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Weird, Shimano brakes on all my bikes since I returned to MTB in 2009, used everything from Deore to Saint and have found them to be fit and forget...i do tend to tinker and change things so I've probably not had a set for more than 12 months at a time before building another project or buying another bike, they're brutally powerful in anything from XT up and I've found if you want more then 180mm rotors and soft compound pads do the job, never had the need for 203mm rotors and I've never had to bleed them either...it's at the point now where I don't look at another manufacturer for brakes, Shimano do the job and are cheap which is a bonus.
It it was the hose it would not be fixed by replacing the caliper....
Well fitting a new caliper means refitting the hose and also a bleed so not entirely unconnected.
If you change to TRP spyke or Avid BB7 I absolutely guarantee that they will never leak.
Ah, but they still end up coated by the fine spray of lube getting thrown off the big spinny oily thing on the other side of the wheel 😉
I've recently changed XT brakes for SRAM guides for same reason. XT's fine for first few rides then squeal of death. Cleaned it all, replaced rotors and pads, still same. Guides seem much better and I didn't think i'd be saying that a couple of years back.
Dont go riding in any sort of wet conditions as you'll soon hear the SRAM squeal! I'm tempted to swap my guides for XTs!
For the OP's problem (brakes fine when working, unpredictable after storage) the hydraulic system must somehow be compromised. Seals or hose joints are the usual problems.
Hose joints aren't likely to be an issue unless shortening has been hashed up or the OP believed the stories about the magic brake that didn't need bleeding after opening the circuit. He's bleeding them so that's unlikely. Threaded unions are possible but that should be obvious.
The usual seal issue these days seems to be caliper seals but that should be soiling the pad and rotor.
As someone mentioned earlier, these threads never really end well. The fanbois leap to the defence of their preferred brand claiming product perfection.
TBH, as of the seal issue, especially given the number of people who comment on liking a short pull lever, how much of this is due to the overfilling that every forum advises? It's known that kills Formula lever seals, maybe it's what is at the bottom of the Shimano seal problem too ?
especially given the number of people who comment on liking a short pull lever, how much of this is due to the overfilling that every forum advises?
Shouldn't need to do that to Hope, XT or Guide RSC - IME all can be set up for very short throw/close to bar using the adjusters with a normal bleed.
Well, ripped mine apart and the master cylinder plunger in the lever is sticking. Had it out, cleaned it and it still sticks when pushed fully in ... well sometimes, not all....
shimano or sram , shimano all day, although had to replace a 11 month old XT m8000 brake, warranty replacement fine.
my sram guide R awful honking sounds and both levers packed in in 11 months, sent back warranty replaced both levers..
with XT m8000 at £135 on merlin why choose anything else
with XT m8000 at £135 on merlin why choose anything else
The XT's I have don't work consistently, some have failed I don't like the levers and the power is average.
Picked up E4's for under $200 an end and very happy with them,given the performance of the M4 Techs they replaced I expect them to cost much less per year.
The list of failures in this thread is enough to put people off.
Early M8000s had issues. Long since sorted now.
Feel free to keep slating them though.
Just don't want to buy them, they havn't got the power, levers are not that good for me and I don't expect the new ones to last either. Seems to still be issues throughout the range from the posts in here from people with newer brakes too so not just old M8000's. It suggests something more in the design which is common across the range when failures seem similar and consistent.
I have 5 bikes, all with either XT or Zee brakes.
I have sent about 6 sets back for warrantee (over the last 3 years), which have all come back replaced with a brand new set. They were all squealing and leaking very small amounts of oil from pistons onto the disk rotors.
I just keep a spare front and back set in the 'bits box' and use these when i send a set off to be replaced again.
Not ideal, but with the price of Shimano being so much cheaper and the 2 year warrantee being so good...... i'm happy with new brakes very 2 years. No servicing, no cleaning and sometimes i can last the full two years on the same pads.
happy days.
Think that’s more down to the prevalence of the brakes out there. Plenty people seem to have no problems too.
Odd.
If leak problems are more common on the rear, I wonder if the piston/seals are intolerant to misalignment? Fronts are pretty much all cast PM style now, so facing less likely to be required, but misaligned rear IS mounts might increase chances of leaks due to pistons being twisted in piston bore/seal when brake applied?
Dunno.
it could be that rear brakes are 'dragged' more often. Might get hotter too, with smaller disks generally on the back. also more prone to mud/water being thrown up from the front wheel?
