Magura Julie or Hayes HFX-9 Carbon?

I just put a Hayes HFX-Mag on the front and HFX-9 (not carbon) on the rear of my mountain bike. Damn they are good, they make my old Cannondale Expert hydros feel like Huffy brakes.

When I was looking for brake advice, the guy at my LBS steered me in no uncertain terms to look at either Hayes or Shimano XT. Speaking of the Shimanos, you might be able to find a set of the old 2003 XT brakes cheap somewhere, as they've been re-worked for the 2004 group.

Can't comment much on the Maguras as I've never used them.. a look some reviews on www.mtbr.com should at least let you isolate where there are any particular strengths or weaknesses of each.

I've used both sets of brakes, i had the julies on a hardtail this year and hayes HFX 9 (not carbons tho) on my free ride bike

The julies were ok but they aren't as powerful as the hayes and got a bit spongy on long downhills. The hayes are very powerful and once setup they are reliable however you need to make sure you get them installed and bled properly or they will feel mushy and [censored]

Between those two take the Hayes. However if the main use for them is XC and price is an issue then as previously mentioned the XTs could be a good way to go. I've got 2003 XTs on my "all-around" bike and they work great. They Hayes are great brakes (have them on the DH bike) but they can get expensive. Happy holidays.

K.

I've ridden 2001 and pre XT's (Same up to 2003), XTR's, Hope Mini's, and Hayes Mag hydro's which have the other style lever but performance is identical as the functional parts are exctly the same as the HFX-9. Overall I have to say the Hayes is by far the best of them all. Their stopping power is downright the best and they are easily the most reliable.