Bicycle Mechanics - maintenance for disk brakes

Hi,

I am new here and have a couple of questions about disk brakes as I am looking for a new bike. I really like Mountain bikes even the majority of my riding is actually done on the roads and bike paths - some fairly rough. My old Kuwahara bike is requiring too many repairs to keep it going so I am looking at some better bikes like the Brodie Bruzza or Fury and the Devinci Cameleon. (The Bruzza and Cameleon both have disk brakes)

I have never had disk brakes before and am wondering how hard they are to maintain on a day to day basis ? I live in North Vancouver, B.C. so we get tons of rain and I regularly ride in absolute downpours. Am I going to notice a big difference in stopping power between the disk brakes and the regular rim brakes ?
Am I overbuying with disk brakes if I am going to be mostly on the road ?

Also, the Devinci has 6" Shimano M475 disk brakes ? Are they any good ?

The Bruzza and Cameleon are both in the same price range. I just happen to be getting a good deal on the Cameleon as it is $80.00 off the regular price. Otherwise..both are normally $1200.00 cdn including taxes.

Justen

Disk Brakes are fairly easy to maintain, Hyrdo's have to be bled 1 or 2 times a year, mechs, will need new cable 1 or twice a rear, pad wear can be checked by metal currency, if it is thinner than a dime they are worn out, above a nickel, the pads are fine for awhile. Just remember not to touch the pads or the rotors with your fingers, the pads and rotors will contaminate if you have to touch them for some reason, use powder free latex gloves.

Thanks for replying so quick ! I am sick of the rim brakes. I go through brake pads ALOT and my rims are now wearing down badly.

Why do disk brakes squeal so badly ? The ones I tested don't but I heard that disk brakes can start to squeal badly when they are wet. Is this just due to poor set-up or is it something you have to deal with ?
Will cycling in heavy rain regularly cause the disk brakes to require more maintenance or are they just low maintenance all around ?

Thanks again for answering my questions !

Justen

Justen,

I'm no expert by a long shot, but like you i was worried about all the squealing problems i kept reading about. I now believe a lot of that is due to improper care, especially as far as the rotors and the pads are concerned. The slightest contamination from handling or anything that gets on them can cause noise. When i installed mine i was sorely disappointed because they howled like a cyote. But i just sanded the pads to get any contamination off them, then thuroughly cleaned and the rotors them with rubbing alcohol, and they haven't made a single noise since. However, i don't ride in wet weather, and since you say you ride in the rain, that could be a problem from all i've read. Many say they do squeal when wet. I'll never know because i will never get them wet here in So. Cal.

After buying and setting up a set of discs i really believe that most of the problems you read about with them are user error. And they are a bit tricky to get the hang of, but as i said, just a "bit". Not sure what you don't like about your regular brakes, so i can't say how i think you'll like discs by comparison. But as much as i like them i probably would have stuck with my old V brakes if it weren't for the fact that 1/2 my riding is downhill, which is where they shine over V brakes. On the flat i really don't see a need for them. Not that they wouldn't be nice to have even there, but the benefits they afford may not be worth the added maintenance if all you do is ride flats.

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. I do mostly ride on the road although, there are alot of steep hills around here. Cycling in traffic in heavy rain often requires stopping on a dime to avoid the idiots who throw their doors open in front of you or who pull out without looking, cut you off, etc. However, I also want a bike with good quality parts on it just because I want it to last for a long time. My current bike is a Kuwahara. I bought it before I really knew that much about mountain bikes. It has been pretty good for road cycling but now rattles like crazy just going off a curb so it would fall apart if I tried to go off anything higher than 2 feet ! :-)

If I go for the Brodie bike without the disk brakes, I would apparantly also be going for a bike with lower quality components on it. Maybe for a road bike that doesn't matter..I don't know.

I liked the feel of the Brodie Fury but it has no disc brakes and according to another forum member here, the forks are low end. For only $200.00 more, I can get the disk brakes and maybe better quality parts.

As for the disk brakes....how hard are they to get used to ? Do you have to brake differently than you do for regular v brakes ? How much maintenance is involved ? I don't want to be cleaning them everytime I go out.

Justen

For me at least there was no learning curve at all for the discs, save for the 1st time or 2 i squeezed em on a steep dowhill fireroad. I think you'd only have to think about that if you are into extreme riding where the wrong amount of braking might mean disaster. But for those who ride like myself or like you describe, i wouldn't worry about it.

