Mountain Biking - mechanical disc brakes

i was just wandering what the best mechanical disc brakes would be to buy currently i got 6 inch hayes mx-2 in the front and v-brakes in the back but the front disc brake seem to not be that good....im plannin on upgrading both brakes in the back and the front but i dont no what to buy i can only really afford mechanical brakes though (booerns) but any advice would be great

thx

Avid Mechanical hands down

No competition. Avids. All others suck in comparison. Although....shimano is still heads and shoulders better than hayes mechs.

Avid Mechanical hands down

They get my vote also.

I began with a Hayes HMX-1. For the first 60-100 miles, it seemed to have plenty of power, then it faded. It would still stop me, but the power was just somewhat better than center pull cantilevers. I had a pro wrench look at it, and he couldn't get it any better. In the end I replaced the HMX-1 with an Avid. I have only test ridden the Avid, so I can't report on the improvements in braking performance, but I am hopeful. I have been told that the strength of an Avid increases slightly once the pads and disk set up. If that turns out to be true, I will be a very happy rider.

I also run an XT linear brake on the rear, which has an unbelievable amount of power.

I run the Avids and I don't think I will ever switch.

Say I have a bike with only V-brakes and no disc hubs what would I need. Looking at the ads in magazines im not sure what you get. It says Avid Mechs 49.99 Each, 99.99 for both with free levers. What do I get with this. Rotors, calipers? If I buy new hubs will I need to rebuild my wheels?

Where do you see that ad for them soo cheap?

You need a new wheelset with disc-compatible hubs (it's rarely worth rebuilding the wheel unless it's a great rim), you need calipers, rotors, and cables. You also need a frame that is disc-ready. And I think that's it.

Say I have a bike with only V-brakes and no disc hubs what would I need. Looking at the ads in magazines im not sure what you get. It says Avid Mechs 49.99 Each, 99.99 for both with free levers. What do I get with this. Rotors, calipers? If I buy new hubs will I need to rebuild my wheels?

Assuming your fork is disk compatible,

A cheaper alternative than full disk would be a disk front only set up.

You already have levers that will work with a mechanical brake, so all you need is a front wheel with a disk hub, and a mechanical disk brake. I have seen avids at Jenson USA for $69 each, and you can get a deore/rhynolite wheelset for $89 from Jenson.

I did not get my parts from Jenson, but that is the exact set up I am now running (deore/rhyno lite, avid front, XT linear back), and I love it.

Of course for half of the cost of a partial disk upgrade, you could get some nice linear brakes. and upgrade both ends of your bike. I got my XT linear for $40.

I have Avid mechs. I have to say I'm not impressed and I think that my V-brakes gave a better feel. My LBS says that a lot of F600 owners are upgrading to hydraulic. When I bought the bike, I was advised to get the Avid mechs because upgrading to hydraulic would be much easier than from a rim-brake bike.

my Avid mechs have been awesome! especially when the trail gets bad and sloppy. its nice to have dependable stopping power in bad weather. they are a great choice and they are competetively priced with other mechs and are much easier to adjust/replace pads

I have HFX-9's and my friend has Avids. He's riden my bike a few times and thinks they're equal. With the exception of a few small things. But thats what happens when you compare Hydros with Mech. Get the Avids man. You'll be glad you did.

I have the '04 Hayes MX1's and they seem pretty damn good. Not put that many miles on them though. I swapped them out for my HFX-9 DH's 8" F&R after about 100 miles. Still, I never had a complaint about the MX1's. Maybe the '04's are improved?

My HFX-9's have never locked out. Not sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing. But its perfect for DHing!

I have Avid mechs. I have to say I'm not impressed and I think that my V-brakes gave a better feel. My LBS says that a lot of F600 owners are upgrading to hydraulic. When I bought the bike, I was advised to get the Avid mechs because upgrading to hydraulic would be much easier than from a rim-brake bike.
Proper set up is CRUCIAL. If they're set up wrong yes they do suck, but it's a poor musician who blames his instument. As far as "a lot" of F600 owners switching to Hydro's I can't say that I've heard that one

I have the '04 Hayes MX1's and they seem pretty damn good. Not put that many miles on them though. I swapped them out for my HFX-9 DH's 8" F&R after about 100 miles. Still, I never had a complaint about the MX1's. Maybe the '04's are improved?


That's pssible. Mine were '03s.

I have Avid mechs. I have to say I'm not impressed and I think that my V-brakes gave a better feel. My LBS says that a lot of F600 owners are upgrading to hydraulic. When I bought the bike, I was advised to get the Avid mechs because upgrading to hydraulic would be much easier than from a rim-brake bike.

????? WHY ??????

Is a cable housing any more difficult to run than a hydraulic hose?????

????? WHY ??????

Is a cable housing any more difficult to run than a hydraulic hose?????

Good point. In the end, it would be worth it to take the extra time and have Hydros installed. They are better then Mechs in many ways.

I completed my first 2 hour ride on my Avid mechanical, and it is definitely stronger than my HMX1 was. For the first part of the lever throw the avid felt a lot like the HMX1, but if I pulled the lever some more, the Avid brake got stronger and stronger. The HMX1 just didn't; no matter how hard I squeezed. By the end of the ride, I could feel the Avid's power a little earlier in the lever pull than at the start of the ride. The performance of the Avid was much better than the HMX-1. We will see how it holds up.

My Avids are sooooo nice.

The MX-2 up front is OK. The rear unit really sucks because the cable stay isn't aligned properly with the pull arm. It makes it causes a lot of friction and makes it difficult to really crank down on them.

Avid mechs, pure breaking power. Make sure to break in like instructions say. They work like crap at first, I thought I'd wasted my money. But after break-in and no maintenance a few months down the line, I don't see myself switching to anything else. Paid $69 at pricepoint. Get em.