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    I need new brakes and don’t know if XT is worth the extra money? The only thing that interests me more on the XT is the lever blade dimples, is that worth the extra or not?

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    10 Comments

    1. Trapp1a on

      having no experience with XT but the exact slx model works pretty well on my giga ’29

    3. danger_otter34 on

      I have these brakes and they are quite decent. Sure there are better brakes out there, but I’m not sure how much of a return in performance you get for the extra investment.

    4. T_622 on

      I have thr m8120 XTs, and I love them. You would definitely get away using either, but I do believe the piston material might be different between both of the offerings? (Ceramic vs metal?)

    5. Economy-Library5872 on

      I have slx and xt on different bikes. I honestly only notice the difference visually, so I’d choose based on finish/color. If money is tight, go SLX!

    6. Glazermac on

      SLX is the medium-higher end version of their brake range. If that’s the full set front and rear, that is a really good deal. I have no issues with my XT Deore 2 pots on my aggressively ridden hardtail 🙂 I doubt there will be much noticeable difference. I always go with the best I can afford though.

    7. COYS_TX on

      Across four bikes I have two sets of each. I do really like the dimples, but not enough to replace my existing SLX levers with XT. If you tend to have buyer’s remorse I’d just go XT, but if you are happier saving a few bucks you won’t be missing much with SLX.

    8. Educational_Bad8500 on

      The SLX brakes work well for me. In full disclosure, I’m an old guy not getting a ton of air so YMMV. Seriously, you can’t really go wrong with Shimano brakes. There are better ones but the cost and availability to parts and servicing is excellent.

    10. holzfaeller13 on

      I don’t know how these perform but I have the XT on my trail bike. After Sram Guide R, Code RSC, Magura MT7 I have to say these are for me the Best brakes I ever had. The fast bleeding Option is a blessing on all of these. Even when they got really hot, I don’t miss power on my small 160mm rotors

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