Let the debate begin...SRAM or Shimano brakes?

I keep a few bubbles in my Shimanos to make it feel like Srams

Why is the last section called Jeff's Preference, and not just Jefference

main reason why I'd go with Shimano: Sram in Polish literally means "I am shitting" and that makes me feel weird xD

The bike companies make it so hard to figure out the differences between their own products at times. It’s strange that they are so bad at explaining their products. Thanks for this vid. You did a Lot of research. Thank you.

Best explanation of brake difference I have ever seen or heard.. 5 stars sir

I've had Sram X0, then on my next bike I had Sram Guide R, then I switched to Shimano XT M8020, and I'm never going back to Sram... Main difference for me - the shimano brakes require sooo much less force on the lever. For short descends it's negligible, but for 30-40 minute descends the shimanos win, no arm pump at all. And easier to bleed.

I've ridden both pretty heavily. SRAM tended to fade alarmingly quickly (even when new). Shimano is a bit abrupt at first but holds well on longer descents. I rode my buddy's bike down a short run, which had TRP brakes, and I fell in love... Edit: I still ride Shimano brakes. They’ve been reliable and metallic pads are the way to go. I’ve seen several people struggle with SRAM unreliability…

I´m the guy, who rides Shimano Saints on the XC with 100 mm of travel :D It´s great to have ridiculous power under your finger.

Get budget brakes (e.g. MT400 from Shimano), no fear of going OTB if there is no braking power to begin with. Also amazing "modulation" when there is no final stopping point for the brake.

I have Sram on my bike atm because they came with them but I love the lever feel of Shimano SLX,XT, and XTR MUCH MORE.

Welp, seems like I'll be spending *_18 minutes in the toilet..._*

I use sram on my mtb and Shimano on my roadie. I like the gradual modulation when going down trails, but often times appreciate the responsiveness of Shimano on the road dodging cars and oblivious people on paved trails.

The Code here is that you cant rely on Guide's to make sure that the trail is Level, but If you have a Saint, all is well n good and you can have some Hope. :)

I recently replaced my Sram Code REs with whimano SLX 4 piston brakes and they're so much better. No spongyness and the modulation is also easy to handle.

Excellent video, I've used SRAM Code, Level and Guide recently as well as Shimano SLX, XT and now Zee on my Specialized Enduro. For me it's the Shimano brakes - less arm pump, nicer bite, seems like more power also. The only other brake I've used that seems to match the ferocity of the Zee's is the Hope V4 brakes (which are also phenomenal - but rather pricey). I got my Zee's for £140 total front and rear and I couldn't be happier with them

Maybe it's just me, but I find my Shimano brakes (xtr) very easy to bleed. No problems at all.

I have the Shimano xtr trail brakes on my hardtail. And Shimano zee on my full suspension bike. the xtr unbelievable stoping power never ever had brakes like them.

Not only is the information presented here really well here, but the comedy and fun watching make this my favorite channel to seek equipment intel and reviews. You all must have a blast making this stuff yet you fill it with such solid information. Keep up the great work and you said it best .... it will break down to feel and preference. A rider will adjust to either in time. Both are great brakes and solid companies.

Great video and it's true. I bought a sram equipped bike as wanted something different. The brakes I just hated, took back to the bike shop to get re-bled as heaps of people say really hard to setup good compared to Shimano. But when tested by several people they were better than normal for sram. I eventually have up after many months and bought Shimano 2 piston XTR and so so happy. Bike actually stops now. Imagine what the 4 piston would do. Sold sram on line fast so somebody likes them. Shimano feel like powerful sport brakes and not soft soggy v-brakes

Just send it. No brakes!

Shimano Saints are for sure the best brakes of all time. Huge power, low profile levers, great adjustability, fantastic cooling, look incredible, and perhaps most importantly, easiest brakes to service, and bleed.

Running Sram guide r and love them. No issues at all. They stop me when I need to be stopped!

Couple things. 1: Jeff can shred! Look at him go! 2: Love SRAM's moooooooooodulation! 3: 3:01 gave me all sorts of PTSD! That sound you make before you know its gonna hurt!

Perfect timing on this video, I literally just watched your TRP quadiem brake review and then this video pops up!

loved that comedy sketch, especially when the philips head screw driver was mentioned. when I first got some XT's i said "what the hell, a screw driver!!" hahaha!!

The comedy value alone makes this a great video.

I have been riding since 1993-94 and I went back to the time honored classic. The old school coster broke. Nothing like flying down a rocky hill and feeling like I’m going to slide to my doom! Plus who doesn’t like to pull wicked skids down the neighbors driveway?

