Mountain Biking - Trek 6500

Last summer bought myself '07 Trek 6500. Absolutely in love with that hardtail - very stiff and light. I am not a professional (more like a beginner rookie) and mostly ride my bike on the steets & sometimes take it to a trail (no jumps obviously:)
Trek 6500 came with Hayes Sole hydraulic brakes which leaked fluid after a few month :mad: and i was thinking of changing my brake set to something else for upcoming summer. I really like the looks of those big routers that you see on DH bikes and i was thinking of getting them. I would probaly gonna have to chance my whole brake set since Hayes Sole supports only 6" routers. Any good adivse? I know it sounds kind of useless but i'm kind of a fashion person and disk brakes always are eye candy to me.

I ride my 6500 in all weather conditions snow, rain, mud or sunny doesn't matter to me but i take good care of my bike.

Oh and another thing my fork is Manitou Slate Comp w/preload, lockout, 100mm - don't know much about this shock but i would like to know if doing endos would damage it. Like to shift my weight on to the front tire when i brake lifting up the rear tire off the ground. Would that screw up my current brakes & fork?

Thanks in Advance for your respod :D

what's a router?

Last summer bought myself '07 Trek 6500. Absolutely in love with that hardtail - very stiff and light. I am not a professional (more like a beginner rookie) and mostly ride my bike on the steets & sometimes take it to a trail (no jumps obviously:)
Trek 6500 came with Hayes Sole hydraulic brakes which leaked fluid after a few month :mad: and i was thinking of changing my brake set to something else for upcoming summer. I really like the looks of those big routers that you see on DH bikes and i was thinking of getting them. I would probaly gonna have to chance my whole brake set since Hayes Sole supports only 6" routers. Any good adivse? I know it sounds kind of useless but i'm kind of a fashion person and disk brakes always are eye candy to me.

I ride my 6500 in all weather conditions snow, rain, mud or sunny doesn't matter to me but i take good care of my bike.

Oh and another thing my fork is Manitou Slate Comp w/preload, lockout, 100mm - don't know much about this shock but i would like to know if doing endos would damage it. Like to shift my weight on to the front tire when i brake lifting up the rear tire off the ground. Would that screw up my current brakes & fork?

Thanks in Advance for your respod :D

seriously?

So youre after a complete 8 inch brake setup?

And no endo's will not damage it.

> ya man 100% seriously

> router is dat thing that allows you to connect to the internet. i meant to say rotor excuse my english is second language

...i am not sure which brake set would fit to my Trek. Is there like a standart fitting for all brakes?

There is post mount and IS mount. Please post a good pic of your Trek's front brake caliper ad its mounting. Pretty sure it would be IS mount.

You dont need an 8" rotor. 6" is fine. I dont even think that an 8" would fit with that fork.

what's a router?Rotor?

Considering the usage made of the bike, I think that any change in rotor size would be only cosmetic...it seems unlikely to me that larger rotors would make a noticeable improvement in performance.

You could do 8" rotors but it wouldn't be good for that fork.

Sorry that's the only picture i got on this computer. Tell me if it's no good and i'll give you another one from different angle. Back mount pic coming tomorrow as soon as i'll get home.

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa57/humblego/rotor.jpg

Yes that's pretty much what i want a cosmetic change to my bike; Performance wise 6" rotor does the job even better then my old V-brake on Trek 820. Majority of my riding is done on the asphalt and concrete sidewalks, the rest 10% is on gravel.
It's just for the looks that's why i want to change them rotors.
How would an 8 inch rotor wreck up my Manitou Slate shock/fork?
I heard some bad things about Bontrager wheels - are they really that bad?
I also be getting some new rubber for this summer season: Do you guys know any good tire brand for flat asphalt that wouldn't ware of quicky? My back Bontrager tire is almost bald :(
How is Michelin XC hardterrain?
Thanks for helping the newbie out :) (Ont. CA)

Here's the back brake:

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa57/humblego/DSC00180.jpg

Looks like a Post mount, IIRC most Manitou forks are post mounts. Correct me if I am wrong.

I'd recommend the Shimano Deore Hydraulic brakes. A solid brakeset that won't cost an arm or a leg. 8" rotors are just overkill.

edit: They tyres you have (Bontrager Jones?) are obviously not designed for street use so it's no wonder you've worn them down. Get yourself a pair of Maxxis Crossmarks or Larsen TT (wire bead) so you are able to ride on streets at speed but still be able to do off-road without having to switch. At the price of the wire beads, it's relatively low cost.