Quote Originally Posted by Meesterbond View Post
I've always found Shimano a little more 'on or off' than others, particularly XT. SRAM brakes are now excellent - so much better than the Avids they're loosely derived from.
That said, out of choice I'd always go Hope. Stupidly easy to fit and bleed, loads of adjustment, work as well as anything plus practically future-proof. Almost everything on them can be repaired or replaced - however old they are. As Hope machine all their own parts, if they don't have a spare in stock, they'll machine it for you - however old the brakes are. They are a little more expensive but you can keep them going a lot longer.
I replaced Avid Elixirs with Deore's. The Avids were awful, they had plenty of power but wouldn't retract enough for clearance.
I liked the minis so much i bought Hope hubs, bottom brackets, seat clamps, bar ends and skewers. The skewers were that beautiful that i was in two minds whether to use them or not. I ended up with a 205mm rotor on the front of my Rock Lobster because i put fox forks on and a 180mm wasn't compatible.
As you mention they make the calipers from billets in house in Barnoldswick and that's important too

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