Mountain Biking - yet another question about avid bb7

I decided to move on with disk brakes and I think avid bb7 is a way to go. I've seen many threads and questions, however I still want to get some specific data on them.
I can get 2009 185mm model for $60 including FR-5 levers, g3 rotors and IS & Post front mounts. Price is temping, so I'd like to make a 185/185 setup instead of more classic 185/160.
I have a 2008 Giant Rincon, pretty much stock. It's a Canadian model and doesn't come with disk brakes, however it has mounts and everything.
Now the questions:
- If you have experience with Rincons: will I be able to put 185mm rotors on it without major modifications?
- Can I mount bb7 with IS front mount/Post front mount on the rear wheel? What kind of adapter does it require?
- Do I need to get new cables or can I use stock ones?(I have v-brakes)
- Will I be able to use stock ST-EF50 (brake lever/shifters combo) with disk brakes? (I know I shouldn't do that, but I cannot get shifters at the moment)

thanks

noramally the brakes come with all the adapters you need for the rotors they come with, however i assume you arn't getting this new or somthin cause they don't come with g3s

anyway you need 185 caliper mount in the back, and the post mount adapter for the front (which is basically just a shim and longer bolt to get the caliper further away for the larger rotor)

you will need new cables and new housing (old stuff not long enough, discs are futher away) but you can use the stock ****** brake levers, you just wont get the full benifit of the upgrade until you ditch that crap

you should also be aware that many forks that use a quick release (like i'm sure ur rincon uses) don't recomend using larger than 160mm rotors, i've been told the reason is that A on an xc hardtail 185s are overkill, but more importantly the xtra torque of a larger rotor (especially a 203) can pull the wheel out of the drops, however plenty of people run large rotors on qrs and many bikes come stock with 185s (or even 203s in rare cases) on qrs, so i wouldn't worry, just make sure your qr is damn tight

oh and you said u have disc mounts, i assume you already did this but still have to mention: make sure you have disc compatible hubs (6 bolt holes on the non-drive side (left) of the hub)

Make sure you get compressionless brake cable housing designed for use with mechanical disc brakes- it's well worth the additional cost.

Damn! Hubs aren't going to work:crash:

Comparing prices on new hubs I might instead get new wheels. Any thoughts on this one? I'm looking at $$100-150 max. Some kind of Shimano Deore?

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/WH707A19-Shimano+Deore+Discds-2+Wheelset.aspx

I doubt that you'd need rotors that are any bigger than 160mm, the BB7's are a powerful brake.

Which fork do you have?
On the Giant archives for the 08 Rincon they list both the SR-Suntour XCM fork and the SR-Suntour XCT fork as what come on the bike.

According to SR-Suntour:
185mm is the maximum recommended rotor size for the XCM fork
160mm is the maximum recommended rotor size for the XCT fork.


Avid Adapters:

185mm Front IS Adapter: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=13721 (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=13721)

185mm Rear IS Adapter: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=15259 (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=15259)

160mm Front IS Adapter: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=20304 (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=20304)

160mm Rear IS Adapter: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=15031 (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=15031)

dunno mutch about those rims, but the hubs are fine, and the rims don't look like complete crap, at least not at $90 for the set.

Thanks guys!
I guess Deore rims are better than my stock ones anyway. I'll look for some other deals in the same price range.

2 cobra:
Thanks for the links! At least I know what to look for now:)
I have XCM, so 185mm calipers should be compatible with it. I've chosen 185mm only because I can get them cheaper than 160mm and they come with brake levers too (cheap ones, but better than EF50)

the adapter for the front he linked you to is if you have disc brake tabs, if you have disc brake posts mounts in front you dont' need anything for 160mm but for 185 you need:

http://www.treefortbikes.com/439_333222337923__Fork-Adapter-185mm-Post-Mount.html

Should be able to get some mavic xm317 disc rims w/ deore hubs for pretty cheap.

regarding wheels (i also started a thread on disc brakes last week) i got myself a deoreXT 756 with sun rhynolite rims at the recommendation of a handful of people. got mine at cambria. jenson has the regular non XT with the same rims for $95 which is a pretty cheap wheelset! people here have said that the sun rhynolite rims are good.

i only went with the more expensive XT cuz im shallow and cant live without black spokes hahahahah.

cant wait to install these and get my bb7s on my bike!

Thanks!

I did some research and rhyno lite is an overkill for me. I'm leaning towards xm317 and deore/lx/xt disk hubs.

Thanks for your help!

...I'm leaning towards xm317 and deore/lx/xt disk hubs....!

My sons run the 317s with Shimano 75x hubs, bulletproof wheels for a couple of thrashers.

And they're not expensive.

sys@dmin-

Don't get the wheels at jenson with the ds-2 rims! the ds-2 rims are disc-specific, and you won't want to use them until you upgrade to discs as well.

There are plenty of cheap wheelsets with rim-compat rims and disc-compat hubs. I'd score some of those, so you can run them with your Vs right now, and they'll take the disc upgrade down the line. Despite the fact that rhynolites are overbuilt rims, most any wheelset in the sub$150 pricerange will be machine-built, and therefore they'll not be so strong til someone finishes them. If you're not comfortable with finishing the wheelset in terms of tensioning the spokes, you're really gonna be better off with the overbuilt rims; they'll withstand more abuse, taking the robo-build into consideration.

As someone who realizes that shhh happens on the trail, i prefer heavy, durable rims. After all, i'm not racing; the piece of mind is worth more to me than the wieght difference. But, to be totally fair, i'm a fat guy. Maybe you're skinny, and you don't ride among lots of roots/rocks/etc that will conspire to kill your wheelset.

good luck!
-rob

My sons run the 317s with Shimano 75x hubs, bulletproof wheels for a couple of thrashers.
Good to hear! I hope they'd work well work me too)


Don't get the wheels at jenson with the ds-2 rims! the ds-2 rims are disc-specific, and you won't want to use them until you upgrade to discs as well.

Great tip, Rob! Thanks for bringing this up. I've got an idea of disk rims vs normal ones and I'm going to use my stock alloy rims with v-brakes until I get whole setup ready. Then I'd just swap wheelsets and put rotors on.
However, that brings up one thought! Should the disk brakes fail, rims that support v-brakes will be a better option as they can be used until you repair whatever is broken!

Mech discs aren't likely to outright fail; they'll just need some hand-holding while they break in, and you attempt to set em up right. And, all other things being equal, disc rims will be stronger than rim-compat rims. But, that being said, rhynolites are stronger than ds-2s.

-rob