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They said a lot but could have saved all that marketing talk and hooked my by simple saying, it'll arrive true out of the box. I can't be the only one that receives only wobbly disks?

I guess the question is how picky are you? No disrespect intended, but I think this forum is an assembly of the nitpickiest nitpickers in the world when it comes to brake lever feel and power. The new XT and XTR brakes are totally adequate for mountain biking and ebikes, and if you need more power, you can pair them with a big thick rotor (like a 220mm/2.0mm SRAM HS2). However, they are less powerful than some of their newest competitors* (Maven Ultimates, TRP DHR EVO, Hope Tech4 V4, etc), and the lever feel is less crisp than the classic...

GET OUT

I finally wrapped up my XT vs. XT brake test, here for your viewing pleasure - https://www.vitalmtb.com/features/comparing-shimano-xt-brake-performanc… The TLDR: - New brakes worked much more consistently. Never had any wandering bite point issues and the lever feel stayed solid in varying conditions. When I tested the new XTR brakes last year, I had a similar experience. I think the new oil/seals play a huge part in this, and the 'stiffer caliper' probably has some effect too. Don't @ me about - New reach adjust dial is a pain to turn IMO. I like the grip of the old one and...

If you advance the piston past the timing port with the lever in the resting position, you have now created a fully closed system between the lever piston and the caliper pistons, where any expansion in fluid volume (as it heats up) will cause the caliper pistons to advance and thus, brake. It's the whole reason the timing port and the expansion reservoir exist to begin with. The only "real" way to adjust the amount of dead stroke in a brake system is to move the timing port or change the hydraulic/mechanical design by altering the ratio between level and...

I can actually provide some feedback here to the maven base vs all other flavors of maven conversation... unfortunately, @TEAMROBOT took most of the words right out of my mouth. I have 3 sets of maven brakes on my bikes, Experts, Bronze and Base. I am running 200mm HS2 rotors and metallic pads on all of the setups. I recently bought the maven base to put on my trail bike as I was having a hard time running mavens on 2 of my bikes, and then TRP DHR Evos on my trail bike. The modulation point (harder to feel the...

I'm currently doing a long term test of the Maven Base for Vital, after running the Maven Ultimate for a long time. I'm super impressed with the lever feel on the Maven Base. There's way more modulation and control compared to the Ultimate, which felt much more like an on/off switch and took a long time for me to get used to. I prefer the feel of the Base brake more, although it has less total stopping power. Could be just what you're looking for you want more power but don't want the on/off feel of the Ultimate. The Base...

I am using the zrace levers (as linked by @Evwan) with DB8 and MT7 calipers on my trail and enduro bikes (I have some MT5 calipers to swap out the DB8's at some stage also). Pads I'm using are the Uberbike e-matrix pads (both in the DB8's and MT7's) with Tektro 203-17 2.3mm rotors (203mm f/r). Mineral oil is Tektro mineral oil. I started this mix and match brake journey with Tektro Orion HD745 4P brakes that I first put the zrace levers on. Instantly better feeling and stronger brakes. Have always using shimano olive and barbs on the zrace...

Been running the same AliEx maxima copy levers with (first DB8'S) and now magura MT7 calipers with Tektro mineral oil. No issues whatsoever. No noise. No fade. No wandering bite point. Just budget friendly, strong brakes.

Been trying to figure out which one I like more lol

Shimano often announces a product that looks or sounds super cool, and then it is basically erased from history and you're at risk of disappearing yourself if you even mention it due to the product not working out in someway. Examples would be Scylence hubs, a few different pedal designs and a few drivetrain configurations that were announced and were the never made, at least in large enough numbers to be seen in public.

The Saint looks like something I'd want to ride, the XT not so much...

Saw the new sixfinity yeti pedal bikes out on the trail yesterday. My guess is they weren’t ridden by yeti employee’s and maybe some shop riders as one of them had a shop jersey on. Makes a good chance they are coming sometime 2026. They Look super clean

Any system that needs to be bled every couple of rides is either broken or was not properly bled to start, independent of the type of fluid.

You can get the correct DOT fluid in any automotive shop. For any DOT compatible brake. Good luck with that with mineral oil brakes. You have different oils WITHIN the same manufacturer (Shimano), let alone between manufacturers. I know I'm beating a dead horse at this point and derailling the thread at the same time, but sorry, I see ZERO benefits from using mineral oil vs. DOT fluid in brakes... If anything, also reading people's experiences about it, it's more complicated than anything, cleaning it up is a pain compared to DOT and the aforementioned issue of finding the correct...

You guysssssss: https://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/hub/modern-geo-talk-chainstays-stack-re…

Me going between this thread and the OG Tech Rumors and Innovation thread...