Disc Brakes
 

Hi there,

I was thinking of getting disc brakes on my bike. 26" wheel. I know the fork doesn't have the holes for it. So I will get a new one.

Any recommendations for a good fork? Strong, steel or chromoly and black? I need strong drop outs for high torque applications.

I was thinking of a wire version disc brake I have heard of these.

Can I buy them with a disc on the wheel, then buy a different braking? I am not sure how this all works? Meaning the disc from Shimano, and the squeezing mechanism from some other company?

Surly makes a tough fork that fits your criteria. Mechanical discs work great- the rotor should come with the brakeset, otherwise you can get rotors that will work from several different companies. Hope this helps..

What type of brakes are currently on your bike?

These were what the manufacturer described them as:

Kinetix SpeedStop V brakes, mini brake bolts, stainless link and anchor bolt, "SilentGrip" ceramic brake pads

The reason why I am getting better ones is that I am getting an electric motor on my bike. I figure I need more braking power. I would imagine this would be right, unless it is not needed, in which case my current ones, Kinetix SpeedStop are good enough? Are they?

Those brakes are fine. Disc-brakes provides exactly the same stopping-power as any other brake as maximum-deceleration is always dictated by the total friction between the tyre and ground. Just about any brake on the market, even $2 LeeChi brake son your WalMart $59 Taiwanese special can lock up the front-brakes.

Get some KoolStop pads as they work the best. You'll be able to haul down from 60-70mph with no problems.

Disc brakes really address a different operating arena, namely brake-fade on long-descents and repeated stops (where you can actually melt the pads) or mud clogging up the rims. If you're not experiencing any of these problems, I doubt disc brakes will make much of a difference for you.

thankyou that is informative

ride safe my friend!

Discs actually addressed another big issue for me, that was brake and rim dirt. My disc bike stays much cleaner, longer.

Lets not forget that in theory, perhaps all brakes stop the same, but in practice thats not true at all. Lets take the Cane Creek SCR-5's on my LeMond. Similar in design to the Shimano Tiagra/RX100's I'm fond of, but NO stopping power whatsoever (3rd set of pads and no luck). Why? The arms bow outward when compressed against the rim--they aren't stiff enough. Additionally, the arms are also toed in a few degrees so the pads do not hit the rim square, causing a mushy, vague brake sensation. Combined with a harder compound pad, they are frightening, and do little more than reduce speed even under my mere 155lbs. Compared to my previous Shimano brakes, there is no comparison in stopping power, or how quickly you can come to a stop.

Also, on a couple of occasions coming home from work I have had my wheel come out of true (hitting small holes when dark). I have been unable to do anything about it there and then, but the good thing about disks is an untrue wheel will not affect them, whereas rim brakes will be affected.

Also with disk brakes you don't wear out your rims.

That's the answer I was looking for... If you go to discs you won't need to change levers. That's a plus.

IMHO, if you are motorizing then stopping is very important. I'd go with discs. If you hub dosen't have a disc mount then you'll need one that does. You can either buy another hub and relace it in that rim, or buy a new wheel that has a disc compatable hub. Your options are the Shimano center loc or 6 bolt disc. There's pros & cons to each.

I just did a similar conversion. I picked up a new Shimano caliper & 6 bolt rotor and a pre-built wheel with a six bolt hub for my conversion and it went together very smoothly.

What kind of fork are you looking for... rigid or suspension? What size steerer do you have? Isit threaded or threadless? What's your budget like? All these answers are important so we have an idea on how to guide you.

My conversion, 1 1/8" threaded 40mm travel suspension fork w/ cantilever brake to 1 1/8" threadless 80mm suspension fork w/ disc brake set me back about $300 which inclucded a $65 'Stupid Tax'.

Was it worth it?

Hellz yeah!

I love the way the fork works. I love the brake feel and function and the way the two work togrther is the sweetest! As I start to drag a bit of brake, the fork drops a bit and when I squeeze hard the fork squats down and feels real stable, I don't get the feeling it wnats to endo me at all. Just a nice linear progression on the brake feel and fork squat.

I loves me my disc brake! :D

Even better with Hydraulic ones. You can a fantastic even braking feel, and obviously no problems with brake cable stretch. They adjust automatically meaning no fade or adjusting.

Just be careful not to use the brakes with the wheel off, just put a shim (or piece of cardboard) into where the rotor is when you remove the wheel to avoid this.

yeah, i was gonna go for rigid fork
but what is the differnce between centre lock and six bolt
i assume this is the rotor (disc)
can i buy a standard rotor, and then use shimano brakes with caliper, or sram avid bb7 disc and calipers, or do i have to buy a complete set?

Yes, this is the rotor. The center loc system is a Shimano design wherein the rotor is affixed via this clamping ring, you need a special tool to lock & unlock. The six bolt system has just that, six bolts that fix the rotor to the hub. Nary the twain shall meet... unless you use a center lock to six bolt adapter, but that's another story. :)

I'm by no means an expert on compatability, but I imagne with a few exceptions you could use any brand rotor with any caliper, provided they are matched for diameter. Most often they are sold as sets. This would probably be a good starting point since you know it's all going to work together. With mix & match, unless you know for sure you run the risk of compatability issues.

Just my two cents.

thanks,

your two cents are worth their weight in GOLD!

i will ask my LBS what they can do about the rotors and brake options

Glad to help.

FWIW, this is the caliper & rotor set I used... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWN:IT&ih=016

They were very easy to set up and adjust.

Now for a couple of brag pictures. :D