Search for

Search Tips

Home > Product Reviews > Brakes > V-Brakes

Shimano XT V-Brake (2003)

Overall rating:

Reviewed by 8 BikeTrials.com users - Write your review

Shops that sell Shimano XT V-Brake

Shop	Shop Rating	Location	Ships To	More Information
Wiggle Shop info and reviews	2 Reviews	UK	UK

Rider Reviews

Write your review!
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Sun Nov 02 2003 Reviewed By: andrew gosline (anon) Rider Level: Intermediate
Used Product For 3 Months Strengths Modulation, Parallel motion Weaknesses Weight, max rim size, bushing wear Similar Products Used Avid 2.5's Review These are great V brakes, there is no doubt about that. Their applicability to trials is somewhat questionable. I had them on the rear, and found them great for a while. They modulate much better than any other V brake I've tried. However, the parallelogram setup has lots of extra joints with bushings, and they wear out and get all loose. Another big minus is that because of all the extra linkage, you can't get these on a large rim. I have a 2001 Norco Team Trials, and it was next to impossible to get these brakes to work with an Alex DX32 because it is so wide.
Was this review helpful to you?
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Sat Jun 26 2004 Reviewed By: Alex (anon) Rider Level: Intermediate
Used Product For 1 Year Strengths inexpensive, work well (with tar) Weaknesses cable play, don't quite lock things up as stiffly as i need for trials (without tar) Similar Products Used HS33, XTR, Arch supreme, sd7, canti Review these came stock on my old xc rig (which was my first trials machine).. and they worked fairly well. i ended up getting these cheapo boosters from tektro or something to slightly decrease the flex and common flaws of cable brakes. but all in all, if i hadn't bought hs33, these would have easily served their purpose. in lots of ways, they're better than hydros -- near zero maintenance, they're light, strong, cheap... its the budget buy!
Was this review helpful to you?
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Mon Sep 15 2003 Reviewed By: Scott (anon) Rider Level: Intermediate
Used Product For 2 Years or more Strengths nice strong braking power...if used with tar Weaknesses starting to fall apart Similar Products Used Other V-brakes Review I have had the set for over 2 years....i think for about 4 years...i have been using them for trials for the past year, they held up for about a year of trials...but now they are falling apart
Was this review helpful to you?
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Thu Jan 01 2004 Reviewed By: Roby.K (anon) Rider Level: Intermediate
Used Product For 2 Years or more Strengths good feel, strong , adjustable. Weaknesses Too much linkage, the bolts begin to loosen. Similar Products Used avid V's Review If you put these XT v's on the rear with a grind or tar and sticky pads they are awesome. They very rarely slip if not ever. You have to set the brakes up with a very wide stance so that they get good leverage. If the set up is too skinny you don't get much power. As the other guys said after a year or two(depending on how much you ride) the linkage in the brake will get loose and stopping power will be lost. But good V brake, worth the money.
Was this review helpful to you?
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Tue Mar 09 2004 Reviewed By: Sweezey (anon) Rider Level: Advanced
Used Product For 1 Year Strengths strong braking power, silver color, light Weaknesses after about a year they began to fall apart. Similar Products Used None Review Great Brakes when NEW. Rear: Take time to setup, but a big pay out with power performance. Clean the break and cable often (2-3weeks). After one year the brake seems to loose stregnth. Im switching over to HS33's. Front: Great Brake, setup time minimal, after one year brake is still great. Tip. If you run a wide rim, rearange the spacers on the brake. I was using XT brake levers from 98' for the rear, ands I was using XTR brake levers from 93' on the front.
Was this review helpful to you?
1 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Sun Mar 21 2004 Reviewed By: jay (anon) Rider Level: Intermediate
Used Product For 6 Months Strengths lots of power, good looks Weaknesses squeal Similar Products Used lx v's avid arch rival 50's Review these brakes are kick ass however if any one can tell me how to stop em honking id be grateful you cant get em to shut up
Was this review helpful to you?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Thu Jun 10 2004 Reviewed By: Jason (anon) Rider Level: Intermediate
Used Product For 1 Year Strengths Modulaton and strength Weaknesses Many joints losen over time and reduce power Similar Products Used Avid SD's Review I've used these brakes for over a year now (on the rear) and with tar, I've never had a real problem slipping. Only real problem I have had is that I cant fit them on a wide rim. I have a D 521 and that works fine but with big plaz pads and a DX 32 or something like that they dont fit. If your riding a skinny rim with tar theese are the way to go. Great preformance with good value...
Was this review helpful to you?
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Tue Jul 26 2005 Reviewed By: Nathan Turner (anon) Rider Level: Intermediate
Used Product For 2 Years or more Strengths Smooth, Powerful, Adjustable in many ways Weaknesses Springs wear away slowly Similar Products Used XT-R Review Used this product for about 5 years (dirt jumping 3 years and trials 2) front and rear. However the rear recently had to be replaced because a spring snapped while trying to bend it as the allen bolts were rounded A very good buy, XT-R's are of course slightly better however
Was this review helpful to you?