I’m looking at getting some new brakes and I found some shimano xtr 2 pot trail brakes regular $395 on for $170
Shimano zee 4 pot regular $330 on for $170
And shimano xt 2 piston for $113
I’d be getting the xt in the back and I’m wondering what would be better in the front the zee or xtr because the xtr has all the adjustments I could want and the zee just has a reach adjust (which is fine) basically I’m just looking for some input on which to get
I’ve run the XT 2 piston brakes on a few of my bikes and they are terrific. I’ve heard the complaints about lack of modulation and inconsistent bite point, but that was never really my experience. I preferred them over the SRAM Guides that I replaced. That being said I’ve ordered the new 4 piston XT brakes for my next build. You may also want to look at the new SLX or Zee 4 piston brakes. I’m a big fan of having the same brake front and rear, it just makes life easier. Especially when it comes to replacing pads, repairs, etc. so you may want to consider that as well.
1 Like
Ok and how much more powerful are the 4 piston compared to the 2 piston?
I’m well over 250lbs and have run 2 pot xt brakes for years. I went with 4 pots on my current build just because I could. The new 4 pot xt brakes have oodles of power, but it’s not really necessary. The regular xt brakes work excellent. And keep in my, the free stroke “adjustment” on xt and xtr brakes does absolutely nothing, even Shimano admitted that. Reach adjustment is all you need.
3 Likes
Oh ok thanks
Soo whats the real advantage to the xtr because they are double the price of xt
All of the shimano brakes are great. But if I can skid tires and get up on my front wheel with 2 pot xt brakes I’m pretty sure you’ll be fine. We don’t have the super fast long downhills that 4 pot brakes are meant for. Buy the xt brakes and take that extra money and buy a seal kit for your fork and shock and freshen those up. I’m not knocking big powerful brakes, I own a set. But I will admit they aren’t needed around here. Now out in BC they sure came in handy.
4 Likes
With XTR your spending money to save weight. The XTR is lighter but mechanically works the exact same as the xt. If there is a new piston technology Or something it will show up in xtr first. For the majority of things slx is the ideal choice. I run xt everything with slx cranks. If I was building my bike this year it would be with the new slx, that just wasn’t available last year.
3 Likes
Honestly youd be fine on Deore or SLX. Have you considered the new Deore 4 pots. They are quite good. I’m 240 and run a deore 2 pot and even at 40 to 50 klicks never needed more
1 Like
I’m on board with @a.mart and @SQUATCH
I’m on XT 2 piston bakes on my dually and hardtail, ICE Tec pads and 180 rotors, never felt the need for more. No problems at places with some downhill like Keppoch or Fundy. I’ve had SLX 2 pistons as well and they did the job no complaints.
For the price of XTR I’d be getting Hope brakes instead.
4 Likes
Hope for the bling eh. I hear shim stop better
1 Like
Hope really aren’t that bling in price, only a bit more than XT MSRP…
I wouldn’t say Shimano stop better than Hope but they do stop different. The hopes I’ve tried had tons of power and a modulation feel that make Shimano feel a bit like on/off switches. I do kind of like the on/off feel though.
3 Likes
Hopes got the bling factor too, love the candy anodized colours. The modulation is unreal though there is so much control with hope, having said that;
for the price point in mind the XTs I’ve tried were absolutely fantastic and stopped my 220lbs very nicely while descending a volcano
1 Like
Hope brakes have been my choice for years. My 2002 Hope Mono Mini brakes still have all of the repair parts available. If you buy Hope you will have brakes for life. They are about 15% more expensive than XT. That being said I do like my XT and SLX brakes, they work and are reliable. I would prob go SLX if price was the determining factor
4 Likes
My favourite thing about my XT and SLX brakes is how easy it is to give them a quick ‘top bleed’ with the yellow cup thing when they get spongy. My least favourite thing is that I have to do that at least once a month. I also like the on/off nature of them, they work well for trialsy moves.
But, I much prefer the trail feel of my Guide RS brakes. Just as much power (4 pot vs 2 with the Shimanos, of course) and much better modulation and lever feel.
1 Like
I will echo what the group is saying also. My new bike came with 4-piston Guides and I have been trying to figure out a way to justify the cost of replacing them with XT brakes. The Guides feel good and are powerful enough but the amount I have to pull on the lever to get them to the contact point means I have to set them up quite far from the bars. I have short fingers so this makes it hard to reach them. The Shimano brakes I ran previously had very little lever travel to the bite point. I had the same problem with regular bleeding but it was worth it. I always ran the ceramic pads which gave me better feel than the metallic pads but not as much initial bite. They also wore quite quickly.
2 Likes
I swore off Guides after my front brake seized on during a 24 hour solo race. The had a lot of issues with the piston sticking as a result of heat build up.
2 Likes
They’ve resolved that in the new generation (post bleeding edge). I had a previous gen with the seizing issue, never while riding but when I was off the bike. Water on the lever worked a treat every time but PITA.
I prefer Guides and before that Elixirs. I’ve had issues with both Shimano (leaky seals) and Guides but choose Guides due to feel on the trail. Modulation matters to me.
I prefer the swing arm Guides (RS and RSC) as they have a much better feel.
1 Like
Interesting about having to bleed Shimano so much. I’m running M8000 on 2 bikes I bleed them once a year, mostly just because I think it a good thing to do and the oil that comes out isn’t in awful condition even then.
Yeah, I find it weird too. The SLXs are definitely worse than the XTs, but that bike (fatty) is used the least, so maybe that contributes to it? I dunno, but it’s a five minute job to firm them up so I don’t really mind. When they’re working, they work way better than a brake that cheap deserves to. These are both the last gen as well, not current model.