Mountain Biking - looking to upgrade gear shifters/brakes

I ride an '07 Specialized Rockhopper with cheap, integrated shift and brake levers. My disc brakes are shimano 415 mechanicals and my bikes equipped with an 8 speed cassette. I want to upgrade my braking power for more demanding riding and I will need new gear shifters since both brake and shift levers are integrated as one piece. first off.......

Recommend the avid juicy 5 or 7? possibly avid code?

Second....

What will I need to upgrade/change in order to put in new gear shifters? (front/rear derailleurs, cassette?, etc.) I'm new to bike mechanics so any good advice would be appreciated.

The avid juicy 7s are supposed to be really good.. If you are looking for some decent mechanical disc brakes the mx1s are really good.. I like them so far.

You'll need to stay with 8 speed shifters to avoid replacing anything. Should you wish to go 9 speed (I see no point at this juncture) y ou'll need a new cassette and rear der. Front der and crankset are okay.

XT and BB7's are what I upgreaded too. Went from a 8 speed setup to 9 speed shifter and derailluer and still run 8 speed chain and cassette with no problems. Shifters aren't smart enough to look at your cassette and know how many cogs it has.. LMAO

my real derailleur is Shimano Alivio M-410
my front derailleur is Shimano Acera M-330.

can i install sram x.7 trigger shifters? what other shifters may I be able to install (need an 8speed)

Off the top of my head I'd say no, I know SRAM makes 2:1 ratio Shimano compatible shifters but I don't think x7 is one of them. It could be though, I'm not 100% positive as I've never experienced X7. I would go to the shop you bought the bike at explain your dilemma and purchase what they offer. The offerings will be nothing special much like your derailleurs but you'll be able to save the cash for better components down the line....or even a whole new bike with better spec! Exciting! Seriously, just call a few bike shops and ask for 8 speed shifter pods, get the ones you can afford or the ones you think are purty. At this level (component wise) the pods will all be VERY similar in form and function.


Sram makes a shifter called Attack they are designed to work with Shimano ders. I know they offer the 9 speed and I swear I've seen some 8s offered up on one of the online merchants but your best bet is (yet again) the local bicycle shop.

alright thanks

If you are looking for some decent mechanical disc brakes the mx1s are really good.. I like them so far.
Obviously they're they ONLY mechanical disc brakes you've ever used. Avid BB7's blow the MX1's out of the water

Avid Codes are unnecessary - they are for DH riding.

You have to spend a little for your upgrades. You can't use SRAM's X-7, X-9, X-0 shifters because they only go with 9 speed SRAM RD's of the same monikers.

Jameson is correct in that shifters will pretty be much the same. There is nothing wrong with integrated, high end XTR has integrated.

I've never experienced those disc brakes, but a good v-brakes with nice levers, pads, brake bodies, and cables/housing, along with proper set-up and alignment can blow a lot of mechanical discs out of the water (Avid BB8s are nice, though).

Oh, and you can pretty much keep the FD no matter what you do.

Also, if you are doing it yourself, vees are a heck of a lot easier to set-up and maintain.