XT or XTR brakes for AM use?

Oracle

Oracle

Likes Dirt
Been thinking about swapping the Elixir CR's on my Yeti 575 over to Shimano XT/XTR brakes as I'm currently running a bunch of spacers under the CPS bolts of Elixir calipers so they clear the spiders of the Shimano rotors. Wifes bike has SLX brakes so the swap would standardise everything a little better.

So the question is, assuming same rotors, are XTR brakes (M975) XC specific or are they as powerful as XT (M775) brakes. Reason I ask is XT's appear to have slightly larger larger calipers than the XTR's.
 
tex72

tex72

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I would go with the XT's unless of course you are worried about weight & have money to burn.

But since you state in your post that your intended purpose is AM and you have a wife neither would be applicable.:p

Performance wise, I don't think there would be too much difference. If anything the XT's should have a bit more power.
 
S

ssb2005

Likes Bikes
I have an XT on the front with a 203mm rotor and the feel is pretty dissapointing compared to other makes of brakes like a set of Magura Marta's or Avid Elixir's. I am using the Dual Action levers though which might be part of it but they have a very wooden lever feel which is enough for me to think about replacing them.
 
Oracle

Oracle

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tex72 said:
I would go with the XT's unless of course you are worried about weight & have money to burn.

But since you state in your post that your intended purpose is AM and you have a wife neither would be applicable.:p

Performance wise, I don't think there would be too much difference. If anything the XT's should have a bit more power.
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Weight is in the back of my mind (bike will be used for Enduro events) but that will be better lost with tyre/wheel upgrade in the future. I love the power of the Juicy 5's on my Giant XtC (can lock up both wheels in about 10mm of stroke) but due to the setup of the Yeti, the Elixir pads aren't grabbing the rotors properly (I should've taken a photo) resulting in poor braking power. :(

At this stage there's only about $200 difference between the XT and XTR brakesets so I'd simply prefer to buy the more powerful of the two and will sell the Elixir's.
 
R

RangaRMX

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^^By the sounds of it you can't get the caliper over the rotor enough so you have sufficient braking surface. Are you sure the Elixirs are set up right?

I'd be playing around with them a bit, but if you have and they physically can't fit then I'd look at the XTs.
You've got a lighter system with XTR so IMO, and a little hands on knowledge, there is less power/ability to deal with fade etc..
 
Oracle

Oracle

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@ Blotto & Damienp.

Changing rotors was my original thought, but figured I might as well consider changing brakes so that the missus and my trail bikes will both run Shimano. Not totally set on changing just yet, just keeping my options open. :cool:
 
muvro

muvro

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I run a set of XT's on my AM bike. I run an Avid 8" rotor on the front and am currently running a 6" generic Shimano rear, but am going to upgade to a 7" Avid on the rear. Only because I need to put the 6" back on my missus bike and I've got the 7" there.

I haven't bled them in quite some time and they need a service (new fluid etc). But they still work great!
 
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