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Not as cheap as the 486 brake deal, but another steal is the Deore M575 lever and caliper for £25.99 each (black version)
[url= http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=87344 ]Link here!![/url]
I Bought a pair last week when they did the 15% drop a day so got the pair for £31!
I have a set already on my bike but the threads in one lever were suspect and the cheapest I could find a single lever was 29 quid, so these were a bargain.
Flip flop lever design means you don't have to swap any hoses around. CRC even sent a yellow bleed funnel which are £4 and the rear caliper had a 203 mount adapter on it which are £6. Cheers CRC!
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Hi, do these come with the hoses etc?
Yes they do, fully bled and with pads in..
Pads was the reason I started looking actually, my front pads had worn to the metal after my last ride so was looking at the sintered Superstar pads. Then before hitting "buy" checked CRC and found the pads with a caliper hose and lever thrown in! (more or less).
I'll measure the hose lengths tonight and let you all know what they are tomorrow.
Not the best brakes in the world, a bit dated now, had a set on one bike a while ago but had to put 203mm discs on the front to get any sort of braking power at all. Didn't keep them long and now have Deore 596, vastly superior in my opinion and at £80ish easily worth the extra £30.
I have some of these on one of the bikes.
Bit less feedback than XT & heavier but still a good brake.
Great product for that price.
i read the review of these on bike radar and was quite surprised to see such a low rating... very unlike them!
Poor reviews seem to be mainly based on the fact that they need a bleed from new and the supplied pads are rubbish.
I have read as many great reviews of these as poor.
Good sintered pads from disco or superstar and a good bleed (
) seems to sort them out to be more than sufficient.
Purely by coincidence I actually got round to bleeding the pair i bought secondhand last year. If you follow the above instructions they bleed rather easily and with good results.
They were for the wife's bike or the singlespeed but I'll stick them on the proper bike and let you all know how I get on.
Suspect they won't be as powerful as the new M596 or as my ancient XT/Saint combo but I reckon they will be absolutely fine.
Have had a pair for a couple of years or so on one bike I quite like them.
Shortened the hoses, bled them to death and fitted superstar sintered & kevlar pads. Everything about them screams workmanlike - the lever wobbles the fasteners are B&Q and the finish is yer basic Shimano - but they work well, they're durable and the pads are a doddle to replace.
One of those brakes where you pull the lever and you slow down no fuss no drama.
I agree with the remarks that they arent the best brake out there, the ones that came with my bike when I bought it second hand are a bit spongey and I wouldn't trust them on the faster sections of Dalby in their current state, but I reckon this is just due to them needing a bleed and the resin pads replaced by Superstar sintered ones.
That said I just thought they are a good entry level brake or a cheap replacement for shot brakes, and may be a good alternative for people not wanting to mess around swapping hoses over like on the 486's
What hose lengths did yours come with slownsteady? Just had a punt on these and wondering what size they will turn up with? Also did they supply any extra barbs/olives for cutting down?
Mine turned up the weekend.. these are so much more ball ache to work with than the M486's, factory bleed had more air in it than a 26er inner tube.. Bleeding was a right @£&* too! They do look alright though and hoses were plenty long enough for my 20" inbred