Just did an install of XT brakes on my Tallboy LT to replace the Elixir 5s that came with it. After one too many adjustments, bleeds and pad changes I'd had enough. What's funny is that after removing the Avids and putting a shipping block in, they felt to have a nice firm lever feel. Maybe it's all in how close they are bled to the rotor along with pad thickness, etc.

Anyway, the XT install wasn't too bad, except that to properly run the Pre-Bled system, you have to drop the rear triangle, because parts just don't fit through the available space. Well, that wasn't too bad until I broke one of the screws for the pivot wedges. Fortunately BikeBling had one and the olives and end fitting so I could shorten the tubes while I was at it.

So the trip just before rush hour traffic wasn't too bad.

Shortening the tubes was fairly easy, but I did have to bleed the rear as I'd introduced some air in the line. Well, as I'd heard that got kinda messing in a hurry, which is kinda funny because I've bled the Avids at least half a dozen times and not made that much of a mess all times added up.

Once I figured it out, it went fairly smooth and I have nice firm lever feel, even so much I can feel the ripples in the rear rotor that I could never feel with the Avids.

I sanded and wiped down both front and rear rotor to remove the Avid pad material, but I think the Shimano material might squeal a little until it get's bedded in.

We'll find out how well I really did with bleeding and everything in the morning.

You won't feel the power of the Shimano brakes with avid rotors; it will work but performance will be lacking. Look at the design of the two rotors, vastly different for a reason; the bite surface on the shimanos are wider with more material and are cooled by those fancy vents, avid uses less material for self cooling. Not the place to cut cost on your bike .

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"Just stop this walking shit and let's get this done"
Avidtesty (Arch 2019)

So how did it go? I bet they worked great with the Avid rotors. You can always upgrade to the latest Shimano rotors later to get that last bit of performance satisfaction.

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Thus, if we are to understand the world, we should live somewhere between judgement and amazement — Alfredo Lopez Austin

At the start of the ride they howled like nobodies business and they didn't seem to have much bite for the first mile, but they started to develop better bite and slowly the noise went away.

By about mile 4 or 5 they grabbed extremely well with no noise.

Night and day compared to the Avids except when they had a fresh bleed and new pads.

I probably should have purchased new rotors as the old ones had a bit of a groove on them, that the Shimano brakes were overlapping.

I think this groove/lip was part of the noise until they got bed in.

As I'm in the process of building a whole second bike, I needed to save a little cost so next time around when I need pads I will probably get new rotors then.

Did you do any specific bedding-in runs after installing? That really helps, but it sounds like they are bedded in well now. Two weeks ago I put new sintered pads on my SLX brakes/ Avid rotors combo, and it was the easiest ever. Slipped right in, I wiped the rotors off, and pedaled up a quarter mile hill. Did about a half dozen firm brake applications on the way back down, and they were great.

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Thus, if we are to understand the world, we should live somewhere between judgement and amazement — Alfredo Lopez Austin

I sanded and cleaned the rotors to remove the Avid/Swiss Stop material layer, then cleaned with alcohol. Didn't really do a Pre-Ride bed in, I did a few bed in stops on the pavement, but it was so loud I only did a few. So it really was the first section of the ride that bedding in happened.

Normally with my racecar and bike I usually try to do a half dozen or more stops from medium speed to a slow speed "not a full stop". Then let them sit for a few minutes to cool back down, but I completed the initial install at 11pm and just didn't feel like doing it then.

^^^ Better to let your DT friends make fun of your squealing brakes the first few miles of a ride than wake your neighbors!

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Thus, if we are to understand the world, we should live somewhere between judgement and amazement — Alfredo Lopez Austin

Be advised also that Avid rotors are normally 185mm and Shimano rotors are 180mm. pad to rotor width will be different too when mixing different brands.

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My Favorite Trail is unknown to many, everybody here loves it.

Unless you've ran the Shimano brakes with both types of Rotors, meaning Avid and Shimano, then you have NO knowledge of a comparison. Like I said, Avid rotors will work....

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"Just stop this walking shit and let's get this done"
Avidtesty (Arch 2019)

^^^ As attested to by many people on the various bike forums, the Avid rotors work just fine with Shimano brakes. Just use a washer on the post mounts to make up the 5mm difference. And the width of the pads (swept area) is close enough (I measured with vernier calipers) to be negligible. I think almost all the recently perceived Shimano advantage vs Avid is in the levers and calipers, easier bleedability, and very little in the rotor, unless you need the nth degree of Ice Tech heat dissipation, and most riders don't. Just think about power, modulation. & feel. Has everything to do with cylinders, pistons, & pads, little to do with rotors.

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Thus, if we are to understand the world, we should live somewhere between judgement and amazement — Alfredo Lopez Austin

I'm not sure which Avid rotors everyone else was using, but mine were 180 front 160 rear, so no extra spacers required, just the standard Shimano brackets which all came with the kit I ordered. So for $189 delivered, I've got me some noce XTs.

Now just to convince someone to purchase the Avids.