Replacing my broken brake

My Deore hydraulic brake lever assembly on my 69er broke.  It's time to upgrade, I thought.  And, I canvassed for a replacement.  An XT hydraulic brake set costs P7,200 while a Deore P4,000 only.
 
I'd like to upgrade to XT; but, the price difference made me think twice and even thrice.

Last Saturday, I was about to buy a Deore but, at the bike shop, I changed my mind.  Anyway, I have a budget for the XT; so, why not buy it.  But, the problem was I didn't carry enough money.  So, I tried to negotiate with the shop owner.  I'd pay P5,000 first and then give the balance on Monday.  He agreed but he'd increase the price from P7,200 to P8,000.  I haggled for no increase considering that I'm a patron of that shop and the balance would be paid in just two days.  He didn't agree.

Yesterday, while at the PMTB Forum, I saw a slightly used SLX hydraulic brake set for sale at P4,200.   I thought it's a good deal. After some considerations, I contacted the seller for a meet-up.

I got the brake set at P3,800 only; and, I saved P3,400.

My brake breaks

I have the front brake only on my bikes. Thus, I always ensure that they are always in good working conditions.

My hydraulic brake set came from a Deore Group set, which I bought about 2 years ago. The left lever assembly / front brake is installed in my 29er, while the right lever assembly / rear converted to front brake is in my 69er/26er.

Unfortunately, bad luck happened. Fortunately, it happened not at the wrong time and wrong place.

After my ride this morning and after cleaning the 69er, I again checked and tested my brake. When I pressed the lever, I heard something fell. I retrieved it and looked where it came from.

It's the part of the assembly that holds the lower pin of the lever that's broken:

 With the broken part:

Without the broken part:

Nonetheless, the brake is still functioning well; but, I won't use it anymore.

Whew! It's time to upgrade! I'm also considering of getting back my rear brakes as emergency brakes.

Front braking only

A bike has two brakes - front and rear.  In most bikes, the front brake lever is located at the left side of the handlebar, while the rear brake lever at the right side.  Some bikers modified the levers the other way around.

The front brake is more effective giving about 70% of braking power.  Most agreed that it, alone, should be used on level grounds.

On slope grounds, however, there are several schools on what brakes to use, i.e.:

• the rear brake only
• both brakes evenly
• both brakes but more on the rear
• front brake only

I've experimented and practiced all schools and, then, decided to use the front brake only in all situations - level and slope grounds, whether to slow down or to stop.  I've been doing this method for several months now.  And, so far, it's doing me good.