EBC Shimano XTR Hydraulic Disc Brake Pads

Advantages: Top quality kit
Disadvantages: Nothing at all

...and no flex are a great bonus. The one thing I will talk about is the brakes. One of my reasons for a new bike was to get disc brakes. If your wanting to stop well in the rain and like cycling in the hills and mud then get discs. The bike comes with AVID Juicy hydraulic disc brakes. These are way better than the standard cable pull ones. Whilst they may not be top of the peg ones they offer excellent good all round breaking power for the normal user. It took me a few rides to break in the discs and pads (rather like getting new brakes on a car). But once this was one they stop like nothing on earth. The AVID brakes just look great on the bike, less cumbersome than the Shimano ones you get on other bikes. Anyways, combine the brakes with the specialized tyres and you have some great control. OTHER BITS FRAME New for 07 M4 manipulated alloy... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: quality, use, price
Disadvantages: None

...Previously, I had a pair Of Ritchey WCS Ti spd pedals (i paid £60 on ebay, but the retail at £140!!). These were next to useless - the bearings failed within 12 months. They looked good and weighed not a lot, but didn't work very well, at all :O( I begrudgingly purchased the XTR spd's for £56.99 from wiggle, as I didn't want to go the "shimano" route again. First impressions of quality were superb, especially for under £60!!! The smoothness of the bearings is silk like. fitting is just like any other pedal. Adjusting the tension springs was also the same as any other spd, although I didn't have to do them as tight as previoud spd's I'd owned. Clicking in and out of the pedal gave a satisfying quality click. In riding i've done so far, they perhaps clogged more than i'd have liked, but the riding was very very extreme. After... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average 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... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful