Which brake set for under £60?

[Tc24]

I'm rebuilding a Specialized Hardrock Sport. As it stands, the bike has no brakes (used the original V Brakes on another bike).

I've bought a new disc compatible wheelset, and as the bike will be used in mud frequently, I've decided to upgrade to discs.

Most say that a set of Vs properly set up will offer the same performance as mechanical discs, which is why ideally I'd like to go hydraulic (so I can at least feel a difference for the money!). However, the budget for this bike has been spent on other parts, leaving me only around £60 for a set of brakes (ideally I would get discs, calipers, adapters and if hydraulic, levers for this price).

If going down the mechanical route, I'd probably buy a set of Avid BB7s, but hear that Shimano have similar offerings around the same price. I've also seen some entry level Shimano hydraulic brakes for around £50, but I'm unsure as to whether these would be better than a good mechanical set up.

Which would offer the best performance? Are there any other setups that I've overlooked?

[richardxjr]

So you've got mounts on the fork and frame I assume

Shimano *any* but entry BR-M 395s are great, loads of people take them off new bikes and flog for about £40 F+R. Deore very good, bit more money, SLX tad better adjustability, still under £100.

Then *any* rotors and adaptors cheap off the Bay. pinkbike or singletrackworld. May as well go 180 front 160 rear.

[yellowjack]

I bought a set of Shimano Deore brakes as a straight swap for the Tektro IO mechanical discs on my GT Avalanche. Unlike you I had the benefit of an existing pair of 160mm rotors. Now, I hadn't had a MTB for a good few years previously, so I had no real memory of the stopping power of Vee brakes or cantis, and right up to the point where the Tektros failed on me, I was more than happy with them. The Shimano hydraulic brakes, though, are night and day better. So much confidence in them, so easy to fit, and pretty darned cheap to buy. I can't stress enough how good they are. If I recall correctly, they were about £40 £60, so if you could get a pair for about that, there should be room in you'd need to increase the budget for a pair of rotors too.

Massively significant edit, due to me confusing the price of the brakes with some other stuff i bought. Doh!

Edited by yellowjack on Monday 1st September 14:47

[Tc24]

richardxjr said:

So you've got mounts on the fork and frame I assume

Shimano *any* but entry BR-M 395s are great, loads of people take them off new bikes and flog for about £40 F+R. Deore very good, bit more money, SLX tad better adjustability, still under £100.

Then *any* rotors and adaptors cheap off the Bay. pinkbike or singletrackworld. May as well go 180 front 160 rear.

Yes, 51mm IS mounts front and back fortunately.

Would be pretty happy if I could find a set of BR-M 395s for anything near that price - I'll scour the 'bay. Not sure if these are the SLX ones you're on about, but doesn't appear to be a bad buy . Aware Deores will be a cut above, but budget won't stretch that far currently!

Daft question, but having never had discs previously, how do I know which adapters I need? As it's an IS mount, do I just buy an adapter for a 180mm brake at the front and a 160mm at the back, or is there more to it than that?

[Tc24]

yellowjack said:

I bought a set of Shimano Deore brakes as a straight swap for the Tektro IO mechanical discs on my GT Avalanche. Unlike you I had the benefit of an existing pair of 160mm rotors. Now, I hadn't had a MTB for a good few years previously, so I had no real memory of the stopping power of Vee brakes or cantis, and right up to the point where the Tektros failed on me, I was more than happy with them. The Shimano hydraulic brakes, though, are night and day better. So much confidence in them, so easy to fit, and pretty darned cheap to buy. I can't stress enough how good they are. If I recall correctly, they were about £40, so if you could get a pair for about that, there should be room in the budget for a pair of rotors too.

That's reassuring to hear, hopefully the improvement will be as noticeable on my set up

Were your Deores used at that price? Sounds a very good price if not, where were they from?

[richardxjr]

Ambiguous listing on Ribble but last line reads

-Set includes both front and rear levers and Post mount calipers, does not include adaptors or rotors.-

Shimano Deore M615 Brake Lvrs + Post Mount Calipers (set) £69.95 - code SELL10 for 10% off expires today.

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/mtb-bmx-bike/brak...

Well worth it.



ETA

Tc24 said:

Not sure if these are the SLX ones you're on about, but doesn't appear to be a bad buy .

Yes they are. Slight step up from Deore (instant reach adjust knob vs. allen key). Got any clubcard vouchers? Double value at Evans (and they pricematch)

Edited by richardxjr on Monday 1st September 14:56

[FSRxc]

I bought Clarks brakes when updating my RockHopper. They were the cheapest I could find at the time (and I wanted bolt on discs).

They work brilliantly - as good as the Avid's on my other MTB.

[yellowjack]

Tc24 said:

That's reassuring to hear, hopefully the improvement will be as noticeable on my set up

Were your Deores used at that price? Sounds a very good price if not, where were they from?

Sorry! See my edit above - M615 Deore brakes - they were £60 for a front and rear set, without the rotors, from Ribble Cycles back in January. They were only fitted in about June, because I was knocked off my bike and couldn't fit/use them for four months. Since June I've ridden just over 750 miles, mostly off road, and the only issue I've had was caused by my own failure to properly tighten the bolts. Once that was sorted it's been plain sailing all the way.

They were supplied with the bleed block, transit clips, and an adaptor to move the front caliper up to a 180mm rotor, and a few other clips and bolts, but it wasn't a 'retail' pack. Most likely it was a pack meant for a bike builder, so it was poly-bagged instead of in a fancy box.

Apologies to the OP if I misled him and got his hopes up for getting a really cheap set of hydraulic brakes...

Edited by yellowjack on Monday 1st September 15:03

[richardxjr]

Incredible vfm though. LBS would be selling at £60 Each, and still worth it imho.

[yellowjack]

richardxjr said:

Incredible vfm though. LBS would be selling at £60 Each, and still worth it imho.

Absolutely storming value for the money! I believe it was you who pointed them out on a thread running back then. I've now ridden my two sons' bikes, one with 'Giant' branded (mineral oil) brakes, one with Avid Elixir 1 (Dot fluid) brakes, and I can safely say that I'm confident that the Shimano ones are by far the best system.

Neither the Giants or the Avids are terrible, but in order of preference I'd say the Deores are comfortably first, the Giants second (they have gone soft and I had to bleed them a couple of times) and the Dot fluid Avids trail in last. The power and feedback just isn't there with them, and they use nasty corrosive fluid too.

As far as cable operated discs go? I used to think they were OK, but now I'd rather mug an old lady* to find the extra cash, than buy a bike without hydraulic disc brakes


*I am in no way advocating the use of theft and/or violence for the purposes of increasing your upgrade-buying budget

[Tc24]

Thanks for the input above - much appreciated.

It's clear that hydraulics are the way to go. The Deore M615s with 10% discount on top were a cracking buy, slightly annoyed I missed out on the additional discount. I think I'll monitor eBay and Singletrack classifieds for a week or 2 (have the new wheelset, cassette and chain to fit in the meantime ), then if nothing comes up, either buy those for £70 or the SLXs mentioned earlier on.

Will report back once brakes are bought!

[Tc24]

Thread update -

After richardxjr found some Shimano M395s for auction on eBay (that unfortunately went for a bit more than I bid), I found a new set for a little over £50 including a pair of Avid HS1 rotors. Bought these, and they're now fitted.

Despite them not being rated as highly as some other brakes (such as the Deores mentioned earlier in the thread), I absolutely love them and they provide more than enough stopping power for my needs.

Glad I went hydraulic, and glad I bought Shimano (as well as the better performance, the OCD part of me likes that they match my new shifters ) They're a revelation over the cable disks I had on another bike.

Only downside is having to use Shimano's mineral oil to service them, but even then, it's not OTT price wise. Both front and rear cables could also have done with being an inch or 2 longer, but I'll rectify this when the brakes need bleeding.

Cheers for the help everyone

[Justin S]

You can buy a bottle of mineral oil from ebay for a fiver and if you do regular brake bleeding ( not really needed) then just use citroen hydrolastic oil from Halfords by the litre.
The latest Deores are a total revelation compared to previous incarnations, but if you are happy , then that's all that matters. Standard organic pads won last in the wet, so get some sintered ones from Uberbike.

[shouldbworking]

If you do come to shorten the hoses, be sure to replace the brake olive. Then wonder why they don't sell them in batches and why it costs £2.50 for an olive and hose insert. Still, even with that, its a damn sight better than the alternatives