Shimano XT V Brake Cartridges

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: Kona
Disadvantages: none

...This new Kona Roast features a 7005 downhill alloy frame, a marizocci z5 fly lite air suspension, a drive chain consisting of a race face pordigy chainset and shimano deore LX front and back derallieurs, deore shifter, 9 speed cassette and XT cranks. Having bought this bike I was shiocked at just how good value for money it was, Wioth AVID V brakes and Tioga Down Hill factory tyres It handled like a BMX. This wasn't the first KONA I ever owned, owning a nunu a few years ago 'til I smashed the frame jumping. Even I won't be able to break this Roast frame. I conclude an excellent allround bike for the money... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

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... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful