Clark's Shimano XTR Disc Brake Pads

Advantages: cheaper than contemporaries
Disadvantages: difficult hoses

...shimano, in using a new 4 pot system have moved into the league usually dominated by Hope. the 4 pot system gives greater power than two pot systems and doesnt overheat easily. the shimano is better than the hopes because it uses two cylinders to drive the pads rather than the one cylinder that the hope uses to drive all 4 pads. the shimanos are also a lot cheaper than other systems with comparible performance, although they need expensive hubs, making them more expensive than the hope open 2s. the braided hoses are bombproof but need to be precut and the levers give superb modulation and good feel.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Stops your bike. Easy to setup.
Disadvantages: Takes a while to bed in. Supplied pads rubbish.

...Oooh... brakes these days. Rim or Disc? Cable or Hydralic? The way things are going, you'd swear that disc brakes were the be all and end all of brakes these days, but you'd be wrong, as Shimano will be eager to prove. Shimano have been doing V-brakes for quite a while now, and the LX really demonstrates that. Whilst I was sorely tempted by a disc brake, I can't really see what all the fuss is about. Yes, if you're into hurtling down hills on your 55lb monster downhill bike then discs are for you, if you're a cross country rider trying to shave a bit off the weight then vees are still you best bet. The brake is the cheapest in the Shimano range to offer the parallelogram design, which keeps the brake pads parallel to the braking surface, resulting in longer pad life and better braking performance. Setting the brakes up is fairly... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: lightweight; very strong; slick gears; very fast
Disadvantages: cost; keeping it yours !

...Enthusiasts might tell you this is only the best downhill MTB. I don't care which way you're going, you simply have to ride this bike to appreciate how fast and slick it is. Its hard getting a dealer demo because of the cost but more about that later. Features: 6061 Series Aluminum twin Monocoque front, light-weight Monocoque swingarm with integral disc brake mounts and cable stops; Answer Mars Super, 80mm of Travel with Lockout; excellent Fox Float RL, with Rebound Adjuster and Lockout rear air shock; Shimano XTR throughout; Mavix X517. I chose downhill bars which I find more comfortable. Most dealers give you these for a free swap. disk brakes are extra but possible. You don't have to be fit to be the fastest thing on the road and off-road it knocks about 5 to 10 years off your age. A great bike. The XTR gearchange is amazing... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful