Lazyass

Haven't posted in awhile but I'm still alive.

Almost 3 years ago I bought a road bike with a 105/505 group. After the first couple of months, after trying every trick on the internet I could find to stop the air horn squealing, I was about ready to sell the bike. Then I got lucky and found a fix on my own. After that the brakes were fine. Not long after I took one of my older bikes on a ride with 6700 rim brakes w/ salmon pads. The first time I braked I accidentally locked up the rear wheel. I was like damn, these rim brakes are more powerful. The 505's work fine but I've never loved them. They don't have the bite I was expecting with hydraulic discs. I am on my second set of stock replacement pads. The only thing I like about the system is that the hideous looking RS505 shifters are so comfortable, the big bulbous hoods fit the palm of my hands perfectly.

A year ago I bought a new MTB with SLX discs. I was instantly amazed at the power. And they almost never make a sound. The best bicycle brakes I've ever had. They're stunning. If my road brakes were like that I would be in love. I also have an older Cannondale MTB with BB5 mechanical's and I even like them more than the 505's. And those have a 160 rotor in the front like the road bike, not a 180.

So my question is are there any newer road discs that are better and closer to performance with my SLX's, or just better overall? Any brand. I don't know if they're all deigned the same internally or what. I do believe the 505's were the first ones Shimano came out with, though I could be wrong. I am willing to buy a new complete group. Even a 1x, which my MTB has made me appreciate.

WhyFi

I would suspect that something is wrong with the set-up. I've had 505s on my secondary bike for a handful of years, but I've gone through newer and higher-end groupsets on my primary bikes, and none has braked significantly better than the 505 - they've all been fantastic.

Psimet2001 

Yeah - something is off. Shimano brakes are solid all around their lineup. If they don't have the bite you are looking for, and based on the sound comments even though you say you fixed that, new rotors and pads and then bed them in correctly and then done. a bleed is probably in order as well.

Psimet2001 

Also if you are looking for what is truly compatible with the levers there is a compatibility matrix listed over on the Shimano site. Start at si.shimano.com and look along the left for "technical specifications" It can take some digging but usually you can do a search for the model number and find what other calipers are compatible with the levers. On the one hand it's probably a waste - you will need to bleed the new setup, should switch to a new rotor as well - the new calipers do come with a fresh set of pads.

Also a little problem with Shimano at the moment - parts availability. I can spend hours looking for parts on a daily basis. It's bad.