You'll want to fit the best mountain bike brakes you can, as brakes are arguably the most important control component on your bike. When riding off-road, disc brakes are essential. Worryingly, there’s a massive variety of performance across the spectrum, and as well as character and power, there’s also a wide range of weight and cost issues to juggle with when hunting down the best mountain bike brakes for your bike.
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Having tested every readily available set of mountain bike brakes on the market, in this writer's opinion, SRAM makes the best mountain bike brakes for most riders. The latest lightweight Level and ultra-controlled, e-MTB-proof Code RSC have got the premium specialists covered. However, it's the simple, affordable, powerful but super-controlled ‘mongrel’ of the SRAM family, the Guide RE, that most trail riders should be sliding onto their bars to guarantee they can stop worrying about stopping.
On the other hand, there are many other reputable options out there such as Hope, Clarks, Magura and Hayes, each of which delivers impressive and trustworthy performance. Shimano shouldn't be written off as a reliable option either - the Japanese brand offers some impressive options which span everything from entry-level Deore to its full-on race-bred XTR mountain bike brakes.
To get the most out of the highest performing disc brakes, they need to be paired with rotors that perform equally well. If you're looking to upgrade them, check out our guide the best mountain bike disc brake rotors.
Best mountain bike brakes
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It's very rare that we give a full product five our of five stars, but Hope's latest enduro brake is fully deserving of such a score. The British manufacturer has been making brakes for almost as long as proper mountain bikes have been widely available and this their latest model builds on a long line of superb stoppers to be the best brake they've ever made.
As you'd expect, the Tech 4 E4s are superbly powerful, but are also silky smooth and incredibly precise. Power fade over long runs is imperceptible and they are as easy to set up and maintain as it gets. Like all Hope products, the Tech 4 brakes come in a range of anodized colors, they're covered by Hope's renowned after sales service should you have any issues and even come with a spare set of pads.
For more info, check out our full Hope Tech 4 E4 brake review.
Shimano makes utterly trustworthy, seemingly indestructible and very affordable kit very well and the latest Deore M6100 brake (and the M6000 before it) is the absolute epitome of that.
You don’t get an external knob to adjust reach (just use an Allen key), there’s no largely ineffective ‘Free Stroke’ adjustment, the pads are held in with a split pin, not a screw peg and they don’t have heat-shedding 'Stegosaurus' fins.
You do get Shimano's Servo Wave technology, filtered down from higher brake tiers, which alters pad movement and increase power. That means Deore has a significantly better feel than anything cheaper, flawless lever pull consistency (not a Shimano strongpoint recently) and relentless reliability.
It bites better in filthy weather with aftermarket sintered pads too, although beware using them with softer, cheaper Shimano rotors.
Shimano’s Zee brake appeared years ago but this Japanese equivalent of SRAM’s Guide RE is still one of the best options if you need siege engine power for a decent price.
Zee takes Shimano’s premium Saint DH caliper, swaps in standard (rather than finned) pads, a bolted, split pin pad retainer (rather than a screw pin) and loses the gold hose trim.
The rebadged SLX lever means reach adjust is tooled not dialed, but still gets Servo Wave power assistance and dodges ‘Free Stroke’ issues found on other brakes. The result is eye-straining power (just 1% behind Magura MT5 on the dyno) delivered with utterly reliable repetition in all conditions.
Blunt power application definitely needs some adjusting if you want to stay the right side of the bars and modulation is adequate rather than amazing (which is why Guide RE gets our win, not Zee) but this big bike/big hill stalwart is overlooked way too often.
TRP’s Quadiem brake has been refined with input from downhill mountain bike legend Aaron Gwin and while the basic version doesn’t have the polished finish of his signature model, performance is basically identical.
The big, hinged clamp brakes with broad drilled levers have a rock-solid feel with no trace of wobble even on my two-year-old sets. Reliability from the four steel and ceramic cylinder calipers has been flawless, and feel consistent on every set I’ve abused even when spending months in the high mountains or on e-bikes. Be careful of the outboard hose attachment on uplifts though.
There’s a lot of free stroke and no bite point adjust too so you need to like a lever-on-bars feel. Power is decent rather than dramatic, so fit big rotors for big bikes.
If you don’t believe the price, then don’t worry, neither did we when we first met Clark’s M2 a few years ago.
They really are under $70 for both brakes, plus rotors and relevant brackets and bolts and they’ve also upsized the front rotor to 180mm. That’s definitely necessary as power is limp even compared to Shimano Deore. Switching to (Shimano pattern) aftermarket pads really helps though.
Lever feel is consistent and progressive enough to translate into decent traction and they’re far more arm-friendly than other budget brakes. While the design has changed a few times over the years they’ve all been utterly, ridiculously reliable. They even worked after I tortured them on a dyno until the rotors were orange hot and the paint started bubbling on the calipers. That makes them a comically cost-effective option if your budget is tight.
As well as making brakes, Magura is a massive automotive plastics manufacturer so perhaps no surprise they mix the two on their long-running MT series, but that definitely defines their character.
Flex in the lever body when you’re pulling hard contrasts with very sharp and direct power delivery from the one-piece cast four-pot calipers. The overall snatchy then spongey feel definitely divides riders into lovers and haters but Youtube superstar Danny MacAskill does OK on them!
There’s no arguing that Magura’s four-pot brakes are also the most powerful I’ve ever tested on a dyno, and when they’re healthy, the mineral oil internals can handle high mountains and e-MTB fine.
Pricing is also excellent for the power, with various aftermarket lever options too. I’ve always had mixed reliability results from Magura over the years though and failures tend to be terminal rather than tweak-able.
Hayes absolutely dominated the disc brake market at one time but lost that lead in a big way. That means they invested serious R&D time in their Dominion comeback brake and it’s been worth it.
‘Crosshair’ caliper adjustment makes set up easy and all brakes are in-house adjusted for minimal free stroke. Reach and bite point are tuneable and the blade uses cartridge bearings for a really smooth feel.
Bedding in takes a while (wet weather helps) but power is plentiful when it gets there. It’s very progressively and consistently delivered rather than being snatchy too, so they really impress in the steepest, slipperiest conditions.
Apart from an early re-bleed using the unique ‘port on each side’ caliper design, they’ve been totally trouble-free for nearly a year now. At $260 they’re not bargaining their way back into the market though, and the ‘resonance matched’ D rotors are particularly expensive.
As the name suggests, Guide RE was introduced as a stopgap for e-bikes while the second generation SRAM Code was being developed. It’s proved a total smash hit with anyone looking for a rowdy brake at an affordable price, so it’s stayed in the line up alongside Code and the new G2.
The Guide lever delivers handy ‘Matchmaker’ syncing with SRAM shifters and remotes. Feedback from the big first-generation Code caliper at the far end is clear and consistently progressive all the way down the longest descents. Lack of ‘Swing Link’ leverage change means delivery of its hefty power is dramatic so be careful while bedding it in.
Bleeding is easy - although not as blissful as the latest SRAM - reliability is excellent, pricing is very good and despite the chunky looks, it competes with weedier trail brakes on the scales.
Whether the few grams saved on the carbon lever of the RSC is worth having is a moot point but they do feel warmer on fingers in winter and the cartridge bearing upgrade you get on the RSC gives a silky smooth, wobble-free feel.
Swing Link leverage change, bite point adjustment that actually works, easy reach adjustment and sweet syncing with SRAM remotes and shifters at the bar end of the RSC are brilliant. While power isn’t ‘need a seatbelt’ shocking, it builds to impressive levels with fantastic control and feedback through the twin diameter four-cylinder calipers.
The modulation and consistency really shine in situations where all hell is breaking loose around you but the finger to trail connection stays weirdly calm. Add the lower weight than most other four pots, excellent reliability and blissfully easy end-to-end bleeding and this is my favorite ‘power’ brake - if you can afford it.
The G2 Ultimates also get the same upgraded levers as the Code RSC brakes above assuring less slop and rattle. The Ultimate’s still get cartridge bearing pivots and carbon blades for a silky feel and warm winter fingers. Either way, the bite point adjuster dial feels crisper and clickier on G2 and the return feels faster and lighter thanks to improved piston seals at the calliper end. The calliper is all-new too. It’s still two pieces bolted together but it’s stiffer for a boost-in bite and the existing resin and sintered pad options have been joined by a new resin ‘Power’ pad.
Together SRAM says this adds up to a seven per cent power increase to keep it in line with ever-faster trail bike speeds. The most noticeable difference though is a crisper, better communicated feel all round, keeping heart rate reasonable even in the sketchiest, slipperiest, turn in or wipe out moments. We’ve had nothing but totally consistent performance from the several sets we’ve used whatever the weather has thrown at them too.
