Shimano Deore

Affordable, light or high performance: pick two? Well, you can pick all three with the Shimano Deore brakes. When we test affordable bikes, we’re always happy to see a Deore brake fitted: for the money there are few brakes that can match their dependable power and reliability. In the lab, they were solid performers, consistently putting down good power and great deceleration times. The lever shares a lot of similarities to the higher-end Shimano XT and XTR, albeit using less expensive materials, and Shimano’s excellent Servo Wave technology means that power is optimised at the point of contact for great modulation. We were impressed on the trail too: they have the ‘Shimano grab’ but power was not hard to modulate with a consistent bite point, and the short lever still feels full of feedback, even after months of use. Overall power is good; if you are heavy or riding really steep terrain the Shimano Deores may feel like they are working very hard at times, but always seem to deliver. There is, however, evidence of cost cutting, with no tool-free reach adjustment, for example (but a 2.5 mm allen key adjuster is easy to access), and the fixed hose exit on the rear caliper can result in some odd cable routing on some bikes, but that’s about it! For the money, the Shimano Deore offers outstanding value.

Shimano’s Deore brakes still kick ass when it comes to their power/price ratio, but the affordable end of the market is hotting up and you can now get more power-formance for just a little more.


Strengths

– Outstanding Value
– Consistent performance

Weaknesses

– Basic lever
– Under powered


Price: € 73 (single)
Weight: 548 g (set, w/o rotors)

Info: shimano.com