I will tell you this tho......go for as much bike as you can afford. Till i bought my stumpjumper all i did was ride streets, using street bikes and hybrids. Yet when i got the stumpy i found that even tho i bought it to ride mountain, it's just so much better than the $300-400 bikes i had in the past that it actually is far nicer on the streets that my other bikes, even tho they were made for it and the stumpy isn't. A set of street tire and it would be awesome on pavement. It's the quality that makes all the difference. So i say go for as much bike as you can afford and compare the components closely to find the best stuff for the price. On a suspension bike put a lot of emphasis on the fork. They really do make a difference. I replaced the cheap manitou on my stumpy with a Marzocchi and it made a big difference in how it feels and how well it steers. Others may disagree, and they may be right since i'm new to this, but my feeling at this point is that if you are into the kind of non-extreme riding as you and i are into, the frame should take a back seat to the quality of the components. Thats the way it seems to me anyway.

The Shimano M475 brakes are sub Deore level crap. Get yourself a set of Avid mechanicals. Much easier to work on no hydro fluid to bleed / spill and believe me they STOP.

I will tell you this tho......go for as much bike as you can afford.

>>Hey, thanks for writing back. This forum has been so helpful. I really appreciate everybody's advice and suggestions.

I think I am doing the right thing by going for the best bike I can afford instead of settling for one that will meet my needs now but may not in the future. I want the option of being able to pound around on the North Shore trails without any worries.

I actually just took a Brodie Bruzza out for a test ride again this morning. It handles well. I really like the disk brakes. It can get pretty muddy and dirty with all the rain we get here so I think it may be worth it.

Anyway, the most I can afford is $1300.00 total including the taxes so that is about a $1200.00 bike as we pay 7 % tax on bikes here.

Is that a reasonable amount to pay for a decent bike ?

Thanks again for all your suggestions !

Justen

Is that US or CDN dollars?

The Shimano M475 brakes are sub Deore level crap. Get yourself a set of Avid mechanicals. Much easier to work on no hydro fluid to bleed / spill and believe me they STOP.

>>>Hi...

This is good to know as that is what is on the Cameleon. Like I was saying to someone else, there are no reviews anywhere (that I could find) on these m475 brakes which made me realize that they probably aren't that popular.

The Brodie Bruzza that I was looking at in comparison has Hayes HMX 1 disks which I heard are not bad. I cannot afford to add anything else to the Bruzza right now. I am already at my maximum limit buying this bike budget wise. I just hope it turns out to be worth the money ! From what I have heard here so far, it will.

Justen

Is that US or CDN dollars?

>>>Sorry..I usually right CDN after it. I forgot to this time :-)

That is $1270-1300.00 CDN total for the Brodie Bruzza which includes our 7 % tax. The second tax we are usually charged is not added to bikes..I can't remember why. I have not done much checking around to compare prices yet though.

Justen

Originally posted by danka24
Disk Brakes are fairly easy to maintain, Hyrdo's have to be bled 1 or 2 times a year, mechs, will need new cable 1 or twice a rear, pad wear can be checked by metal currency, if it is thinner than a dime they are worn out, above a nickel, the pads are fine for awhile. Just remember not to touch the pads or the rotors with your fingers, the pads and rotors will contaminate if you have to touch them for some reason, use powder free latex gloves.

I don't get it! So they can get the dirt, send, and rain on their surface, but not human fingers???:confused:

Yes. The oil on your fingers contaminates the surfaces and reduces the friction that stops the wheels.

i hear the avid mechs are just as much as a pain in the but as hydro maelstrom just replaced his with hydros also cause the avids sucked. save up wait till you find a sale and get some hydros, i love mine and i paid an arm and a leg (hope quad pistons) i forget the name of them but they are great, i found that the avid mech brakes have less of a chance for "fade" when downhilling but they always had to be adjusted also the fact that a cable somtimes can be feild repaired till you get home as repairing tube for hydro brakes is dam next to impossable what i think it comes down to is if hdro brakes were as cheap as say avid v brakes everyone would have them and there would be no mech disc brakes

This has been helpful to me. I am looking at hybids. One that I really like has mechanical disc brakes (Specialized Crossroads Comp). This bike also has some nice Shimano Nexave Components. Nexave is supposed to be Shimano's higher end comfort-class stuff, according to the Shimano website.

