Mountain Biking - Disc or Vee Brakes

Just curious as to what types of brakes most people out there are using; and for what type of riding; and where?

I currently use a set of Shimano XT Vee Brakes front and rear and mostly ride singletrack. I ride some pretty technical trails in Central Florida, with frequent road trips to North Georgia and North Carolina.

I am debating about selling my current ride and upgrading to disc brakes. Is anyone besides magazine editors really using them? If so, what kind and are there any idiosyncracies involved with their operation?

Just curious and thanks.

Big Vic

I'm rapidly becoming a disc fan. I switched from an XTR V in the front to the Grimeca system 8 a few weeks ago. The difference is noticable as soon as they break in. I find that the disc has better modulation than my V's and I haven't had a problem with fad on long descents (which always happened with V's). There's a bit of added weight, but it's not much. After a recent ride with several large creek crossings, I appreciated the disc even more. The front (disc) was not affected at all by the creek crossings (it never got wet) but the rear (XTR V) was non-existant until dried out. Even once it dried out, it was all nasty feeling and performing. If you ride in water or mud, discs stand alone.

The Grimeca's are the same (almost) as the Shimano's and are among the very best discs currently available. In a recent magazine test, the Shimano's rated highest except for ease of set-up. I found them to be quite easy to set up, just a bit time consuming. If you've ever bled brakes in a car you'll have absolutely no problem.

Now I just have to come up with the money to do the rear brake as well.....

Very well put... nothing wrong with discs~ they're worth every dollar of the money your'e going to put into buying new hubs, maybe getting an adapter for the rear if disc brake mounts aren't built in already...

it's good that companies like Grimeca are making dependable, high quality disc systems at a more affordable price.

also, take your time while grimeca works out the kinks in their four piston system. Don't get me wrong~ i don't think they're gonna fall apart on you~ but because like any other product, getting something in its first production year is just shy of being a perfectly good idea. (GT took a good POUND AND A HALF off their I-Drive system the second year around)Grimeca's are supposed to have everything Hayes has, plus excellent modulation.

Patience is a virtue... next year's stuff should have some key improvements. take this time to save up your money.

The Shimano XT disc system is nothing but the Grimeca product, unpainted and stamped with the XT logo.. both come out of the same factory~ but maybe shimano's foresight in labeling this year's brakes "XT"'s instead of "XTR"'s might mean they have something more in store for their disc brakes.

[Edited by MorganDunne201 on 08-15-2000 at 02:30 AM]

You point about waiting a year is very valid. Likely a performance increase will be seen in the next model even though the price and weight will decrease. Bike parts can be very much like software...version 2.0 is always (almost) better than 1.0.

Not exactly on topic, but I am in the process of upgrading to front disc, the Avid mechanical. Problem, my 99 Manitou X Vert has 69mm post spacing and the Avid is designed for the newer 74mm. Anyone familiar with an adaptor of other means of getting a fit? Thanks.

I've got the Avid CPS discs on my new bike. They are awesome. I test rode a bike with Hayes hydraulics the same day I bought this bike and couldn't tell any difference. No noise and super powerful. Plus set up is a snap compared to hydraulics. And half the price.
Don't know about the adaptor though. You might try Avids site and see what they say about it. They have some installation manuals in PDF form. DG
Avid Link (http://www.avidbike.com)

Boomer...going way back in time to answer this one.

My first question to you is are you looking to buy a new bike anyway? If you are then I say buy one with disc brakes or one that at least has disc brake tabs on the frame.

I've had disc brakes for the last two years and I'm very impressed. I couldn't go back to a bike with V-brakes. The stopping power in all conditions is superb and require no maintenace once they've been initally adjusted.

Well I am a bit of a "retro grouch" i guess. I still use shimaNO LX V brakes (with all weather pads not the crappy shimaNO ones), and a set of Magura HS 33's. The Magura's are smokin!!

I just bought a Trek 8000 which has Avid SD3 Calipers & Shimano LX levers. They work pretty good, but I do feel like there is room for improvement in the breaking system on my bike.

I plan on upgrading to discs but like everyone else said I'm going to wait a year or two. Not only will disc breaks get cheeper, better and lighter, but so will tubeless wheel systems. If I have to replace my wheels I'm definatly going to go tubeless at the same time. If I had the money I'd get the CrossMax UST Disc today, but at almost 900$ I'll think I'll wait for technology to get better and get a pair of 2003 CrossRocs or whatever.

I definitely have to say that Magura knows the stuff. I have their Louise Disc brakes and they work incredibly well with zero problems after two years.

Caj, I agree with you in that disc brakes and tubeless tires will keep getting better, lighter and hopefully cheaper.

Now tubeless tires is something that I can live without. I don't get very many pinch flats. I'm lucky to get three or four flats a year so tubless wouldn't be much of a benefit to me.
They say that one of the advantages of tubeless is the fact that you can run lower air pressure without having to worry about a pinch flat. My only concern with running such low air pressure is that you could bash your rim against an object and ruin a very expensive rim.

Originally posted by Joe Pozer
They say that one of the advantages of tubeless is the fact that you can run lower air pressure without having to worry about a pinch flat. My only concern with running such low air pressure is that you could bash your rim against an object and ruin a very expensive rim.
I've been saying that myself, but then again look who will benefit when that happens- the very makers of the tubeless rims! I run my tires pretty stiff (especially the rear) because I like to bomb over things as fast as possible (these are mountain bikes!) and don't like to replace rims. All of the articles I've read state lower pressure will yield better traction. I don't have a problem with traction, it's just a matter of choosing the right tire. If you want traction, don't ride 1.9 semi-slicks!

