The Shimano Deore XT BL-M8100 brake lever is designed for low weight and cross-country specific braking performance, providing a lot of safety thanks to its intuitive modulation. The distance from the lever's starting position to the contact point of the brake pads can be adjusted to the size of the rider's hand, as well as their riding style and personal preferences. The brake lever is equipped with a reach adjustment, allowing the grip to be tailored to the size of the rider's hand or their riding style. The Servowave brake lever takes up a lot of braking distance at the beginning of its movement, allowing the pads to be brought to the brake disc with minimal lever travel. After the brake pads make contact, the force translation factor increases rapidly. This means that a larger portion of the lever travel is still available to increase braking power and provide more precise modulation.
The Shimano Deore XT BL-M8100 brake lever is designed for low weight and cross-country specific braking performance, providing a lot of safety thanks to its intuitive modulation. The distance from the lever's starting position to the contact point of the brake pads can be adjusted to the size of the rider's hand, as well as their riding style and personal preferences. The brake lever is equipped with a reach adjustment, allowing the grip to be tailored to the size of the rider's hand or their riding style. The Servowave brake lever takes up a lot of braking distance at the beginning of its movement, allowing the pads to be brought to the brake disc with minimal lever travel. After the brake pads make contact, the force translation factor increases rapidly. This means that a larger portion of the lever travel is still available to increase braking power and provide more precise modulation.
The Shimano Deore XT BL-M8100 brake lever is designed for low weight and cross-country specific braking performance, providing a lot of safety thanks to its intuitive modulation. The distance from the lever's starting position to the contact point of the brake pads can be adjusted to the size of the rider's hand, as well as their riding style and personal preferences. The brake lever is equipped with a reach adjustment, allowing the grip to be tailored to the size of the rider's hand or their riding style. The Servowave brake lever takes up a lot of braking distance at the beginning of its movement, allowing the pads to be brought to the brake disc with minimal lever travel. After the brake pads make contact, the force translation factor increases rapidly. This means that a larger portion of the lever travel is still available to increase braking power and provide more precise modulation.
The Shimano Deore XT BL-M8100 brake lever is designed for low weight and cross-country specific braking performance, providing a lot of safety thanks to its intuitive modulation. The distance from the lever's starting position to the contact point of the brake pads can be adjusted to the size of the rider's hand, as well as their riding style and personal preferences. The brake lever is equipped with a reach adjustment, allowing the grip to be tailored to the size of the rider's hand or their riding style. The Servowave brake lever takes up a lot of braking distance at the beginning of its movement, allowing the pads to be brought to the brake disc with minimal lever travel. After the brake pads make contact, the force translation factor increases rapidly. This means that a larger portion of the lever travel is still available to increase braking power and provide more precise modulation.
Last updated at 06/10/2026 11:42:27
SHIMANO Deore XT Bicycle Brake Lever - BL-M8100
Free delivery
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SHIMANO DEORE XT M8100 Hydraulic Disc Brake BL-M8100 Brake Lever BR-M8100 Brake Caliper Parts
Delivery $16.08
Shimano Deore XT M8100 Hydraulic Disc Brake Lever BL-M8100 Left or Right or BR-M8100 Brake Resin
Delivery $88.92
Shimano Lever - XT M8100 - Right
Delivery $16.50
Shimano XT BL-M8100 Brake Lever Deore Right/Front
Shimano Deore XT BL-M8100 hydraulic brake lever Position Rear (Right lever)
Delivery between Thu – Fri $40.62
Shimano XT BL-M8100 Brake Lever Right
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Shimano XT BL-M8100 Brake Lever Right
Delivery between Fri – Tue $9.99
Shimano XT BL-M8100 Brake Lever Right
Delivery between 12–17 June $9.90
SHIMANO XT BL-M8100 Brake Lever RIGHT
Delivery between 16–22 June $12.90
originally posted on jensonusa.com
OK, maybe that's a slight exaggeration but only a little. I got these to replace some 4 piston G2s that came stock on an aluminum Hightower because they were the only complete set I could find that wasn't insanely expensive. Turned out to be a great buy. And that's right. I replaced a four piston brake with a two piston brake and they are killing it. They have amazing stopping power. The lever blades are dimpled and have a great feel. True one finger braking with power to spare. Super easy to bleed too. Happy with my purchase and I would definitely buy them again.
originally posted on jensonusa.com
Put on my Ti XC bike. Drastic braking power over the BB7 cable pull brakes I had.YOU WILL ABSOLUTELY NEED:1) Bleed Kit / Shimano specific oil (not all Shimano brakes use the same kit, verify that it will work)2) Hose cutter (I used a fresh razor and cut the hose on a small, clean block of wood - slow and steady sawing motion to ensure 90er cut)3) Barb Inserter (I used the same small, clean block of wood to push the new barb in)The barb that is pre-installed on the hose is not an actual barb, and the Shimano instructions online say to cut at least 18mm off of the new line. A new barb is included in the bag.The olive is already pre-installed behind the flange bolt on the lever. You will fell it "crush" and you tighten. This is how the line stays in place, ... MorePut on my Ti XC bike. Drastic braking power over the BB7 cable pull brakes I had.YOU WILL ABSOLUTELY NEED:1) Bleed Kit / Shimano specific oil (not all Shimano brakes use the same kit, verify that it will work)2) Hose cutter (I used a fresh razor and cut the hose on a small, clean block of wood - slow and steady sawing motion to ensure 90er cut)3) Barb Inserter (I used the same small, clean block of wood to push the new barb in)The barb that is pre-installed on the hose is not an actual barb, and the Shimano instructions online say to cut at least 18mm off of the new line. A new barb is included in the bag.The olive is already pre-installed behind the flange bolt on the lever. You will fell it "crush" and you tighten. This is how the line stays in place, in the master cylinder.
originally posted on biketart.com
There was too much travel between the pads and rotors until i read a forum page which gave the best way to reduce the brake lever travel. Simply remove wheel and pump lever 2 or 3 times to leave the pistons further out of the calipers. Worked for me. Saves a lot of time bleeding the brakes for nothing.