Other bikes that I am looking at in the same $500 (U.S. dollars) range have lesser components, and none have disk brakes.

At first, I thought "hey, this is really cool - disk brakes." But now I have some experienced people telling me to stay away from them because they are a maintenance nightmare, and are expensive to fix once out of warranty. I want to know if this is true. If it is, should I give up on this bike altogether? I know I don't "need" disc brakes for the light riding I will be doing, but they are neat feature to have.

Other hybrids I have looked at are: K2 Newport, Giant Cypress LX, Giant Cypress DX, Trek 7200, Trek 7300, Specialized Crossroads Deluxe, Devinci Liverpool, and of course the Specialized Crossroads Comp with disc brakes and Shamano Nexave all over.

Note: This is my first post - ever.

Hey Lightyear, welcome to the forums.

What kind of brakes are they? If they're Avid or Hayes, get them if they're Pro-Max or some other generic, you'll hate them!

The thing about discs, is that they are the "must have" item. As a result a lot of company's buyers are installing them on bikes with sub-par discs. You'd be better off with a decent pair of linear pull (vee) brakes than cheap mechanical discs.

L8R
L8R

a2psyklnut,

According to the brochure, they are Shimano Nexave 500 Cable Actuated Disc Brakes. When I saw them, it was too icy outside to test ride, but they looked to me like 6" discs - front and rear.

This is the only model I am looking at that has disc brakes. It just so happens that this bike also has the very best component package of any ride I have looked at, yet it is only slightly more expensive.

I have been told by some neighbors of mine that are "cycling aficionados" that the components of any bike I am looking at are more than sufficient, and that I am going wasting my efforts comparing one to another. They also are the ones that told me to stay away from disc brakes because "you don't need them for the type of riding you are doing," and "they are only going to cause you maintenance headaches and alot of $ in repairs down the road."

I'm not sure whether I believe that or not. Given that all of the frames I am considering are quality made aluminum frames, what else am I comparing other than component packages?

Thanks for the help -- keep it coming!

Pass on the Shi**NO mechs. If you're going to go with mechanical disc brakes don't settle for anything other than Avid mechanicals. The others PALE in comparison.

Originally posted by Raiyn
Pass on the Shi**NO mechs. If you're going to go with mechanical disc brakes don't settle for anything other than Avid mechanicals. The others PALE in comparison.

I understand that Hayes are not bad either, even though Avid are apparently the best.

Justen

Hayes mechs are passable but Avid has really got their act together when it comes to mechs. Now we'll see about the hydros they've been keeping us waiting for all these years.


You're not still mad at me are you Justen?:D

Nope...not mad at all. Life is too short to be mad ! :-)

I just hope I didn't make a mistake going with these Hayes brakes on my Brodie but they seem to be working fine so far so I guess they'll be okay !

Justen

You'll be FINE. I'm just REALLY partial to the Avids. :D In fact I use Avid binders on both of my bikes (and have installed them on my G/F's). The Discs on the FSR and a set of Arch 40's on my commuter.
edit: punctuation and bad run-ons

Good ! :-)
I am glad I didn't get the Devinci Cameleon...they had the Shimano M475 disk brakes and I recently heard some not so good things about them.

Hayes and Avid seem to be the most popular with Avid being considered the best.

I am just going out for my first long ride on this Brodie today. It is absolutely pouring with rain so I'll get to really check everything out - and see how much the brakes squeal when they are really wet, and how well they work.

I want to get rid of those zillions of little rubber spikes on my new tires. You know the ones that show that your bike is soooooooo new..yuck ! :-)

Justen

I never minded those, then again new rubber isn't always a bad thing. Once you get the first scratch on the bike you'll be able to REALLY enjoy it :D. As for the 475's they're not worth the powder to blow them across the street. Purely sub Deore level crap that should only be used by people with no off road intent. But that's just my (ever-so) humble opinion.

Hey Lightyear,

The Shimano's are decent, not a good as Avid's or Hayes', but good. I think for your type of riding, they're more than sufficient.

As far as maintenance, they don't really know what they're talking about. Just like everything, you need to stay on top of mainenance, minor adjustment here and there, checking pads...etc.

Initially, set-up is a bit cumbersome until you learn how to do it correctly, then it's a breeze. Just like everything else!

