Mountain Biking - Disc brakes vs. conventional

what are the positives and negatives of disc brakes, are the mainly for downhill??

thanks

- Disk wheels cost more
+ Disks weigh about the same and
have better stopping power

NO, disks arent for mainly down hill, people use them for xc all the time.

I wanted to give my opinion on this matter since I just had this very conversation with my father-in-law who is thinking of upgrading to discs.

If you're thinking of upgrading, you first have to ask yourself a couple of ?'s. Do I need the additional braking force that discs provide or are linear-pull(vee) brakes adequate? Do I ride in extremely muddy conditions that cause high wear on my brake pads? Am I a techno nut who loves to work on my bike constantly doing special cleaning and adjustments all the time? Do I constantly bend rims or at least knock them out of true all the time? Do I have an extra $500-800 laying around? Lastly, are my frame and fork equipped to accept disc brake calipers?

If upgrading, don't upgrade to mechanicals, jump up to hydraulics or you're spending money on very little improvement over linear-pull.

Discs work great, they have a lot of power and are way cool. However, they cost a lot, require special cleaning, they weigh more, more expensive to replace pads, require all compatible components.

If you're buying a new bike, then it's a matter of cost and your desire to have the latest and greatest stuff. If you're thinking of saving money and upgrading later, forget it. It costs a ton more money to upgrade versus buying them on a complete bike.

With all that said, I have discs on my bike. Why? because I work at a shop and wanted to have the best! That and I'm running a Lefty Strut and have no choice on the front. I also abuse rear wheels. I tacoed my back wheel a couple of weeks ago, beat the rim on the ground enough to get it somewhat straight put it back on and rode the rest of the afternoon with a woobly rear wheel yet fully functional brake. I bought the bike with the discs already on so the additional costs was not a major issue. I am also in the process of lacing up a set of 700c rims to a spare set of hubs. This will allow me to easily ride my mountain bike on training road rides without getting dropped in the first 10 minutes.

As far as manufacturers, you can't beat Hayes. I've ridden a couple of bikes with the XT's and they're pretty nice as well. The Maguras seem to be very nice also. I really don't think you can go wrong as long as you stick with the hydraulics. I think the mechanical discs are available to allow people on a budget to have "disc" brakes on their bikes. (Some macho I've got discs thing!) I'd save your money until you can get the hydros.

I think I've said enough, keep us posted on your decision. Remember it doesn't really matter what you ride, just as long as you're riding!!!!!

I have them for mainly peace of mind. I somehow cant trust a Vbrake. Seems to me if I crank on it during a hard stop, it could just break off and Ild be screwed. Theres alot of force there. Just me I guess.

my wife's new bike has hayes hydro discs, i test rode it while she was at work :o and found they can actually skid on dry pavement under my 210 lb butt!! i was really amused, i have tektro v's on my bike and can't get it to skid ever, at all, oh wait it can on a steep downhill of soft dirt or gravel.

however, i still don't think i need discs, my v's have never failed me, i've never not been able to ride something because my v's weren't good enough. and, i already have them, if i were building a bike from scratch i might opt for disc, but since my v's are fine now i'll just keep them.

though once my v's start to wear down the wear indicator line on my rims i might upgrade to discs rather than buy new rims, because my fork, frame, and wheels are all disc ready. but the bike is new so thats hundreds or thousands of miles away.

oh and about terrain, my v's don't stop quite as good in heavy rain, but i just clamp harder and they're fine. and when they get muddy i take a kleenex to them (or a leaf if in the woods) and they're fine.

I just rode about 20 miles through the greenbelt trail today and my avid bb5's worked just as well as the hydros on my friends fuel. The fuel stopped great and my bike stops great. I really didnt notice a difference in stopping power from one to the other, and I rode both of them down some pretty nasty hills. But then I do spend alot of time adjusting them and my friend doesnt have too. :) I might upgrade just cause of that!

I just rode a wild 28 mile ride/race at Dupont State Forest (NC) today and my hydraulic disc brakes allowed me to absolutely bomb downhills with the ability to slow down as needed with one finger on each brake lever. Last year on my bike with rim brakes my forearms were screaming on many of the downhills and the mud bogs caused poor braking performance ... highly recommend the only ones I've tried Avid Juicy 5s

I think the mechanical discs are available to allow people on a budget to have "disc" brakes on their bikes. (Some macho I've got discs thing!) I'd save your money until you can get the hydros.

How is it macho? Not everyone can afford hydraulic disc brakes. They cost a pretty penny per brake. Me, I have no idea if the bb5s I ordered are going to be better than v brakes. But they were 39 each, and were highly recommended so why not? Personally, if I think the bb5s aren't strong enough, I'll put a 185-205mm bb7 brake on the front wheel.

How is it macho?

Perhaps his opinion has changed in the five and a half years (plus) since his post.

How is it macho? Not everyone can afford hydraulic disc brakes. They cost a pretty penny per brake. Me, I have no idea if the bb5s I ordered are going to be better than v brakes. But they were 39 each, and were highly recommended so why not? Personally, if I think the bb5s aren't strong enough, I'll put a 185-205mm bb7 brake on the front wheel.
Its definitely strong enough, Its definitely better than your rim brakes. I just did the switch from rim brakes to avid bb5's. very smooth and controlled descents. Get ready to spend some time setting them up properly and then adjusting them after a few rides though. Good luck! :)

Note to self: check post dates before posting.

Note to self: check post dates before posting.


aww son of a ***** well at least this time it wasn't me that awakened the 5 yr old thread.

aww son of a *****
:roflmao:

I heard that a new brand is about to hit the market.
They're called Arid or Aved or something like that...

I heard that a new brand is about to hit the market.
They're called Arid or Aved or something like that...

Hmm, haven't heard that yet. Let us know if you find out anything!