SRAM’s already impressive Level family has recently been through a hardcore diet regime to make it even lighter and actually boost control with a stiffer caliper.
The Level Ultimate is super speedy but the carbon lever and titanium bolt kit help the brakes get towards a super low weight that real weight weenies will value. What separates Level from other featherweights though is that you won’t feel a compromise in terms of control.
With just two cylinders and no power boost linkage, outright power is unsurprisingly down on big four-pot DH brakes but within a slightly firmer squeeze of most four-pot trail brakes. ‘Direct Link’ lever and single piece caliper modulation are excellent for taming minimal tread race tires or dusty/slippery race courses too.
Long-term use has proved them trail-tough and mountain heat-resistant and ‘Bleeding Edge’ end-to-end fluid flow makes servicing simple. Seriously expensive though.
Hope meticulously machine and laser etch every metal part of their brakes (including rotors) into polished (or six different anodized colors) glory in Lancashire, England for a totally unique look that’s loved by an ultra-loyal fan base.
The Tech 3 levers sprout reach and bite point adjusters for balancing feel front to rear and drilled levers boost slippery-conditions grip. The long-running design and build quality mean reliability is excellent and in the unlikely event of a problem, Hope has an incredible reputation for sorting you out in the field with their event van or back at the factory.
The four-cylinder E4 calipers don’t bite as hard as most other trail four-pots though and a blunt feel means they tend to blow arms up fast on rough or extended descents.
How to choose the best mountain bike brakes
Should I buy budget MTB brakes?
If you’re just looking to replace cable-operated disc brakes or find cheap hydraulics for minimum cost, then Clarks is the answer. Not only are they ridiculously cheap for a pair of fully hydraulic brakes but they’re one of the few sets that don’t feel spongy or numbly wooden at the lever.
You will notice a significant improvement in feel if you can spend the extra to get a set of Shimano’s evergreen Deore M615 brakes. Make sure you’re getting the 615s though as the lower numbered Deore brakes are noticeably more numb.
Clarks and Deore will never hit DH (downhill) level deceleration but on the basis of each 20mm bigger you go on the rotor adding an extra 20 percent of power, you can certainly get them to the trail-taming point by upsizing your discs. Just make sure your frame and forks are big disc compatible too.
Which MTB brakes are best for cross-country?
SRAM Level brakes aren’t massively powerful but if you’re an XC (cross-country) racer the more expensive versions can save significant weight while still feeling great at the lever. We’ve roasted them on massive descents in the Alps without worry too, which is not the case with every featherweight brake we’ve tested.
What should I look for in enduro, bike park and trail brakes?
If the Alps or at least the local downhill trails/bike park are a regular riding destination, then power and top to bottom control obviously trump weight saving. There are plenty of different options to suit different feel/performance preferences too.
The most powerful brakes we’ve tested on a dyno are Magura’s four pots, with the MT4 offering the most cost-effective package. The mix of hard hydraulic bite but flexy lever feel from the plastic construction won’t suit everyone though and we’ve always had variable reliability from test sets.
Fractionally behind on power but still eyeball-straining and utterly reliable, with a feel that riders like at a bargain price are Shimano’s Zee brakes.
If you want to say you use the same brakes as Aaron Gwin and never weigh your bike then TRP’s big Quadiems are worth a look. Hayes' new Dominion gives a more progressive, lighter feel and some neat touches like sideways caliper adjustment. Prices are high though, and pads and accessories might be hard to find in an emergency.
If having brilliant backup is what you’re after then nobody beats Hope, who has a van at practically every UK event and will bend over backwards to help if you have an issue. Distinctive Lancashire machine-carved looks, relentless reliability, easy lever adjustment and the ability to get pretty colors guarantee a very loyal following too.
If you’re after the ultimate in fingertip speed control, however hot or rough the ride gets, then SRAM’s Code RS wins every time. An oversized reservoir means it can handle even the most intensive e-bike descent without cooking and it’s a positive joy to bleed if you ever need to. It’s relatively light for its impressive bite too.
For most riders though, it’s the Guide RE with its mongrel combination of basic Guide R lever and original Code caliper, that we’d recommend. It delivers enough power to properly shock you the first few pulls but enough control to make the most of it at a bargain price.
