Hey I'm a newbie to the forum and am getting back into BMX after an absence of about 10 years, I just purchased an '08 diamondback viper x. I know a lot of serious riders don't care for the diamondbacks but I had one when I was younger and never had problems with it, the new ones are a lot sturdier than I remember. Plus I have a VERY limited amount of cash, I figure I'd rather get a decent bike for $180 that I could upgrade parts on as I go than spend $300 or more on a "nice" bike that I wouldn't be able to afford to do anything to. The viper x has no front brake and I'm used to riding with one so I want to add one on, I don't know anything about what's on the market. I was wondering if anyone could suggest a good front brake setup for me, I'll be doing mostly jumps and stalls (all dirt no ramps) and would like a little more control. I'm assuming that I would lose the functionality of the gyro that's on it which is no big deal, I'm not flatlanding or anything but if there is a way for me to still be able to use it that would be cool. The rear brake is a Rush U-brake w/ SST DC Amplifier, soft compound pads and an SST ORYG detangler/gyro, any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

no front brakes. the fork has no 990 post and calipers are useless. just like front brakes all together. have fun breaking that POS.

no front brakes. the fork has no 990 post and calipers are useless. just like front brakes all together. have fun breaking that POS.

It's good thing not everybody rides the same way you do otherwise we'd all be a bunch of lemmings, since you don't like front brakes why would you reply to post in which someone is asking advice on which front brake to buy. Also I'm not a competitive rider or I would have invested in a better bike, I ride for recreation so I don't think I'll be breaking it anytime soon. Besides that everyone has to start somewhere and your equipment should reflect your skill level, I could go out and buy an $8000.00 digital camera but that wouldn't make me a professional photographer.

I don't ride competitively either, but i don't ride a bike that i have to worry is going to break every time i turn the crank. And I did answer your question, you can't run a front brake worth using on it unless you replace the fork to something with 990 mounts.

I don't ride competitively either, but i don't ride a bike that i have to worry is going to break every time i turn the crank. And I did answer your question, you can't run a front brake worth using on it unless you replace the fork to something with 990 mounts.

So what fork with 990 mounts would you recommend for a bike that you have to worry about breaking every time you turn the crank? Something reasonably priced that would improve the overall quality of the bike would be nice. I would really like a front brake, but if it's going to cost more than it's worth forget it. Unless there's a better bike you would recommend for $200 that has front brakes, I should still be able to return the viper x if I'm not satisfied and no front brake is definately unsatisfying.

its hard to even find forks available with 990's now. you could return it and order a kink launch off dans, on sale for around $170 but your in the same boat with the fork.

You can get a 990 mount attachment thing that bolts through the hole where normal calipers would mount to, which you can then mount a set of 990s to. I don't know if they're any good. http://www.danscomp.com/489057.php

A caliper will work,but id get some nice pads and a cable and they still may work bad.

those 990 plates are terrible, they flex to much to work any good.

Don't get the Oddessy 1999 set up. If you get the caliper tight enough that you don't pull the lever all the way to the bar then it doesn't release far enough and rubs the rim badly. It also flexes quite a bit forward and backward, but tightening the nuts too much causes the caliper to not release at all.

Maybe try:
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/BR409G01-Dia-Compe+Bulldog.aspx
It look like it has some sort of cable release mechanism wich would allow you to run it tight when you want and release it for jumping when you don't want the wheel quickly rubbing to a stop.

and maybe:
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/BL407E08-Tektro+Xl751r.aspx

plus look for a compresion resistant cable like:
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/CA409A41-Jagwire+Johnson+Heavy+Duty+Cable+Set.aspx

Of couse I have no experience with any of theses product, but they seem better than the 1999s and eventually I'll be replacing my 1999s with something similar.

^^^^^

Thats a decent idea.

It all depends what you want to do though....

If its just for stopping you should just get a cheap horse shoe break.

If your going to be doing endo's - Nose Stalls etc then go with the bulldog or that converter and a V-Brake.

Alternatively you could go balls out and fit Hydraulic breaks like some kid on here asked about hahaha.

you really don't need a front brake. trust me.

Wowww. really ghey bump. Look at the date before you post.