Mountain Biking - upgrade to disc brakes - possible?

i have a 2002 spec. hardrock that ive been taking out to trails and the mountains more lately and was wondering if its a possibility to upgrade its standard brakes to disc brakes? it seems as if the fork and the seatstay in the back have each two holes for something...

if possible what am i looking at here to get/spend?

You would need new wheels also.

Avid BB7s run about 130 bucks for the front and rear levers and cables. Wheels are about the same for the most basic disc wheels all the way up to what ever you want to spend.

You might want to look at Avid Single Digit 7 V brakes. That would be a huge upgrade from what I would assume is on there now and you wouldn't have to replace the wheels. They run about 40 bucks for the brakes and another 20 for the levers.

You might want to look at Avid Single Digit 7 V brakes.

:beer:

you could get a front disc wheel and just upgrade the front brake to BB7. This will help you the most and is the cheapest way to go.
Look on eBay too -all kinds of cheap BB7 brakes on there.

hmm. wow dang it, i didnt really wanna do wheels (any decent wheels you guys recommend? i currently have a cheapo $60 mavic something up front after i crashed my stock alex front wheel).

does disc brakes mean i need a new brake lever too that is hydraulically compatible?

Before you bug out, look at your hubs. if they ain't original, they might be disc-ready. Most common is the 6bolt design, which'll appear as 6 holes in the non-drive side of your hubs. Shimano makes a center-lock version; if there's a weird lockring doodad on the non-drive side, then they're disc-ready. There are soooo many disc-wheels on the market; if you tell us how you ride and what your budget is like, we can steer you in the right direction.

If you don't have a lot of cash to spend, you'll wanna do what they recommended above and get some SD7 rim brakes. You don't wanna skimp on wheels, as you won't save an $$ in the long run.

-rob

nope mine are pure stock mavics (is that what you mean by originals? the front wheel at least isnt stock when i bought the bike since i crashed the stock ones). ill take a pic later...kinda shooting in the wind right now haha.

i understand better wheels are better for the long run. im more of a road biker and have expensive wheels on those haha. but since i dont mtb alot, i want decent stuff at least.

nashbar has some good discounts right now and if can figure out what to get today then that be great.
the BB7 (i dont think they come with the disc do they)
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_119798_-1_16500_10000_17005

do i need a new front brake lever? for both a sd7 and bb7? if i upgrade?
i guess im a little skeptical of doing the SD7 upgrade as i think the stock brakes on my hardrock are really good (i could flip myself over the handbar if i wanted to)...how good could another pair of rim brakes be?

lol ok the more i think of it the more i should just do the disc brake front upgrade to BB7s and maybe swap my back brakes out for SD7s. question now is:

1. what wheel to get (i am assuming mine isnt compatible with a disc as i dont think i saw any holes other than where the spokes go in, ill upload pics later)
2. do i need a new brake lever for the BB7 or even the SD7? or should i do juicy discs?

Make sure the holes on the back of the frame are not the holes right above the drop outs. They should be a couple inches above the drop outs, on the seat stay, NOT on top of the drop out. The ones on the drop out are for a rack or whatever.

Somebody has upgradeitis

i dont think these holes are for racks and stuff because its only on one side. i know this year (2002) of the spec hardrock was i think the first year they had the disc version too so they probably used the same frame on the lower model (aka my model, the A1 FS comp).

do i need to get new levers for the BB7 front brake? because if so, i cant because my current shimano alivio setup has its levers attached to the gear shifter as one piece. if i remove the lever part, nothing can hold the shifter to the bar
http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll85/photosfordac/IMG_5219.jpg

picture of my front hub
http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll85/photosfordac/IMG_5215.jpg

picture of the fork with the two holes im talking about
http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll85/photosfordac/IMG_5216.jpg

picture of the seatstay with the two holes too
http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll85/photosfordac/IMG_5217.jpg

Ok. Good news and bad news.

Is your frame disc compatible? Yes. You're set.
Is your fork disc compatible? Yes. You're set.
Are your wheels disc compatible? No. New wheels, eh, well, if you want the brakes, gotta do it. I reccomend www.jensonusa.com for good deals.
As for the levers.. I'm not positive, but I think so. If not you can get a brake set that includes levers, then just buy new shifters. Cheap, say, $20 for the set.