Absolutely perfect video! Enough detail and content, well-paced, and not too long! And, your comparisons between the competing models is incredibly helpful! The comments about the changes in SRAM is reassuring, too.

It would help to use the right weights. Your stats are WAY off, listing complete brake and rotor weights on Shimano Vs brake only on SRAM? 🤔

I've used XT's for a long time. I got a Giant Trance with Guide T's in the fall of 2018 and the first time I used the brakes on the trail, I thought I was having a brake failure. But, after about 20 minutes, I was completely used to them - and liked them. I ended up putting XT's on the Giant just because I work on my bikes, my wife's bikes and my adult son's bike and it's just easier to have the same on all. And, the XT's are ridiculously easy to work on. Recently though, my wife has been locking up her brakes on harder trails so I put the Guides on her bike and it was a huge improvement for her riding. They're both good manufacturers, for sure and I'd happily use either!

And yes! The little screw on the Shimano brakes AKA " free stroke" it does 2 things actually ( at least on my Saints), if you turn them 'counter clockwise' they'll throw the lever further 'out' for longer finger riders, and it delivers more fluid to the caliper ( try to hook up the bleeding funnel, and press the lever once with the screw all the way in and once with it all the way out) and notice how much fluid " jumps" out of the funnel, you'll notice that there's more fluid jumps when the screw is screwed more counter clockwise.... Enjoy!

I think both are great. At first I thought sram was a lot worse but I was comparing low end sram to high end shimano and now I realize that along as you have high end ones they both feel amazing.

Anyone else here remember the Magura Gustav brakes? Or am I the only old man here? I had them on my 2006 Demo 7. Miss that bike.

I like Sram too but I'm in love with that bite from my xt 4 piston. Great video btw

I have Shimano ZEE and the free stroke adjustment works great. the brakes at first felt spongy even though they were bleed. I replaced the free stroke screw, kind of a stopscrew with an old adjustment screw from an older Shimano front derailleur. So now free stroke adjustment works perfectly. :)

What about magura vs hope?

Screw debates lets just ride, have fun and send it

Most people that have raced or ride a lot should understand the benefits of modulation brakes. Ive used both and you have to find what you like and ask the shop to keep them working the same way all year long. Plus it’s important to know where the bike is locking up and how to control the drag needed on Shimano and Sram, by the power in your finger. Ive never lost a race because of the power from the locking of the brakes, but by the modulation because of the brake not locking up when its needed. Then again I never won a race unless it was a local event. Haha, but still love the sport even at my age now. Great info this shop helps us out for.

Great video. You hit the nail on the head regarding the pistons on the SRAM. I have been running the SRAM HRD on a 1x Cyclocross bike for 4 years and constantly have the rubbing on the rotors! Never had that issue with Shimano.

Jeff do be hitting different when he does voice overs

Sorry, late to the party. Good, fun video as always. Thanks. But I'd like to add one of the biggest downsides to Shimano brakes you didn't mention... The wandering bite point. In cold weather, even with perfectly bled brakes it happens. Happened on my Saints and XTs. Worse in the rear. Probably due to the mineral oil getting thicker in cold weather and not allowing the pistons to retract fully prior to the next quick lever throw. Also, Shimano pads rattle. On my DH rig with finned pads the Saints always had me thinking I had a loose headset. Even without finned pads they rattle bad. Shimano's stopping power and easy bleeds are great but those last two issues have me moving over to SRAM brakes and weeding out my Shimano stock - and I'm pretty happy so far.

Who does the best brake down videos ever about bikes and components (BRAKES)? WHOOOOO? WWCYCLERY - JEFF! Thank you.

I've had XT, zee, and currently code rsc and I've honestly enjoyed all of them. Going from shimano to SRAM felt a bit strange on my first few rides, but now that I'm used to them I love how easy it is to feather the brakes. Can't really say I prefer one brand over the other

Tektro cable brakes and that is why I’m watching this lol

TRP and Hope are my favorites.

Thanks for making this video! Someone finally compared all the options out there!

Saint levers and zee caliper modulation is solid in the game 👾

Yeah I bought an XTR front brake, and there's no contact point adjustment, like the screw never did anything. Have an Avid Elixer rear brake brake which was way cheaper. Overall you're probably right. Pretty happy with the setup now, got the sponge in the back, and the power in the front. Was kind of surprised with the XTR it was expensive, and pretty basic.

4:50 You mention rotor size, I dont know if its different on mountain bikes, but disc beakes on cars (motorsport) have larger rotors for more thermal handling, not more stopping power. For example, get a cheap basic shitbox car, and stomp the brakes, even the smallest car brakes are capable of locking up, and exceeding the grip of the tyres. So its no problem with stopping power of small brakes. But go tarmac rally that same car for example, and you will VERY quickly exceed the thermal capacity of the braking system. This is why motorsport generally use bigger brakes. To overcome the greater heat.

