SHIMANO XT M8100
£154.99
SPECIFICATION Weight: brake 269g, rotor 199g • Rotor size: 160, 180, 203mm • Contact: freewheel.co.uk
Like quite a few brakes now, the XT M8100 comes as a lever and a caliper in the box that you have to put together yourself. However, on the plus side, having the hose sealed with a plastic cap means you can thread it through the frame without losing brake fluid, which definitely makes installation way easier if you have internal routing.
The shape of the lever is pretty much identical to the Deore brake. It does have extra dimples on the lever blade for grip along with a dial near the lever pivot offering tool-free reach adjustment. You also get Freestroke adjutsment, so you can fine-tune the bite point. The twin-pistons are also the same size as the Deore brake, it uses the same resin brake pads and even the split clamp opens in the same way, although they actually worked on this set of brakes. Oddly, the XT rotor is only offered in three sizes – there’s no
220mm option and they’re all six-bolt. Again, there’s nothing stopping you switching to an SLX rotor.
With so much the same, it’s no surprise that the beddingin process was just as quick as with Deore – three or four hard stops and we were ready to roll. XT does have a slightly snappier lever feel and there’s plenty of power on tap. We noticed a bit of squeal in the wet, but when we swapped to the sintered pads the volume reduced. The brake doesn’t feel grabby and never fades, but there’s one key difference – the XT levers pulled to the handlebar now and again due to air in the system. This has been a problem with (mostly high-end) Shimano brakes for quite a few years now and it can be disconcerting when you’re travelling at speed.
The inconsistency means you can’t predict when it’s going to happen.
With Icetech rotors and extras you’re looking at over £200 a wheel for XT, which isn’t too bad for a brake of this quality, but what stops this getting a better rating is the variable performance. Not knowing how the brake is going to feel from one moment to the next can really catch you out.