Let's offroad / mountain bike / mtb / ride dirt

wrist band might not be good in a crash either

I think the answer is to just not crash

Planning to build up this bargain Vitus escarpe soon as a trail bike. I have XT 2 pots on my current xc bike but thinking of going with 4 pots.

Had various Shimano brakes (which I've never really loved) for a long time so open to trying something else... Budget around £200 max. Gears will be SRAM eagle. Had a look around and these seem to be the options...

SRAM G2 RSC - full kit incl 200mm rotors from the Cotic outlet at £199

SLX 7120 - excl rotors £180 on eBay

Magura MT Trail Sport - reduced to £130

SRAM DB8 - dirt cheap on wiggle atm

Formula Cura 2 - these are 2 pot but people seem to rate them. £170 on lord gun

SRAM Guide RE - really cheap at Tredz but I think are a previous gen model?

Any suggestions?

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I like hope brakes the best. I think it's worth the cash as you can rebuild and they'll last decades.

Yep, Shimano brake are easy to bleed, I like the lever shape and perform well.

If I was flush, which is a rarity these days I’d go for Hope.

As for Sram, I’ve never used a pair that I have like. A fair few bikes I’ve had have had them fitted as stock and I’ve always changed them to one of the above

The db8 are mineral oil and said to be easy to live with

For balance, sram code rsc brakes have been my favourite to use for years.

Pretty much all the other sram mtb brakes are garbage though, the exception being the Guide RE model, it uses the older gen Code caliper. The new DB8 seems to be well reviewed, haven’t personally used it though.
Don’t bother with Guide or G2.
Sram brakes are really easy to service and piston/seal kits are easy to get.

Hope brakes are very serviceable, but historically under powered compared to the competition and cost a lot more. The latest Tech 4 brake is apparently now on par with the most powerful brakes though.
Best thing to do is just use the biggest rotors you can, 200mm front and and rear. 220 on the front if the fork can take it.

I’ve got a set of Code RSC brakes that I could sell if you’re interested!

But all the best brakes from the main players are pretty close to each other in terms of performance.
They all have slightly different feels that come down to personal preference. The next five posts could be recommendations for 5 different brakes.
It’s hard to go wrong, really.

The last Hopes I had were 2 pot mono minis. New hopes are nice but a bit too pricey.

These are £57 for a pair but can't find that much info on them

I was looking at Codes but thought they might be overkill for a trail bike (and me at under 70kg). Keen on 2nd hand thou, let me know deets.

SLX levers, Deore calipers?

I don’t feel like brakes can ever be overkill. More braking power for a given finger force is never a bad thing!
I’ll pm you some photos, complete brake set with 200mm rotors, was thinking £175 posted.

I'd agree with that too, get the most powerful brakes you can afford, with the biggest rotors that will fit. Better to have the power and not need it, than not have it and find you do.

Pretty much all the other sram mtb brakes are garbage though, the exception being the Guide RE model,

Guide RE are what I have. Crc don’t seem to have them anymore but they have these Guide Ts that look remarkably similar other than that the levers have the clamp built in where the RE I have needed separate clamps buying.

The guide T’s are absolute shite too! The caliper isn’t the same as the RE caliper.

Ah ok.

Fucking SRAM!

This applies to their MTB bike brakes too

They'll last a lot longer than other brakes. I killed Shimano MTB ones in about two years, and you can't repair them.

I do agree they're pricey, but you get what you pay for.

Tredz have them for pretty cheap. https://www.tredz.co.uk/.SRAM-Guide-RE-Disc-Brakes_102709.htm?variations=option:Black%2520Rear%2520%257C%25201800mm%2520Hose&sku=373907

Which Hope would you recommend? Tech 4 E4s?

I have E4 and V4. V4 are way more than I need for trail.

TRP Slate Evo? Four pot, 100 quid pair currently at Merlin. Prefers 2.3mm rotors but I believe would work with most. Mineral oil like most non-SRAM things.

You totally can if you're referring to the ceramic pistons (just not with official shimano parts)

V4s are more powerful, but have a softer lever feel. E4s have slightly less power (but still an eyewatering amount of it) but a firmer lever feel. Because, hydraulics.

Fwiw, I've ridden proper downhill tracks on E4s and never felt I needed more braking power