Failure rate numbers would certainly be interesting. How many hydraulic brake systems do we reckon Shimano pump out each year?
Through the warranty dep or sales?
local bike shop say XT all day long, alot of there specialized bikes came with sram guide and he's sick of sending them back..
@mikewsmith are the hope e4s / x2s (tech 3 levers) as powerfull as new xt m8000, i've read so many conflicting comments, yes they have mudulation and serviceable.
i nearly got some a month back, but decided they were overkill on my lefty F29. i will get some one day (knowing my luck the week before tech 4s come out)
we all ride different stuff on different bikes at different speeds in different moods and so its always going to be hard work comparing user stories.
Well they stop better than the older ones, have way better modulation which is also more important as the XT's always feel powerful but the grabbyness isn't all that good 95kg and belted down Whistler park runs all day with zero fade or problems
thanks mike, will definately get some for my new full sus purchase in the next few months and sell the stock levers
Our Alps guide said get Guide RS and avoid Hope...
imo they're all about the same and any modern disc brake will be powerful and reliable enough for the average rider. Most riders brake too much anyway. If you're unlucky to get a bad one then that's what the warranty is for.
However, acknowledging the fact Shimano did have a bad batch or two of the M8000 XTs and possibly the M7000 SLX, if I buy some new Shimanos now how do I know they'll be the updated/fixed ones? Looking at SLX from Merlin...
SRAM Guides BUT stick some Hope rotors on (the sram ones are naff) and a pair of Uberbike Race Matrix pads, I've never got on with Shimano brakes either, there either all or nothing but the Guides have been great.
OP, did you purchase the MT2's in the end ?
I was considering some for my current bike after great results with MT5's, but be aware that since their introduction Magura have changed the brake design (lever geometry I guess) in order to make the entry level stuff "beginner friendly", note their current blurb avoids suggesting performance useage for the MT2's. I would try some out before purchase in case they aren't satisfactory, or better still the MT trail sport can be found for around £160 with the MT5 front calliper, and 1 finger levers which felt great to me.
Actually looking on CRC earlier I noticed the Clarks M2 bundle they've got F+R brakes Inc Rotors are silly cheap, £40 for a full brakeset... Reviews online seem mainly positive, I think I might have to give them a go...
Again, worth a try anyone? Or are they simply too cheap?
it's batches/years at fault rather than everything
Definitely some seem to be great others are crap.
My M615 rear needs constant bleeding ooo errrr 😆 yet my Avid Elixirs have been great needing little to no maintenance.
@ cookeaa - Them Clarks are ok that's all. Feel wooden. The supplied pads are crap. My mates are going back to CRC after a handful of rides.
Funny enough I have had problems with the front on my Shimano’s.
Specifically a road RS785.
A thread on here lead me to a dodgy o ring causing the leaks.
You will have to separate the caliper half and there is a port with an o ring which can be replaced.
Some guy on here posted a link to the relevant o ring needed on eBay.
After sending 3 calipers back this fix seems to be working.
But time will tell.
Only been on a handful of rides since the fix.
Thanks,
Max
2011 Formula The Ones cure all known brake issues.
I've just sent a pair of RS505s (flat mount road brakes) back under warranty, so it definitely still affects newer brakes.
I couldn't find any obvious leaks, and didn't really believe that it'd be the seals until eventually I wrapped a bleed block in tissue, put it in the brake and used an elastic band to gently apply the brake for a few hours, and bingo, two piston-shaped circles of fluid on the paper.
As far as I can tell, both front seals and at least one of the rear all went at pretty much the same time. I can only assume that the wildly different experiences that people have are down differences is usage. These brakes are on my winter bike, so it only gets used in rubbish weather, and then gets left used for long periods of time. For me the problem started shortly after changing pads, so I'm wondering if dirt got glued to the piston surfaces, and then damaged the seal when the pistons were pushed back.
It's very annoying that Shimano don't supply spares. I'd rather spend a few quid on new seals and fix it myself than sending the brakes off for a warranty claim and having the bike unusable for however long it takes.
Well I've pulled the trigger and have a set of MT2s winging their way to me.
So now it appears that I need something so I can use my shifters with these brakes.
I'm probably late to the party on this one but this whole shimano i-spec thing is confusing me a tad.
My shifters are Shimano SLX SL-M670-B, which I now understand to be i-spec b.
So in order to use these with the Magura Mt2 will this adapter work?
They seem to be for i-spec i + ii, but I can't find anything about i spec i, is it the same as i spec b?
So can someone confirm that these will work?
Cheers