Avid fr5 levers should run you $15 or so...good levers.
I upgraded from the stock shifters/brake lever combo and tektro disc brakes to sd7 levers and bb7 discs.....didn't think I'd really notice, but its like night and day.
Go for the discs, and get good ones.
The tektro's were a pita to adjust, and the bb7's have on-the-trail-no-tools-needed-adjustment.
Totally rad.

Your present levers will work just fine with BB7's, as will ANY V-brake lever.

Here's your wheels, Shimano Deore/Sun Rynolite disc wheelset. This is a standard commodity in good budget disc wheels. Can't beat it for under a c-note.

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/WH707A17-Shimano+Deore+Discrhyno+Lite+Wheelset.aspx

this is so awesome guys. thanks for all the help. so im gonna dive in and get:

1. BB7 set for the front
2. the suggested shimano deore/sun rhino wheelset
3. SD7 upgrade for the rear

i dont want to upgrade both wheels to disc as it will cost a tad more than i want to spend rightnow. just want to hang around $100ish...

and since you said my current shimano alivio stock levers will work for the brakes...then im not gonna worry about "upgrading" those.

also it seems as if the front brake line is only long enough to reach the current calipers...is that gonna be a problem for the disc brake since its set lower down the fork?

and 160mm i suppose is a good size for the disc? do i need 185mm?

almost ready to pull the trigger! too bad jenson has tax!!!

also it seems as if the front brake line is only long enough to reach the current calipers...is that gonna be a problem for the disc brake since its set lower down the fork?

and 160mm i suppose is a good size for the disc? do i need 185mm?

almost ready to pull the trigger! too bad jenson has tax!!!

You'll need a front brake cable.
160 is fine. 185 is overkill.

You'll need a front brake cable.
160 is fine. 185 is overkill.

And you'll need some housing for the front (another forgotten bit). Hope that doesn't put you over the top.:D

housing? LOL. ok. its pushing the $$$ higher!!

what do i really need? so the list so far:

1. BB7 set for the front
2. the suggested shimano deore/sun rhino wheelset
3. SD7 upgrade for the rear
4. front brake cable <---any suggestions?
5. housing <----??? what is this

Housing is the black plastic cover for the outside. Make sure you get brake housing not shift cable, not the same stuff. Front brake cable = whatever is cheapest. $3 cables fine, keep in mind the length you need as people said.

Also, what are SD7s? That you are getting for the rear.

Single digit 7 V brakes

ohhhhh, i though when you guys stated "housing" you meant for the brakes themselves....for the brake line makes sense.

i have decided to do a full BB7 upgrade, after todays mountain ride for me...i think its called for to have better brakes.

will this housing kit be good? do i need two of these (one for front and back)
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/CA505C01-Jagwire+Cable+And+Housing+Kits.aspx

im trying to get everything from jenson as most of the stuff i want is pretty decent in deals (thanks for the recommendation!!)

In case you ever decide to change your shifters: Your current Alivio combination shift/brake levers look to be Shimano ST-MC20. The SL-MC20 is the shifters only version.

good call. thx!

darn it why are those wheels presta valve? can it fit a schrader? i just bought new tubes a couple days ago.,.,..

oh dang it. i ended up spending 3x my limit of $100. lol.

i spent a little more and got a shimano XT 756 w/ sun rhynos instead from cambria. i couldnt live without black spokes. doubled up on the disc brakes too.

this forum is bad. makes me spend more cash LOL, jk.

Good on ya and the new parts. Disc brakes SO rock over havin' V's.

Well you're going to have one sexy bike.

oh dang it. i ended up spending 3x my limit of $100. lol.

i spent a little more and got a shimano XT 756 w/ sun rhynos instead from cambria. i couldnt live without black spokes. doubled up on the disc brakes too.

this forum is bad. makes me spend more cash LOL, jk.

$300 is about right for this upgrade with new Sun rims, BB7s and miscellaneous hardware bits. You should notice an improvement in braking but don't expect "night and day" difference between V-brakes and disks as some report. And remember there is a short break-in period for the new pads. :thumb:

mmm people have been telling me night and day difference. i suppose its better when i go through water since they wont get as wet as the rims will? safety first!

plug: anyone interested in my old wheelset? hehehe. ridden them in the city for about 2k miles. only recently did i go trail riding for something like 15miles total in the bikes lifetime! =P