the slx. That being said, the saints are 4 pot and 4 finger lever and they performed worse than a 2 pot 2 finger slx, so the pads are definitely a deciding factor...

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  On 8/5/2016 at 9:02 PM, Herbertlemon102 said:

I had standard pads in my saints, I always dribble some water on, pull the brake a fair bit, wipe rotor clean, dribble water again, and it's golden, did the same to bed in the slx. That being said, the saints are 4 pot and 4 finger lever and they performed worse than a 2 pot 2 finger slx, so the pads are definitely a deciding factor...

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The best pads (without having had the Trialtech) for the Saint were the Trickstuff ones. Almost no bedding in needed and they hold that much that the caliper broke before letting go of the disc. :D

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Get a shimano zee! Just make sure you get a beefy adaptor for the 26"

 

pogo go has a zee on 26, he's never had any issues with the brake and it fair holds when I go on his bike. He did have a shimano adaptor snap but they're pretty shit anyway I think any trials rider who ever ran a shimano adaptor who is still alive will confirm they're shit. 

Edited by Paperclip
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  On 8/6/2016 at 10:45 AM, Paperclip said:

Get a shimano zee! Just make sure you get a beefy adaptor for the 26"

 

pogo go has a zee on 26, he's never had any issues with the brake and it fair holds when I go on his bike. He did have a shimano adaptor snap but they're pretty shit anyway I think any trials rider who ever ran a shimano adaptor who is still alive will confirm they're shit. 

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I can confirm pogos brake is absolutely savage 

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I have slx and xt for the money I can't complain I bought ebc red for them and hold pretty well, I had avid bb7 they were good on front but not enough hold on rear hence I bought hydro and I also put layers of tape and the bite adjustment is much better after that 

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