I currently have Juicy 3 on my rockhopper but they are always misbehaving. They constantly rub despite servicing. So I am in the market for some new ones. Looking to spend 80-100 for a pair (or less). Not sure what size rotor but is 160 standard size.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Tim

Shimano are the fit-and-forget option, but looks like prices have gone up in the 2 years since I got my SLX for £110 pair without rotors.

How about nearly-as-good Deore for £90?

http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/m ... -rear.html

I run Hope brakes although you will need to go secondhand for your budget. Brakes are also a bit "one man's please, another man's ...." for instance, I wouldn't touch Avids as they're the only brakes that have ever "failed" on me on a ride. Each to their own though 8-)

Shimano make pretty good brakes at many budget points, by all accounts. Shop around on the Eirpean sites (Rose bikes and others) plus Merlin and On One and I imagine you could find something. Check carefully what you're getting as some come sold pre-assembled whilst others need a little spannering. Also, sometimes they're sold as caliper+lever and discs / adapters need to be bought separately.

The deore's from merlin look like a good deal even if you have to add in rotors. 160 rotors are standard for cross country use, you can run 180 front/160 rear for more aggressive type riding.
I notice a lot of people complain about avids and if I'd known that at the time I would not have bought the elixir r front that I did (it was 1/2 price from crc) but I must say that it has now been fitted for over two years and has never been a problem, no sticking pistons, never needed bleeding, all i've had to do is replace pads.

Avid BB7

Fantasticmrmatt wrote:Avid BB7

I have had a look at them but it would be about £120 for a pair which is in the same ball park as the deore ones. Are these cable better than hydro? I had some cable on an old bike years ago, they were easy to adjust but needed frequent tweeking and lubing to keep smooth. Are these a different beast?

Fantasticmrmatt wrote:Avid BB7

Dyffers wrote:Shimano are the fit-and-forget option, but looks like prices have gone up in the 2 years since I got my SLX for £110 pair without rotors.

How about nearly-as-good Deore for £90?

http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/m ... -rear.html

Yes that looks like a good deal. For £15 I could get some new rotors as well so only a little over budget at £105
http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/m ... otors.html

I recommend shimano. Even my basic sub_deore brakes have been faultless. Especially when paired up with some a2z compound pads. Both sets of my Elixir brakes have developed sticky pistons in under a year. I dealt with more pairs of avid brakes while I was in the bike trade than any other brand. They're powerful and relatively cheep but the calipers are terrible.

I've found Hope brakes to be very high quality but stock pad performance was poor on my tech 2's. Saying that the brakes themselves have been faultless in terms of mechanical issues in the 2 years I've been running them.

I've found BB7's to be good quality with plenty of stopping power. They do require a bit more regular fiddling with than hydros though.

Hope this is helpful, I don't think you can go wrong with deore.

I bought some Shimanos from Rose in Germany a couple of years ago. They were below Deore and didn't come with discs but aside from changing pads I've not had to touch them ... the very best bit is the fact that F&R were less than £45*

*Yes that's for the pair :D

I rate Shimanos for generally hassle-free hydros but prefer BB7s for trips away. I've had issues with XTs getting too hot on big descents with a load on and then rubbing or needing faffing mid-ride. BB7s do need a tweak here and there but it's a doddle to dial the pads as needed. Once you get used to them they're a better option imo - I prefer regular easy 10 second tweaks to the gamble with hydros of either no hassle at all or loads of faffing. They seem expensive for cable brakes but they're fair VFM. A 180mm front helps keep the heat down, recommended for cable brakes.

Ref BB7s

Are these a different beast?

They stop me fine

I find them much easier to set up, I like the adjust-ability but don't find that I have to mess with them too much. Plus I like the fact I can 'field fix' them if needed.

s8tannorm wrote:I bought some Shimanos from Rose in Germany a couple of years ago. They were below Deore and didn't come with discs but aside from changing pads I've not had to touch them ... the very best bit is the fact that F&R were less than £45*

*Yes that's for the pair :D

£45 sounds amazing but they appear to be the european way around ie back on the right front on the left. Did you have to do some swaping around to get them the UK setup?

Whats the difference in the M395 and m595 apart from £50?

I have used in anger for a decent amount of time the following brakes:

- Formula R1's [very very expensive, a little fiddly to setup, but once working absolutely amazing and flawless, never had to bleed them either] Considerably out of the price range mentioned!
- Avid Juicy 3's [useless things]
- Avid ElixrR's [Worked well for a while, then one day I remember having to bleed the brakes using brake fluid from the cars reservoir, and still lost pressure so ended up doing a black run with just a front brake! wouldn't really recommend]
- Shimano [have used latest XT's, older XT's, got a set of new SLX on my commuter, and old set of LX's and even a knackered unbranded set as a temporary scrounge to replace my juicy 3's when I had no money but needed to commute].

In conclusion, I am a shimano fan boy, very easy to work with, use mineral oil which doesn't destroy paintwork, easy to bleed, and just work pretty much flawlessly. I think my favourite design is from this era http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=23049

timothy.doran wrote:

s8tannorm wrote:I bought some Shimanos from Rose in Germany a couple of years ago. They were below Deore and didn't come with discs but aside from changing pads I've not had to touch them ... the very best bit is the fact that F&R were less than £45*

*Yes that's for the pair :D

£45 sounds amazing but they appear to be the european way around ie back on the right front on the left. Did you have to do some swaping around to get them the UK setup?

Whats the difference in the M395 and m595 apart from £50?

I have bought a few set of brakes from rose bikes - coz of the bargain price. Yes you do have to swap the hoses over, but as you normally have to trim the hoses anyway, it's not really any more hassle than normal anyway.

Shimano again... Have current shape XT, SLX and Deore on various bikes. Love them. Power and fit and forget. Aces.

I have old Hope mono M4's, Juicy 3's, BB7's and 2 pairs of Tektro's and with the right pads they are all fantastic. If you havn't tried Clark's sintered pads I would give them a go. I've used them for years,they are cheap, last ages and have vaguely exciting stopping power. Ebay, CRC or wiggle when they are on offer