Advantages: Excellent lever feel, stopping power, durability Disadvantages: when they squeel, they REALLY squeel
I've been mountain biking for many years now and over time I've tried a wide array of braking systems on my various bikes. I was always a huge fan of Avid's braking products and had test ridden a number of bikes with their Juicy discs on before deciding on the right bike for me and taking the plunge into speccing my own custom build. The bike was to be a Yeti 575 and the brake choice came down to the Hope Mono minis (as fitted to my Orange), Avid Juicys and the Shimano XT. I chose Shimano for various reasons and the following review will hopefully outline why I took this course of action over the much hyped Hope and Avids.
Having tested various systems on demo bikes around the country, it seemed to me that there was little to choose between the braking characteristics of my shortlisted products. However, the Shimano just edged it ...
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. ...
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 discbrakes 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 discbrake, 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 ...
Product Information for "Shimano M545 Cable Disc Brake" »
Product details
Long Name
M545 Cable Disc Brake
Type
Bike Brake Disc
Genre
Cable
Manufacturer
Shimano
Ciao
Listed on Ciao since
23/01/2008
Manufacturer's product description
Shimano M545 Cable Disc Brake Calliper and 160mm Rotor Features: Disc brake power without the fuss of hydraulic fluid systems Cable operated mechanical disc brake design means that you can upgrade to discs using existing compatible V-brake levers Independently adjustable right and left pad clearance for perfect set up Super lightweight mono body uses a forged one piece alloy design that increases rigidity and reduces weight Long arm design maximises performance for light braking control Shim-less mounting system for quick and easy setup Front - Fits forks with international standard disc brake mounts and comes with 160 mm rotor Rear - Fits frames with international standard disc brake mounts and comes with 160 mm rotor The proven Shimano Centre-Lock system gives increased strength and security with an easy set-up Set includes calliper, cable, rotor and comes as standard with sintered disc pads for optimum all weather performance