To me: SRAM drivetrains and Shimano brakes = awesome combo!

Good video. My 2 cents as a 20 year bike mechanic. I’ve always been a Shimano rider, but recently swapped over to SRAM components thinking they finally fixed all the whoas of old. Now SRAM levers are easily effected by heat, AKA sitting in the sun for 5 minutes. This warranty issue that they don’t even question anymore needs to be resolved pronto. I have had to send in so many pair to SRAM, from the bike shop I work at, I can’t even keep track 🤦‍♂️ at least they are really good about replacing for free🤙

I have Zee's on my downhill and they're awesome, I always rave about them when anyone asks. My enduro bike has Guide RSC's and although they're my second choice, I couldn't justify upgrading to a second set of Zee's. I find my Guides to be a lot more resilient too, way less maintenance and more reliable.

I run the cheapest shimano brakes bl m500 I think and they accually work surprisingly well for the price, I wouldn’t mind testing sram tho and try with the modulation difference but im allways a fan for the shimano feel

I've been using Sram G2 RSC for 6 months and the best brakes I've ever used, so much modulation, it is perfect for the gnarly tech trails that requires a lot of control

Love your channel and store. Fast and free shipping was great this week. Hope you’re healthy and business is staying afloat.

my specialized came with Tektro... not bad and not great... will eventually swap them out for Sram.

Extremely well done video! I am definitely a fan of SRAM brakes. Better feel and adjustments. And I like the company better.

I could never get rid of the bad taste SRAM left in my mouth. With them not weighing up to Shimano 5ish years ago and the whole mechanism locking in the lever (the shop I worked at at the time kept 5 Guide R levers on hand since we were warrantying and replacing so many), which didn't infrequently throw people OTB. I do agree with the opinion that mostly XT(R) are too touchy (haven't tried the 4 pots yet) and it's why I go with Zees instead, more modulation. Also spoke with a Shimano rep at one point, turns out the XT 4 pots are just repainted Zee pistons. Thought that was interesting. I also knew some of the guys in my shop (almost entirely fans of Shimano for brakes) would do different lever piston combos to play with brake feel and modulation.

I had old Avid brakes when I first bought my bike, with poorly bled lines and worn out levers. Replaced those with SRAM Level brakes immediately, worked okay but not a lot of braking power for an all mountain/enduro bike (just what was immediately available at the time), and recently I upgraded to G2 RS brakes with new rotors. Absolutely love the G2s, they stop extremely well with good modulation and tool-free features. I was never a fan of the Shimano brakes having barely any modulation before locking up, made it really easy to slide around in loose dirt or sandy trail conditions. And as a car mechanic, already having tons of DOT fluid available made it zero of an issue.

Like the videos I bought one of your mud guards and a water bottle great quality.

I ran SRAMs forever but my Tracer came with Shimano XTs that are fine, not great but okay. I put Hope V4s on the DH bike and I love them!! The hopes are def. more spongy than anything I've ever ran, but you get used to them. Plus they LOOK like a million bucks. Oh and to answer the question, I'd choose SRAM over Shimano.

Great video. I had SRAM on my front and back. Snapped one of the lever clamps on a trail and had to buy another brake right away. Shimano was in stock. Now front is Shimano and rear is SRAM. Can definitely feel the difference. Wicked video explaining it all. Thanks!

I have SRAM G2-RSC on my trail bike, and I really like them. They’re the first SRAM brakes that I’ve used. Before them it was always Shimano. I like them both. 🤷🏼‍♂️

reason why SRAM sucks: the piston sticks in heat.

I prefer my Magura brakes :D incredible lever feel with great modulation, but still like dropping an anchor.

Great video. I recently installed 2 piston XT brakes with XTR rotors on my XC bike. It feels awesome.

If I ever start a mountain bike brake company… which I likely never will… Im going to make sure my product names and performance tiering is crystal clear and easy for anyone to understand.

I prefer that more “Responsive” shimano brakes. Locking out brakes shows that you are still not familiar to the handling of the bike. Spongey brakes will have problems when applying emergency brakes especially riding in the city.

It's just like console wars... *_Pointless_* , each have their unique features and advantages, not worth fighting over..

I have Shimano brakes and I love them, tried Sram on my downhill bike, but I must say I do like the feeling of Shimano; you just pull the lever and it brakes right away, SRAM has like more time and play until the brake pads hit hard ( which can be pros and cons for some people). I do think that Shimano's brake lever looks much better and is more ergonomically designed than SRAM brake lever.

