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Need a new set of heavy duty 4pot brakes (Shimano only, Zee and Saint are hard to source/prices crazy) due to local pricing (MRP is a dream here).
I keep reading articles saying the M6120 is fine and the price increase for the M7120 or M8120 is frankly not worth the finishing returns. But they could be being paid to say that.....
Have rotors already. SRAM HS2 200mm for up front, Shimano RT66 203mm in the rear (limits of fork and frame on this bike)
Options:
F&R sets. All with resin pads, no finned pads, no rotors.
M6120 £126
M7120 £164
M8120 £187
Finned pads are horrendously expensive. 40-50% the price of the brake system. I've got a 220mm SRAM HS2 rotor on the front of one of my bikes, where the fork can take it, and I feel it does the job that a Shimano rotor and finned pads would so can get away with cheaper standard pads.
I got these on the ebike.
I thought id a microleak in the rear, but i think it was maybe just contaminated by the shop when they bled them. For 6 months ive just been using the front(God im a lazy bugger) and while im no offroad racer, im a 14 stone fat git on a heavy ebike and that stopped me just fine.(probably combined weight of 105kg)
Just replaced the front with standard aztec pads(takes XT/Saint ones) and put the used fronts in the rear in place of the knacked ones and its certainly made a big difference. Overall Im more than happy with them. Ceramic pistons too.
203x203mm SM-RT64 CL rotors.So nothing fancy there.
Just been having a look at MT520 with online sellers here. MT420 and MT520 are available as parts only, not retail sets. I guess you can only get them completely as oem on some bikes off-the-shelf, like my Marin. I'd have to make sure I bought the correct levers, cables, and hoses with attachments.
A lot of hassle when your internet is a bit flaky to the outside world. Yesterday police were sat in a car, adjacent to my home, filming me from inside as I cycled past. Not paranoid yet, but my mind is on other things right now, than buying Lego sets, piece by piece, as if the instructions are missing.
The 520 is usually available as a full brake with the 501 lever as per the link above. I've got a set of these and a set of the 6120s and both have been great.
@DougD "usually", but not where I am. I really need to start all my posts with: "Here, living in a poor mountain city in the SW of China".
Even Taobao cannot save me here, and I've tried with model numbers and inserted screenshots to have the AI search on. Can only find MT500/501/506.
Definitely only focusing on M6120/7120/8120 as the options. Everything else is ludicrously expensive, or bereft of spare parts down the line.
I can't comment on the 6120 brakes as I haven't tried them, but my recent new bike did come with mt420 brakes, my advice would be to avoid these for any kind of reasonably serious off road riding. They'd be fine for commuting, tow paths ,general cocking about,but useless for anything proper off Roady.
@julians if you put a huge SRAM HS2 rotor in there you'll find some of the problems are gone. My Marin SQ3 came with the MT420 and the main issues were on/off wooden feeling, mineral oil going black and contaminated and sponginess, and front rotor getting wildly bent out of true after single descents.
At least now I have proper braking power, and my rotor stays true so I don't have to carry my straightening tool. But still, no servo wave action. That's why I am looking at the three models above.
I've got 4 pot 8120 xt brakes.
A friend has 4 pot 7120 slx.
Can't feel the difference.
Both on an ebike.
I've got 6100 two pot on my hardtail. Feel no difference to the 4 pot xt on the ebike though there is an obvious bike weight difference.
I had finned pads in the 8120 and they wore out and I've now got "mexital" Amazon special cheapo pads. They feel exactly the same.
I think you can't go wrong with Shimano as long as you don't go sub deore/6000 series.
@julians if you put a huge SRAM HS2 rotor in there you’ll find some of the problems are gone. My Marin SQ3 came with the MT420 and the main issues were on/off wooden feeling, mineral oil going black and contaminated and sponginess, and front rotor getting wildly bent out of true after single descents.
They were paired with Shimano 203mm rotors, but they were still rubbish on anything vaguely steep. They've been sold now and replaced with magura mt7,, which are ace.
@olly2097. That pretty much sounds like what I can read online regarding real world user identified differences between those models.
@julians due to lack of viable purchasing alternatives here, I went the rotor route after reading around. Sorted me out. £530 for a pair of Magura MT7 (without rotors) where I am. £338 for you in the UK.......
. £530 for a pair of Magura MT7 (without rotors) where I am. £338 for you in the UK…
Ouch ,that's a bit pricey for you.
Just to make you feel worse, the mt7 actually cost £240.
Do you need the full set? Might save you a bit if you just get calipers. I changed my xt 2 pot caliper for slx 4 pot caliper and kept the existing xt lever and hose and the new 4 pots came with the banjo bolt.