Get discs!!! Don't listen to people who say you don't need that kind of stopping power unless you are a downhiller!!! I say any biker who doesn't go for all the power he or she can get is crazy!!

Formula front disk and Shamano XT V break for the back.

This spring im going to be getting Hayes 8 or 6inch front and bake disks.:)

I had V brakes and went to disc. I'll NEVER go back!

I bought the avid mechanicals at Christmas. They are so sweet! Just check out the hundreds of satisfied users on the MTBR message board and others. They are cheap, easy to install, incredibly easy to adjust and perform better than hydraulics in my opinion.

I'm 6' 6"- 250 pounds and am amazed every single day at how well these brakes stop me. Controlled, precise and they never squeak!

You can't go wrong with these brakes.


Chris

The first time you ride with disks and get your rim wet or muddy you will never want to go back to v-brakes. I have had the Hayes for almost 2 years now and couldn't imagine riding without them.

well i've never ridden with discs... but i love my V-Brakes and won't think about switching for quite a while if ever...

i'm really happy with my V-brakes (Avid SingleDigit) and the cost of replacing worn pads is less than what i'd fork out for discs. (in wet i use at most a set of pads per month and i ride at least 2 days per week off-road)

for stopping power - i lived 3 years in the wet Northwest (Oregon) and rode year round. while wet decreases v-brake stopping performance, i never had a problem... i guess only on long descents when my fingers would get tired from pulling the levers - i guess discs would require less finger force.

for me discs are:
* more weight - i can't see how discs could ever be as light as my V-brakes
* more to break (my v-brakes have never ever broken)
* more money that i could spend on another bike upgrade or so i can work less and ride more.

V-brakes:
* simple is beautiful!
* super light-weight
* brake strong enough for me - i'm a crosscountry rider but i love downhill and do tons - in my XC race last weekend with 1100m (3500ft) of vertical it was outright muddy and rainy and i smoked everyone on the many steep downhills and felt at all times in control with my V-Brakes at 40-50kmh downhill in thick mud (i got beat on the flat sections and moderate climbs - long distance sustained is my weakness)

also, i've heard numerous stories of guys bending their front forks with discs from the force on only one leg of the fork - RockShox SID seems to be particularly bad (my old fork - now i have the Fox Float - awesome!)

*** but then if you don't care about the weight and cost, discs are much less affected by wet - but to me it seems like mostly a hype thing for people who convince themselves that they need it (and obviously disc companies so they can sell more) when lighter, simpler, cheaper V-brakes would be more than adequate ---- i just bought a new '02 Specialized FSR-XC (about $2000) and if i had bought discs i would have had to spend at least $8000 more to get the same weight... my view

Originally posted by Hunter
and a set of Magura HS 33's. The Magura's are smokin!!

I just sold my set of those....too bad nobody from bikeforums bought them:(

Why did you sell them :) ?

i just ordered some avid ultimate v's, they cost me a packet so they better be good. according to a few people these are pretty damn close to disc brakes - obviously not as good BUT pretty close. they were cheaper thendiscs by quite a lot as my hubs werent compatible so i would have had to get two new wheels so that would have cost me a bout £400 for a set of wheels and discs. the v's cost about £160 for the pair, so a hell of a lot cheaper. ill tell you how they go!

Taco either of your wheels and you will see the glory that is disc brakes! I broke FIVE spokes one day (DON'T ASK) and my rear wheel looked like something out of The Little Rascals and I still finished the ride with every bit of braking power I had to start the day.

Originally posted by FatBomber
Taco either of your wheels and you will see the glory that is disc brakes!
That's exactly what happened to my friends bike when we were riding in New Mexico. Coming down the mountain he tacoed his front wheel. A bike mechanic was with us and fixed it as best he could, but had to unhook his front brakes. He had V-brakes. If he'd had discs he would have been fine. Coming down the side of a mountain missing your front brakes is no fun.;)

It appears reasonable to ask yourself the following questions in order to answer the question:
1. In what conditions do I "mostly" ride (Wet, dry, muddy, mountainous, rolling, flat, etc)?
2. How fast do I really ride, especially downhill?
3. Is weight an issue (Your's & your bike's)?
4. Is cost an issue?
5. How good a bike mechanic am I*?
6. Do I pay someone else to maintain my bike*?
*Either way, do I keep my bike clean & in excellent riding condition?
7. Can I easily obtain parts for whatever brakes I'm using?
8. What size tires & tire pressure do I run?
9. How much do I value having the "latest & greatest"?
(Each of the 1-9 questions could be a thread unto itself)
In my experience, well set-up & maintained good quality cantilever, linear pull, and disc brakes all work very well (For instance, cyclocross can be as nasty & muddy as it comes and canti's get the job done just fine).

On somewhat the same subject, I've heard twice now about an adaptor that clamps on the rear of the bike to allow the mounting of rear discs. Is it just me or does this seem like an incredibly bad idea? How could it possibly be strong enough?

Originally posted by Astra
Why did you sell them :) ?

I got a set of xtr brakes for $100 and decided to sell the maguras, because I wouldent have a use for them.

HEHEHEHE here in florida we as you can tell have a lack of hills!!! so as far as i go, i dont need that much power for braking. Would live to have them for when i go to colorado in summers to see family but while im down here i have no use for them!

Jared

I don't know about the lack of hills in Florida, I have ridden some exceptionally tricky stuff over near Lauderdale. The drops were short, but steep!

What part of ft. lauderdale?

Markham Park was a fabulous ride! (I really screwed myself that day too by getting WD-40 overspray on my rear rotor...)

Once that wore off though, WOW!