Conversion to disc brakes
 

Rather than try to figure it all out in this thread, I thought I'd pose this question in a new thread.

I'm considering converting what will be my winter commuter to disc brakes for wet weather stopping ability. I'm considering either going to front disc, rear internally geared hub with drum brake, or front disc/rear disc.

The bike I'll be converting is a Trek 830 mountain bike, with lawyer tabs on the front fork-- disc tabs would have to be welded on. Is front disc & rear drum the way to go, or would front & rear disc be better?

Basically, what should I know/think about in planning a conversion like this?

How steep are your hills? You may be able to go with two drum brakes and not have to worry about the front fork.
Your front brake is the power brake, so I would not worry about putting a disk in the back (more tabs to deal with) and go with an internal hub/w drum brake.
That said, I love my disks on my mnt bike, they stop with force but you can lock a wheel (especially the back) fairly easily.
For a short while I put a disk on the front of my XtraLite, v's in the back, even loaded down they worked very well. However I also swapped out the fork (for the tabs), and it raised the front of the bike too much and my stand-over height became too tight.

Hmmmm. I'll have to check tonight....

I switched my Kona Jake the Snake to a front disc. I swapped the straight steel fork for a carbon fork with disc tabs from nashbar for about $150, then added an Avid BB7 Road Disc.

For me, commuting every day of the year, in the pacific northwest, at 6:30 am in the pitch black, pouring rain, loaded panniers, and steep steep hills, it was the best upgrade I made. Then again the bike itself was worth upgrading. I don't think I would do it to a $300 bike as it would be more econimcal to find a used disc bike instead.