Here's a little new bike shopping advice. Worry less about the frame and what components are on them. The MOST, MOST critical aspect is how comfortable they are to you! Not to me, not to any "expert" on the web, but to YOU! It's completely subjective. If you buy a bike because it was the best deal, and you're not comfy, you won't ride it. NOT MUCH of a deal!

I passed up a great deal 50% off on a sweet Ti bike. It didn't fit, I wished it did, Man did I wish it did, but it didn't. Spent more on less bike and got more out of it! Worry less about the deal and more on the VALUE!

L8R

Wise A2 is. Good the bike must feel or else badly the rider will feel. Agree with him on the Shi**NO's I do not. Better off with v-brakes you are. Strong the Avid's Force is. Weak the Hayes are not.

Originally posted by a2psyklnut
Hey Lightyear,

Here's a little new bike shopping advice. Worry less about the frame and what components are on them. The MOST, MOST critical aspect is how comfortable they are to you! Not to me, not to any "expert" on the web, but to YOU! It's completely subjective. If you buy a bike because it was the best deal, and you're not comfy, you won't ride it. NOT MUCH of a deal!

L8R

Lightyear,
I agree with A2. What it all boils down to when you are buying a bike is which one works the best for you.

I looked at a number of different bikes before I settled on my Brodie Bruzza. It does not have all the top end components ( i.e. Avid disk brakes) but the fit and comfort are top notch for me and I absolutely LOVE riding it. I spent alot of time researching and asking LOTS OF questions - as the other members here can testify too :-)

But, this time investment in finding the right bike worked out well for me.

I test rode this bike and two others several times but kept coming back to the Brodie as it was the most comfortable of the three.

Good luck with your decision Lightyear,

Justen

Pssst.... Justen! Avid mech aren't that expensive compared to Hydros. I only paid about $75 a wheel, and I've seen better deals, Not "top-end" just really good bang-for-the-buck

Hi Raiyn,

Thanks for the suggestion. I know they are not that much more expensive but so far, I am happy with my Hayes brakes. I am not an extreme MTBiker so am not sure that I would realistically notice the difference between the Avids and the Hayes.

I have already put out all I can afford for this bike so will have to wait before I can do any upgrades. For now, I am just going to go out and enjoy what I have :-)

Justen

My intent Justen was simply to correct the "top-end" comment you made above. That's all. The Hayes are fine brakes. If you'll excuse me I'm going to go take a nap.

It does not have all the top end components ( i.e. Avid disk brakes)

No problem...I didn't mean to come across the wrong way. I just meant that I can't afford to get the Avids and will have to make do with the Hayes.

By the way, I tested them out today - LOTS. A little bit of squeaking but it is mostly gone now and the brakes are WAY more powerful now than they were before...very sharp and so little pressure needed. I LOVE em' !!! :-)

Justen

A2, Master Raiyn, & Justen,

I feel fortunate to have caught up with the three of you. Your advice is right on the money, and I will take it to heart as I research and deliberate my decision.

A2: Your comment (six posts above this one) really hit home. When I stopped and thought about what you wrote, I realized that I need listen to what my body is trying to tell me as I test ride these bikes. The bike that felt the best so far, and was just awsome to ride, was a bike I did not consider seriously the first time I looked at it. The ONLY reason was because I had never heard of this manufacturer.
My research has told me that it is a reputable manufaturer, and the bike has quality written all over it, but I acted disinterested because I figured my "expert" neighbors would say "what the hell did you buy that for!"

The bike is a K2. Ever heard of it?

Hi Lightyear,

I took a number of bikes for a test ride - I would say about 10-12. Out of those, there were a couple where I knew within minutes of getting out the door that they were not the right fit and returned for another bike to try out. Then, as I narrowed it down, I took my three favorites out for 2-3 test rides each to compare fit, braking, etc. During that time, I also read all the reviews I could find on each of these 3 bikes and asked questions here and elsewhere.

I finally settled on the Brodie Bruzza because it just fit so well. I loved the feel of it, I wanted the disk brakes, the size was right and last but not least, it is a great looking bike ! :-)

I would strongly encourage you to ride as many bikes as you can, narrow it down to 2-3 favorites and then read the reviews on them. Don't worry about what your friends or neighbours say about the bike unless they do alot of MTB'ing themselves and can offer helpful technical advice. It is you who is going to be riding the bike ultimately and you who is spending the money so choose the one that works the best for you.

