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Long-time lurker surfacing here...I'm looking to resurrect my Giant XTC after a decade's break from cycling and am in the market for some (very) cheap brakes to get the bike up and running again.
I like the look of the Clarks M2/M3s. Does anyone have any real-world experiences?
Also, I read somewhere that bleed kits are hard to get hold of for these brakes. Has anyone had any difficulties with doing so?
Bought some M2s recently for a cheap Xc build. They work fine. Can’t argue for <£40 delivered including rotors. Got them off amazon as CRC out of stock of the rear at the time
Compared to the 2012 deores on another bike the levers are too long (and I’m running with cheap shifters with indicator windows so brakes have to be outboard of shifters) and a bit less power but I’ve 203/180 rotors on that bike and 160 both ends with the Clarks.
Not tried to bleed. Didn’t shorten the cables so the rear is a tad too long.
No complaints at all
180/160 M2s on a 29er here do the job nicely, maybe a bit "on/off" but good brakes for far less than just about anyone else's...
M2's are brilliant for the money. There are better brakes out there but not for M2 money. Bleed wise... A shimano bleed bucket will screen into the lever end and an old Shimano bleed screw can be used to screw into the bleed port on the calliper. Attach a syringe and they bleed like a Shimano.
Steve Peat would probably find them a bit lacking, but they are a big improvement over some hateful Deores I had. I went for the 180 front rotor for a couple of quid extra.
Thanks for the feedback - looks like a 180 front / 160 rear is a good option. I just need to convince myself that I'll be able to find a bleed kit for them...
Why not just go 180/180 - don’t think there’s much difference in cost?
I remember looking into Clark’s and worri d about a bleed kit but then found it’s not hard to get one.
That was a year or so ago now. In the end I got some new / old stock m535 deores and regretted it - they were crap and inconsistent. Either modest power or almost nil power.
I put some m2s on my daughters bike - got them for about 30quid the set with discs on one of those 20% eBay deals that pop up no and again.
And for the money they are bloody amazing, really put the 2015 xtrs on my mtb into perspective, as power wise there not much between them. There are things that remind you that they are at the cheapest end of the market - weight, levers being to long and the hoses feeling like there made from mixture hose pipe.
As they went on my daughters xs 27.5 frame I had to shorten the rear hose, but the set came with the bits to do so and in the end after a quick cut and plug, I didn't need to touch them after fitting.
Got the M2s on 4 of my bikes, 160mm on a road type bike, 180mms on the rest.. I'd spend the extra (£2!) for the 180mms for MTB usage, and like everyone else said here, for the money they're unbeatable.. £42 delivered from ebay for a full set F&R inc 180mm rotors and mounts..
Bleed kits available Amazon and epic bleed solutions.
I bought a set on ebay last month, came direct from Clarks (they have an odd bike shol name for ebay) and can confirm that they are great value for money. Would happily buy another set.
I'm not in the least bit rad and they work fine for me.