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SHIMANO Deore XT Bicycle Brake Lever - BL-M8100
Free delivery
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
SHIMANO DEORE XT M8100 Hydraulic Disc Brake BL-M8100 Brake Lever BR-M8100 Brake Caliper Parts
Delivery $16.08
Shimano Deore XT M8100 Hydraulic Disc Brake Lever BL-M8100 Left or Right or BR-M8100 Brake Resin
Delivery $88.92
Shimano Lever - XT M8100 - Right
Delivery $16.50
Shimano XT BL-M8100 Brake Lever Deore Right/Front
OK, maybe that's a slight exaggeration but only a little. I got these to replace some 4 piston G2s that came stock on an aluminum Hightower because they were the only complete set I could find that wasn't insanely expensive. Turned out to be a great buy. And that's right. I replaced a four piston brake with a two piston brake and they are killing it. They have amazing stopping power. The lever blades are dimpled and have a great feel. True one finger braking with power to spare. Super easy to bleed too. Happy with my purchase and I would definitely buy them again.
Put on my Ti XC bike. Drastic braking power over the BB7 cable pull brakes I had.YOU WILL ABSOLUTELY NEED:1) Bleed Kit / Shimano specific oil (not all Shimano brakes use the same kit, verify that it will work)2) Hose cutter (I used a fresh razor and cut the hose on a small, clean block of wood - slow and steady sawing motion to ensure 90er cut)3) Barb Inserter (I used the same small, clean block of wood to push the new barb in)The barb that is pre-installed on the hose is not an actual barb, and the Shimano instructions online say to cut at least 18mm off of the new line. A new barb is included in the bag.The olive is already pre-installed behind the flange bolt on the lever. You will fell it "crush" and you tighten. This is how the line stays in place, ... MorePut on my Ti XC bike. Drastic braking power over the BB7 cable pull brakes I had.YOU WILL ABSOLUTELY NEED:1) Bleed Kit / Shimano specific oil (not all Shimano brakes use the same kit, verify that it will work)2) Hose cutter (I used a fresh razor and cut the hose on a small, clean block of wood - slow and steady sawing motion to ensure 90er cut)3) Barb Inserter (I used the same small, clean block of wood to push the new barb in)The barb that is pre-installed on the hose is not an actual barb, and the Shimano instructions online say to cut at least 18mm off of the new line. A new barb is included in the bag.The olive is already pre-installed behind the flange bolt on the lever. You will fell it "crush" and you tighten. This is how the line stays in place, in the master cylinder.
There was too much travel between the pads and rotors until i read a forum page which gave the best way to reduce the brake lever travel. Simply remove wheel and pump lever 2 or 3 times to leave the pistons further out of the calipers. Worked for me. Saves a lot of time bleeding the brakes for nothing.
I bought the front and rear set and they are well built and look great as is usual for Shimano. The two-pistons will be just fine for most applications and can be paired with larger rotors (180 and/or 203mm) for some more braking leverage. These are great for my light trail/XC build.
Testing between 4 pot SLX and this 2 pot XT. No difference in my feel. Nor have I had any issues with this brake, though by all accounts 4 pot is going to be a stronger brake. Note that I previously used a shimano MT401 on the same bike for a short time which I actually felt the limits on. The XT is a massive upgrade from those and can really bolster my control on steeper/dicy trail sections compared to lower end brakes. I ride an orange P7 down pretty much anything in PNW. My overall takeaway is that a 2 pot XT with a 180mm rotor works really well for me, and that an upgrade to a 4-pot does not seem to be needed.
I grabbed these (rear and front) last summer for my Giant Talon 29er. Left the original discs. Well, these bad boys were a significant upgrade to the tektro brakes the bike came with. I wasn't able to stop or pose on any features before but after putting these on, the riding experience was night and day. Love them and XT level components are awesome. Was out riding yesterday shredding gnar and my riding group was like "Dude, you shred bud!". Thanks to these brakes, I could stop in style and impress my fellow gnar shreddars!
Works very well. However this is the first time I had hydraulic brakes on a mtn bike so not much to compare with. This is the first time installing hydraulic brakes so it was a bit to learn -- for example on Santa Cruz Tall Boy the protective cap on the brake line will not go through the frame holes. Found I had to bleed the brakes after install -- just could not get air out any other way. I found conflicting instructions on different Youtube channels - confusing but nothing of great consequence.
I bought these because my Avid Elixir 5 weren't too far gone and everything needed to be replaced on them. So, in an effort to save some money I went with that Shimano brakes. They work fantastic and I have no regrets. Here's the deal though. You need to sort through a massive amount of web pages to find the the actual instructions for setting these up. This all can be diverted by Jenson providing a direct link or Shimano adding the link within the packaging. Once you have these, you will be good to go without bleeding them.
Easy to fit, self bleeding - plug and play. Good feel, great power, awesome value for money. Replaced some SRAM DB5 rear brakes with the notorious spongy feeling and impossible to bleed issues - money well spent to get back on the trails.
These brakes are a snap to install. Definitely bleed after install. Modulation is better than I thought it would be, I bedded them in which will help provide consistent bite. The are leaps and bounds better than cable actuated. A torn rotator cuff and PT ?? hold me back from a full review, but I look forward to spring, a fast recovery (?) and chance to really try out these new shoes!
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