Mountain Biking - Disc questions in the UK.

Hi all

I would like some advice on braking systems.
My options are.
Avid Mechanical Disc
Avid Arch Rival
Avid Single Digit 7
Shimano Deore hydro discs

please advice as of what to buy. I mostly ride XC and mild DH .
Also i am confused with prices here in the uk. What are the RRP on the avid discs? 59 quids or 89 quids?
Also the same problem with the V Avid Brakes....seen the whole lever/cable/brake set for 70 quids and the brakes at 30 quids alone.
I have already seen wiggle.evans etc online shops but still no progress.
thanks!

i just went through the same thing as you. I was looking at hydros but most of the people i talked to seemed to have trouble with their hydros so i decided to get avid mechs, they should be good you your mild DH if it is as mild as you say it is. Avid Arch Rivals are with the Magura Hydro V-Breaks as the strongest out there.
Good luck

Avid mechs will be perfect for you. Hydros are great but only required for certain types of riding.

Avid mechs are a great set up, especialy if you are only doing mild dh. You will get better braking then V's and less weight then hydros. They should work fine for you.


seemed to have trouble with their hydros

What problems did they have?


Slainte:beer:

I think hydros can sometimes (if not good quality) be tonnes of work, especially if you are like me and turn your bike upside down for quick fixes ;)

But generally if you get GOOD hydros they are way better than mechs

your bike upside down for quick fixes

That can be a problem if you have an open system or pull the lever because it will send air in to the system. It will make for a fun dh run though:p

Slainte:beer:

Originally posted by dirtbikedude



What problems did they have?


Slainte:beer:

this is directly from an e-mail that one of the crank bros sent me when i asked them about disks

"Hydro horrors I've heard:

-rubbing that you can't get rid of (squeek, squeek, squeek)
-fluid overheating and self-draining such that you have zero braking
-air in the lines that cause spungy feeling
-hard to adjust and change pads

I've been on lots of rides with hyrdo disc riders and it's common that one of them has problems on the ride (sometimes having to abort the ride). I've never had a single problem with V-brakes."

"rubbing that you can't get rid of (squeek, squeek, squeek)"

If they are set up properly they will not rub. On some frames you do have to do a bit of filling to get them just right.

"-fluid overheating and self-draining such that you have zero braking"

Best cure for this, don't ride the brakes.
Also make sure all the seals are in good condition and drain the original fluid and run DOT 5 synthetic brake fluid. If you do not want to run DOT 5 then be sure to change the fluid often.

"-air in the lines that cause spungy feeling"

Make sure to bleed them properly

"-hard to adjust and change pads"

Pull out pin, slide pads out, slide new pads in, replace pin and your done. Not to hard.


Granted if some one is not sure how to do any of this it can be anoying and it will take them some time.

Originally posted by math2p14
Hi all

I would like some advice on braking systems.
My options are.
Avid Mechanical Disc
Avid Arch Rival
Avid Single Digit 7
Shimano Deore hydro discs

please advice as of what to buy. I mostly ride XC and mild DH .
Also i am confused with prices here in the uk. What are the RRP on the avid discs? 59 quids or 89 quids?
Also the same problem with the V Avid Brakes....seen the whole lever/cable/brake set for 70 quids and the brakes at 30 quids alone.
I have already seen wiggle.evans etc online shops but still no progress.
thanks!

Considering the wet climate in which you live, I think you can rationalize using disc brakes, for the front at least.

I use a front Avid Mech disc and I am very satisfied with it. I don't know about prices, perhaps some U.K. riders could help you here.

Since you live in the U.K., would it not be feasible to get Hope discs?

I was thinking about Hope Disc's aswell....the Hope Mini's have had great reviews.

Out of the options you've posted, Avid Arch Rival brakes are top of the line brakes, but are no longer made for some reason.

I've just bought a set of Avid Mag V brakes and levers, and raced them at the weekend...top marks for their stopping power :)

I haven't had much experience with disc brakes full stop, so can't really offer any advice, but if you're mainly into XC then V brakes are probably the way forward.

I tend to get all my MTB stuff from Ebay...which works out well price wise.

Cheers

Rich