I have shimano deore 4 piston brakes on my trance .love them and the modulation is better than the older 2 piston brakes

riding Trickstuff Direttissima and lovin' it...

I run Hope tech 3 e4 and love them because of the tool free adjustable as I can have them with loads of modulation or a on of feel depends on the trail I’m riding which is from xc trails and down hill trails

We have two bikes, one with a magura and the other with a shimano. I do the dirty job with the oils, so I dont mind that its a mineral oil. Shimano one is a M446 and its works great. The other is a Magura MT2 with...some uniqueness ^^ For me Shimano is the winner.

Amazing video, thanks! Currently I'm using the Level T brakes and I like a lot of the brake feeling and braking action. My original plan was to ride these low level T brakes until they die and then upgrade. Well they are still OK but I think I need to update for something better. In the past I used the Shimano M8000 XT brakes and they were superior over the current setup but I'm going to go for G2 RSC or Ultimate because I just like the braking feeling and I just want to adjust things! DOT fluid for me is definitely needed because I also ride a lot in extreme cold weather and mineral oil gets "dirtier" in shorter time. I would say it is needed to change the mineral oil once in a year and DOT less frequently. You didn't cover the brake pad topics at all!? People if you read comments, please tell me about the brake pads and which one to use. I used metal pads in the XT (ice tech) and they don't lock so easily and having less bite but having more precise contact, what do you think?

I can’t stand that spongey “modulation” feel in brakes. Probably from all my years of riding BMX. I don’t think I’ll ever feel comfortable with a spongey feeling brake.

Been running (and constantly having to fix) a pair of sram db5's for a while.. but i'm finally swapping them out for a pair of xtr 4 pots. The bike's currently in the lbs getting them fitted!

Great vid. Thanks for the info for someone who didn't have a clue! After watching this, I think SRAM would be my choice.

my Giant Trance came with non-series 4 piston MT-520's that are technically a trail brake but use Saint/Zee pads, not sure if all of Shimano's 4 piston brakes use the same pads though?

Modulation was what I was after. It’s not cool locking up the front wheel on gravel trails even with light touch. Going to be changing out breaks looking for “free stroke.”

Built a set using guide rsc levers and code calipers. Best brakes I have ever ridden in 30 years of bicycle mechanic trade. I used to be a xt guy.

I just put some Shimano ZEE on my KTM Race Machina E-Bike... MASSIVE upgrade, feels like a new bike!!!

Awesome video Jeff! I just bought a set of Code RSC’s with the rainbow hardware from you guys! I love them! Are the levers on those carbon or alloy??

I heard that you need to unscrew the free stroke adjuster almost all the way Bleed the brakes And then screw it back in

on my Jeffsy 29, I switched from SRAM Guide Ultimate to XTR Trail, I like the "bite" of the XTR Trail brakes, Modulation of the XTR is much better then my SAINT on my Jekyll. I switched from older XT brakes to Saint because of moving "pressure points" with XT

I love these kind of comparison videos. Good job!

NothingNothingNothing... LOCK! 😆 Spot on. I wish I could return my XT 2-pistons

The only real problem I had with Sram brakes was that they overheated too easily compared to the Shimano ones I used before that. P.S. Great Video👍

I switched to magura mt5 and never looked back and also I love the looks. Reminds me of my brembo lever on my superbike. 😁

I have Saints in my full and they are amazing! Modulation, stopping power just top of the top. In my second bike, hardtail just mix of cheapest mt200 and mt315 and they are enough to stop even from steep hill.

lol i seen so many pros jump on the sram brakes train a couple years ago, now I see them all back on shimano haha

Love the SRAM Code RSC. Great stopping power. Modulation is excellent

Currently I run 203mm rotors front and rear on all three of my bikes, enduro, freeride, and downhill.

"Sponginess", that wording hits the nail. In German we say "Druckpunkt", that means something like "pressure point" and this is absent in Sponge-SRAM, therefore SRAM is a no-no to me. I want to feel the exact amount of pressure applied to the rotor - and sponginess avoids this as there is no "druckpunkt", the brake feels somehow undefined. Magura and even Tektro are similar to SRAM in that regard, none has the same feeling of exactness Shimano offers.

I have Code R on one bike and Xt 4 piston on the other. Xt 4 Piston feels way more powerful But I like the contact adjust from Sram

that is easy, support who supports you. SRAM is the best brand in the industry!!!

I always choose Shimano style brakes, solely because they're so much easier to work on

Sram has shifting covered but shimano keeps it tame with great brakes that my opinion!

Well, i have shims... and i'm happy with 'em. They bite, they modulate, they stop me and they make french fries and coffee. What do you want more?!