Mountain Biking - Disc brakes on Cheap bike

Ok I recently got a Jeep MTB. Now I know that Jeep is not a great MTB but I wasn't looking for anything special I don't go on extreme trails but I do enjoy Mountain biking and biking in general. I didn't want to spend much money (I don't use my bike for much comumuting and the riding season is like only 4 months here anyway). Anyway I was just wondering how do I know if I can put disc brakes on my bike. I don't think i'm going to get them this year or even next year. But maybe down the road when I use the bike more I would just like to know if I can put Discs on my current bike. I'm pretty new to the tech and parts side of biking so no fancy words or terms plz :D

My Jeep bike is a Jeep Renegade Classic

Any thing you can tell me good or bad would be helpful thanks.

Your fork will need to have disc tabs on the backside of the left fork near the bottom and there should also be disc tabs on the left rear upper swing arm just above your rear wheel skewer. The conversion will be rather costly especially if you choose hydraulic brakes. A good set of hydro's runs about $180 usd apiece. Mechanics are cheaper and less maintenence and you can often use your current brake levers but you may need new levers if your current ones don't have cable adjustments. Avid mechanicals are excellent disc brakes and have even been compared to the better hydro brakes. You'll also need to get a set of disc hubs and have these laced into your current wheelset or just get another wheelset. So a disc conversion can cost between $300-$500 depending if you choose hydro's or mech's. I myself chose to go with disc brakes in the front and v-brakes in the back because my rear doesn't have disc tabs and I also like to pull my kid with my Burley trailer and disc's on the rear wouldn't allow this. Also remember that about 75% of your stopping power comes from the front brakes. Just makes sure your fork can accept disc's. Also consider if it and the bike is worth it to you. Hope this helps.

akmtnbiker:beer:

I don't see anytabs on either the front or rear. Can a fork be changed to one that has these disc tabs?

so now urr at 500-800 to upgrade lol

Originally posted by WorldIRC
so now urr at 500-800 to upgrade lol

ok but can I deffentlly get a new fork that can take the disc brakes? I mean I could get a fork one year then the brakes the next.

yup yup.. just make sure u ask is it disc brake compatible. u can tell this by two little whole sticking out of the back of the left side of the shock.. also your hubs need to be compatible.

What IRC said is important. You don't only need a new fork(yes,you can get a disk coimpatible one and get the brakes in the future), but you need Disc specific hubs, which might mean new wheels altogether unless you can build wheels and lace the hubs or you have a shop near you. Its just that now your up to even more money. Doing it gradually like you mentioned would probably be a good idea. Good luck! It can be expensive but worth it.

Ok but I was at a LBS recently and a sales person told me that not all frames can take a new fork would I have this problem?

And about how much would a new wheel with disc hub cost?

If the bike is new, it probably takes a 1 1/8" diameter steering tube and it is probably threadless. If it's older it may be different. I'm not too sure about the Jeep set-ups and if they can take a new fork. What fork is on it now and do you know how much travel it has? I'm sure it's about 80mm and if so you may want to stick with that.

As for a wheelset. You can get a good set of rims laced to XT hubs for around $150 or less. I'd suggest the Mavic 517's or even Sun Rhyno lites as they are both cheap but durable. I like the Rhyno's because they are very sturdy and handle heavy abuse and heavy riders. They are a little heavier too though but I'll sacrifice that for good durable rims. You can also get disc specific rims for a descent price. But it all depends on the type of riding you do. Check around and even consider eBay but check the reviews on mtbreview.com before you jump into a rim. The XT hubs are good low prices disc hub too. Talk to your LBS and get to know them too.

But you may start putting more money into this bike than it's worth and that's something to consider too. Maybe the Jeep's are good but I'd put more effort into a new bike. The whole bike needs to work good together to get the best out of it and if you don't get this then you become discouraged and we loose another biker.

akmtnbiker

It's a Monroe 2.6inch fork.

Is there anyway I can tell by looking at it that I can upgrade it?

There are probably cheap disk brakes too that will brake down and give you lot's of problems in the near future too.

Many years ago I was being stupid and bought a relatively cheap bike with V brakes( it was the in thing). Not many weeks later, the rear brake started to clinch to one side. After many repairs I finally gave up on it and changed it to a better one. The main reason for the faults was that it was cheap, so it was below average and did not have that tiny screw to keep the spring in place. Yes it was a shimano, but a lousy one.

I believe it will be the same for disc brakes especially seeing some bikes in K-mart with disk brakes. So just make the right decision and don't choose disk brake just because you think they are nice. Main factors should be your usage and your budget.

Originally posted by norelec
It's a Monroe 2.6inch fork.

Is there anyway I can tell by looking at it that I can upgrade it?

YES, if you look at the form from the back, look on the bottom of the left side.....if there is any mounting brackets at all, then you can fit a disc caliper on the fork. But dont waste your money upgrading that bike. Save up and get a new one!!!

Originally posted by KleinMp99


YES, if you look at the form from the back, look on the bottom of the left side.....if there is any mounting brackets at all, then you can fit a disc caliper on the fork. But dont waste your money upgrading that bike. Save up and get a new one!!!

I meant is there anyway I can look at the fork to see if it's upgradeable?

I know throwing a lot of money into this bike wouldn't make sense but I don't plan on running out and getting all these upgrades at once. I also don't plan on getting any upgrade that i wouldn't be able to use on a new bike/frame if I got one later in the future.

If you're going to spend all this money on a bike you admit isnt that great, just take the 800 its going to take to upgrade it and buy a better bike ! :D

For about $600 or so you can buy a Giant Rainier which is an excellent bike for the price. It's a hardtail and already comes with Avid disc brakes and a descent shimano drivetrain. Definately worth considering.

akmtnbiker

Yea I know it's better to just take the money and get a new bike.

But I just got this bike like 3 weeks ago (although the gears are starting to act up already). I wish I had knew of this place before I bought my bike cause I don't think I would of gotten it.

It's just that I don't have a lot of money so upgrading one piece at a time would make it alot easier on my pocket book.

Also I'm in Canada so that 600 Giant bike would be at least 900 bucks here.