@julians the only MT7 model we can get here is this one:
https://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/magura-mt7-pro-hc-disc-brake-
There are enough riders here having bought ridiculously expensive imporyed brakes (Hope is another point in case) who turn their noses up at "normal" brakes. But there's no sign of riders with Galfer or SRAM high end rotors. They balk at the cost of relax and ng them!
@andy4d new budget bike, built from scratch. Apart from the £340 160mm Durolux EQ fork (bought in error, too long for my last frame) it's so cheap you gotta laugh. Some cheapo £120 boost wheels (Duroc rims here are something like 20-25% the price you pay!) FSA Comet crankset £30, KS 900i dropper £33. CST BFT 27.5*2.4" tyres (£7 each). Kore Rivera bars £14. I only had a MT200 rear brake, and a few cheapy 2pot China brand front brakes, in my spares box. We just had an online sale, 11:11 (Singles Day) where I made sure the OH wasn't looking, and bought a boost 150mm Trail frame and shock (DNM) for £240. I really need brakes that will stop me. Whilst I have these 2pot cheapo in it for now, I simply can't bleed off speed fast enough for cornering with anything that comes in 6 colour schemes for £12 each end.
@julians the only MT7 model we can get here is this one:
https://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/magura-mt7-pro-hc-disc-brake-
/blockquote>Yeah,that's the same as I bought for £120 each end, £240 in total.
@julians I guess since I get certain other things cheap I can't grumble too much.
Whatever anyone says, (and short term people in my industry love to go on about "cheaper cost of living" which is fine if you like to eat gristle soup three times a day in public health nightmare cafes) the overall cost of goods (outside of state subsidized services) is more expensive here than the UK. RRP/MRRP is non-existent here. It's been like that in all the developing countries I've lived in. I don't spend my money on food, drink (and company) like others. I have a more satisfying hobby.
I'll go off and buy myself some M**20 disc brakes that'll prevent me ending up in hospital, getting fired from my job and subsequently deported when my residence visa is canceled due to being unable to work. Thanks guyz.
Well I can report that 6120 brakes are very good, and feel similar to the Zees on my other bikes.
I liked them enough to buy a spare set in the CRC sale a while ago.
Sounds like an interesting/challenging location to be bike shopping.
What's the riding like?
My understanding is that they all have the same lever cam and the same size/material pistons so they should all work the same. The difference is some can fit finned pads, have tool free reach adjust, banjo caliper fitting and free stroke adjust.
I’ve got 4 pot 8120 xt brakes
Front one is fine. Rear one is shit. Leaks fluid on the disk
Rear one is shit. Leaks fluid on the disk
If you arent aware, that seems to have been looked at and much discussed on here and other forums and the general consensus is its down to seepage from the oil transfer port as the fluid moves from one caliper half to the other.
It can be remedied by replacing the sealing O ring and I have read a bit of gasket seal wiped around the port before reassembly also helps seal that area in more effectively.
Google 'shimano micro leak' and you should find instructions/advice and solutions there.
Ah, many thanks. What o ring do I need?
@chakaping virtually nothing here. Most riders are roadies. Where I am, it's as exhausting as riding at Dalby. More ups than downs. We have some roads in the villages that can only just be walked up. Guinness Records doesn't know about these! There are some bike parks, but they are NW, S, E and NE of me. And we are talking 3000km each way, haha!! I may be moving to one of these areas next summer, just for the riding. (YT will have some video if you search on "chongli mtb" which is NW of Beijing, and ridiculously cold in winter,or "brave peak bike park" near Hangzhou on the east coast.)
Quick answer… yes, all much the same… long answer… pads and discs make a big difference… but pads especially you can change later when the supplied ones are worn out.
I’ve got 6120 and 2 pot 7100. The main difference apart from the number of pistons is tool free reach adjust and split pin vs bolt to hold the pads in, oh and finned or not pads. In use I doubt I’d tell the difference between 6120 and more expensive 4 pots. I’m impressed with mine.
I've got all three. 6120, 7120 and 8120. All feel the same to me. 6120 are awesome. Good modulation on all despite the supposed on/off feel reported.
I had XT 4 pot and wasn’t overly enamoured by them
Went to MT5 but had major issues
Bought a cheap set of M5120 callipers and put SLX levers on
We’re piss poor
Eventually but the bullit and put Saints on
Wow!! Truelly amazing set of stoppers and have swapped them to my new Eeb with the sram rotors and there amazing
What o ring do I need?
I dont know exactly. It was mentioned on some of the forum threads but i cant remember as i havent as yet needed to change them, so kind of just skipped across the postings.
Checked back and here its 3mmx1.5mm but i seem to remember reading elsewhere there might be more than one size.
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/leaking-shimano-calipers-possible-solution/page/2/
I'll leave this in your capable hands...