Shimano Saint disc brake review

Saint brakes have been around for ages, but superb reliability and low price make even these oldies a decent option. 

The levers are a bit dated and there’s no adjustment except for blade reach, but they sit alongside Shimano or SRAM shifters happily. Lever feel is consistently smooth, even on old sets.

There’s little leverage in the brake by modern standards so 203mm rotors are pretty much essential for proper mountain work. 

We don’t recommend them for drag anchor merchants, because the mineral oil mechanicals can boil up if you really beast them. 

Having to put them together from separate brake and lever pieces is a pain, but once together they have great reliability, which boosts already good value.