I have heard of K2 bikes but honestly do not know enough about them to comment. Do a google search on them for k2 bike reviews or something and see what others have to say, but remember when you read the reviews that they are personal opinions. Some people will give a bike 5 stars, others will give the same bike 2 stars.

In the end, it boils down to whether the bike suits your needs, how comfortable it is for you and how it fits within your allotted budget.

I hope this all makes sense - good luck with your choice. You will know when you have the right bike !

Justen

K2 makes a very good product. The LBS that I frequent sells them as well as Specialized. From what I've seen and heard you should have no problem. Which model are you looking at? Perhaps we could look it over and comment on components or suggest upgrades?
As for your "friends" they should be happy that you are looking at a bike in a bike shop instead of X-mart:D

Hi, my name is Travis. I live in Toronto Canada. I just bought a Specialized Hardrock Comp with disc brakes a few days ago because that's about all i could afford wich was around 750$. The disc brakes are 6" mechanicals. They don't stop that well, even comparing to my old V brakes. What can I do in this situation to help increase friction between the pads and the rotor?

Ride the bike for a couple of days to let the pads bed in. If that doesn't help take the bike back to the shop and explain the situation.

how tight usually are mech. disc brakes? are they supposed to lock faster than v brakes?

My wife and I have been using Avid cable actuated disc brakes now for over 2 years. I'm guessing that we easily have a few thousand miles between us. Maintenance has consisted of tweaking the adjuster knobs periodically to adjust for wear (no tools required) and replacing pads (no tools required). Once in a while we'll clean the discs with alcohol.

About a year ago I got a rather expensive new full suspension bike that came with Shimano hydraulic disc brakes. I'm sure they were good, though I wasn't all that impressed in the parking lot. I got the bike shop to buy them back ($140.00). I put on the Avids from my old bike. Nothing beats Avids for low maintenance and good braking. We ride about 6 weeks a year in the N Georgia/ N Carolina mountains and the rest of the time in the grinding N Florida sandy-soil.

Al

G'day just new to all this forum stuff.
I was just reading your comment and thought u might be able to help me I just bought a big jump mountain bike going to get back into riding. My quiry is i wont to tighten the front brakes the lever pulls more than the back and doesn't stop as good as the back, they still work just wanted to know if u can adjust the lever or were the pads are. Don't like to take it to the shop all the time for service like to know what is going on with my bike. Hope u can help .
Thanks

I have two bikes that came with disc brakes, a Civia Hyland Rohloff and a Swobo Dixon. The Swobo has Avid mechanicals and the Civia has Shimano Alfine hydraulics. The Swobo with Avids came with a BB5 front and BB7 rear. I may upgrade the front to the BB7 though no problems so far.

Shimano claims the Alfine stuff is Ultegra level for commuter bikes. Looks good and no plastic parts noticeable. Based on the rest of the components choice on the bike it might even be true.

I note that the discs on both bikes seem to have better modulation than the rim brakes on my other bikes. Both operate quietly once bedded in. The Avids did squeal slightly as delivered but stopped after a few applications to bed them in.

Also no rim wear with disc brakes which can be a safety advantage if you do not keep a close watch on it, which can be pretty rapid if you ride in muddy conditions. All rim brakes wear the rim which can lead to a nasty accident if the rim fails. If you ride fast in mountains and hills the discs do not heat up the rims either. I remember watching a mountain descent in the TDF some years ago and one rider was badly injured when he had a tubular tire come off the rim during the high speed descent. I would expect that heat buildup softening the glue was at least partly responsible. Similar failures have occured with clinchers too.

The biggest disadvantage of discs I expect for some riders is the added weight but until I lose a lot more I am not going to worry about a pound or so on the bike.

G'day just new to all this forum stuff.
I was just reading your comment and thought u might be able to help me I just bought a big jump mountain bike going to get back into riding. My quiry is i wont to tighten the front brakes the lever pulls more than the back and doesn't stop as good as the back, they still work just wanted to know if u can adjust the lever or were the pads are. Don't like to take it to the shop all the time for service like to know what is going on with my bike. Hope u can help .
Thanks

Welcome to the forums.

Please try not to revive old threads such as this 5+ year old one.

I wonder whatever happened to Raiyn...