Shimano Saint review

Saint is Shimano’s heavy duty DH/ freeride group – not that you’d know it from this slimline stopper. Typically for Shimano, power for a given lever heave is low and, even with a 203mm rotor, it’s nearer other brakes with a 160mm rotor. The single-piece calliper gives impeccable control when cool but power faded dramatically once the rotor really started cooking, so it’s not good for dragging down big mountains. The oversized Center Lock rotor only fits Saint hubs, so you’ll most likely use a standard Center Lock or six-bolt (via an adaptor) Shimano rotor. Bleeding is easy, the levers are colour matched and the price is low, even if weight is high.