Sram Level Ultimate vs Shimano XTR

[MarcL]

Hi

At almost 100kg, I changed from XTR to SRAM Guild as the XTR could not cope and overheated, even with Icetech rotors and pads.

Since changing, I never had any issues and think the brakes are great. Certainly more modular the XTR which to me, feel on/off.

 

Any future breaks will always be SRAM for me.

 

Hope that helps?

 

 

 

Hi Hubbers -

 

Can anyone give me the difference in braking between these 2 ???

 

I assume both is very light but when it comes to braking power, which one is better option and why??

 

How do they compare to each other on muddy and wet terrain???

[Grease_Monkey]

Personally I have had only bad experiences with both Shimano and Sram brakes. If I had to choose I'd take the XTRs, but with my money I'd rather buy some Formula Curas.

[Be4dawn]

Yes

 

https://www.cogentindustries.co.za/product/braking-brake-pads-for-shimano/

 

Select your model here and then the site will auto select the right pad for you

Thanks for this helps alot, now just to decide what pads to buy

[MudLark]

Did you change the rotors?

The bike was a brand new bike. It squealed from the day I bought it until, about four months later, totally fed up, I changed everything, including the rotors, to Shimano. No regrets at all. Money well spent. And I sold the TLM bits for a reasonable price - so the swap actually cost me very little in the end.

[DieselnDust]

The bike was a brand new bike. It squealed from the day I bought it until, about four months later, totally fed up, I changed everything, including the rotors, to Shimano. No regrets at all. Money well spent. And I sold the TLM bits for a reasonable price - so the swap actually cost me very little in the end.

Its not uncommon for the brakes on brand new bikes to get contaminated in the shop. Many mechanics don't go and wash their hands thoroughly before starting to assemble your new bike. They'll touch everywhere on the bike as they're working including the disc brake rotors. How often do you see latex gloves in use in a LBS workshop?

Glad the component swap out worked for you. I thinks got little to do with the brand of components but rather that whoever fitted the parts took more care to not contaminate the parts. 

 

I always don a fresh pair of gloves before working on the bike. Keeps the oil from my skin and grease from previous job away from sensitive bike parts

[BaGearA]

Thanks for this helps alot, now just to decide what pads to buy

Organic have A very sharp bite but have the shortest working life.

 

Metal pads don't have A very hard initial bite, they will squell if you don't get heat into them (they're labeled as A racing pad exclusively) but they will last very long

 

Carbo-metallic is a compromise between the above mentioned and it's the one we generally recommend for SA riders

Edited November 30, 2019 by BaGearA

[arendoog]

I have both on different bikes that i ride regularly .I also weigh 100kg .Sram level probably has better modulation .I have had issues with my xtr tubing that cracked .Sram gave me new levers after a warrenty .XTR is lighter and is more for the pro,s ,but they got me through the epic this year .Get the best deal ?

[love2fly]

I ride Sram Level TL. Before I had Avid Elixir and before that Shimano of unknown name ie VERY entry level.

The Shiman were way better. The Srams are squishy and now and then on very steep stuff I must use 2 fingers...The Shimano? Even on a Table Mountain trails helter skelter descent I should have walked I used just one. When I get the cash I'm buying Shimano.

Stay away!

I currently ride the Sram Level Ultimates, was riding XTR before.

XTR was hands down the better of the two.

I find the Srams squishy and inconsistent even after serving and being checked by the bike mechanics at multiple shops.

I have never had a good experience with any Sram brakes.

Next upgrade for me is brakes back to the XTR.

[love2fly]

Organic have A very sharp bite but have the shortest working life.

 

Metal pads don't have A very hard initial bite, they will squell if you don't get heat into them (they're labeled as A racing pad exclusively) but they will last very long

 

Carbo-metallic is a compromise between the above mentioned and it's the one we generally recommend for SA riders

I only ride metallic and have only hard (short) squeal only after going through water. And those that say they eat rotors, nope, 4500km on a set of rotors and I weight 107kg.

[BaGearA]

I only ride metallic and have only hard (short) squeal only after going through water. And those that say they eat rotors, nope, 4500km on a set of rotors and I weight 107kg.

I'm talking about the metal pads made by Braking not metal pads in general 

[DieselnDust]

And you have a vested interest in Braking as a brand

[Mohs]

Had both...Liked the XTR more...but, went against all, and got me a set of MT7 Pro Magura.

Hands down the best set I have ever owned. Don't take me wrong, to center 8 individual pads is not easy, but when you do, they are really that good.

Edited November 30, 2019 by Mohs

[MudLark]

The Srams are squishy and now and then on very steep stuff I must use 2 fingers...The Shimano? Even on a Table Mountain trails helter skelter descent I should have walked I used just one. 

 

Accurately reflects my experience too. 

[MudLark]

Its not uncommon for the brakes on brand new bikes to get contaminated in the shop. Many mechanics don't go and wash their hands thoroughly before starting to assemble your new bike. They'll touch everywhere on the bike as they're working including the disc brake rotors. How often do you see latex gloves in use in a LBS workshop?

Glad the component swap out worked for you. I thinks got little to do with the brand of components but rather that whoever fitted the parts took more care to not contaminate the parts. 

 

I always don a fresh pair of gloves before working on the bike. Keeps the oil from my skin and grease from previous job away from sensitive bike parts

 

Could be. But after 4 months or so (might have been a bit more) of heavy use, including in grinding mud and a new set of pads, one would imagine that any oil contamination was long gone. I did note that there were quite a lot of concerns raised in various corners of the web about the SRAMs squealing. But maybe its a matter of you find what you look for. But I really wasn't crazy about their modulation anyway. Or the the crazy price of their pads. The only advantage that the SRAMs had for me was that they were a fair lighter than the XTs I fitted.

Edited December 1, 2019 by MudLark

[Monark]

I'm with Mudlark, had nothing to do with the people working on the bikes. I am beginning to think that SRAM use Joe Public for R&D. My new set of Ultimates (warranty claim as the last ones failed) look and feel different. I guess time will tell whether the pistons will stick again. If they do I'll just keep on leaning on the warranty.

[Headshot]

As Droo said early on, brake affiliation usually comes from early experiences and we develop a loyalty based on what we feel familiar with. I started out with Shimano and they were pretty awful - think 2005 XT dual control. Then SLX 2013. The latter are still going great - true, one lever is a bit notchy and they need a top up every now and then, but I can't really complain. The things have massive stopping power and you learn to deal with the lack of modulation easily. I swop between these and Guide R's on my enduro bike.

 

Initially I hated the Guides because of the apparent lack of power. I loved the modulation but I missed that feeling of throwing out the anchor when trying to slow down from 50km/h on a loose jeep track descent. These days I quite like the Guides and I doubt they are holding me back at all. That said, this could be just because I've got used to less power and ride slower into corners, or brake earlier. Only way to test this would be to fit some more powerful brakes eg Codes or maybe XT 4 pistons and see if there is a difference in my strava times. 

 

One thing that I don't like with the Guides is the tendency for one lever to  start binding in the heat. It doesn't lead to brake drag but you suddenly realise how much you rely on sensing the lever position to judge how hard you're braking. Its a known fault but its just not serious enough for me to take it in for a replacement or repair. I also hate DOT brake fluid. 

 

The biggest issue for me is that of $$. It seems to me that powerful shimano brakes can be had for a fraction of the cost. Guides are at least if not more expensive than SLX but not as powerful. Codes are very expensive and you can probably get XT 4 pistons for less. If my Guides 4 piston brakes are as weak as they are, I can only imagine how awful the Level dual piston brakes must be...