revo_maniack

hey everyone!! im new here, so ya, and this is my first post.. i was wondering, where is the best place to get brake discs, and such for specialized bikes, and for how much? i have the old stock ones that clamp the rim, and i want discs... i dont know what bike i have (cant remember right now) but when i get home, ill post it up...
well thanks in advance!!

WrenchDevil6

We'll need more information about your frame and such. Conversion is simple if your frame is disc ready. A little more difficult, but doable with a conversion kit if it isn't.

Get back to us when you get home and we'll see what you're looking at.

revo_maniack

i am pretty sure its disc ready cuz there is a bunch of random holes at the bottom of the fork that looks like the discs could mount to and same in the rear...

my bike is the specialized hardrock sport... i thought it was supposed to have discs already but i guess i was wrong... well thanks!

oh and if you want pics of the fork and rear holes that are unused i can get some up...

pyroguy_3

Let's hope they're not random... Anyway, yes, some photos of your bike would be nice. With emphasis on the fork disc-mounts, and the frame disc-mounts.

revo_maniack

ok, here are the pictures of my specialized rockhard sport... do these mean that it is disc brake ready?

front, this is one of the holes. looks like for the line to go through:



front, this is one of the holes it looks like the stuff would mount up to:



rear, looks like where the line would rest on:



rear, looks like where the stuff would mount up to:



ok, i hope this helps.... i am just wondering if anyone knows what break kits would fit on this bike, and where the best place would be to get some...
thanks!

mtnbiker66

Yes your frame is ready for disk but you'll need hubs as well. A new wheelset may be the best thing. Check out www. jensonusa.com for Avid BB7 brake kits and wheels.

https://jensonusa.com/store/product/B...+Brake+08.aspx

https://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...+Wheelset.aspx

revo_maniack

ok thanks for the advise, what size rotor should i get? just curious, because there are so many different selections... well thanks!!! any other suggestions for brakes?
also, can i use my same wheels and brake handle things (dont know what they are called) that you pull on to brake? or do i need new ones of those as well... thanks!

Dannihilator

6"

WrenchDevil6

Yep, go with the BB7s and I wouldn't suggest anything above the 185mm, unless of course you're a clyde and then maybe you need the added stopping power, but I doubt it. Larger rotors dissipate heat better and give you a larger braking surface area. As far as levers, I recommend the Avid SD7s.

You'll need a new wheel set and if you want to stick with the Hardrock/Specialized specific disc ready wheel set, I'd recommend these, or the Shimano hubbed Suns that 66 recommended.

HTH

ProFail

Get Avid Juicy 5's or BB7's and a 180 and 160mm rotor.

revo_maniack

but do i HAVE to have the levers? or will stock work... i am on a low budget sort of.... i want the discs, and so i want to find the cheapest usable wheel as well.... i am not really going for fancy, more for reliability, but keeping it low as possible for a wheel that wont stink really bad...
well thanks!

WrenchDevil6

No you don't need the SD7s immediately, but they do allow for the adjustment that you're going to want/need. As far as finding the cheapest wheel set. The ones that we listed for you are pretty much as low as it gets for quality solid disc ready wheels. The wheels that we recommended aren't fancy, they are, as I said, pretty much as low as possible.

Just to add, if you have brifters (integrated brake lever and shifters) on your bike, your ability to fine tune your disc brakes from the lever end is going to go out the window. They may work fine, but when I upgraded to my BB7s, I removed the brifters and upgraded to SRAM Attack Grip Shift and SD7s for the added adjustability.

HTH

kenhill3

The levers you have now will work fine with the BB7's.

revo_maniack

ok, i just want the discs... i dont want to spend all that money, and i wont really be adjusting that much... well, tell me if there are any other wheels that would fit, and work that are still cheap...
thanks!

WrenchDevil6

Post #9

That's about as low as you're going to get and still maintain an ounce of integrity in the wheel set.

pwyll99

I did a similar upgrade on my Rockhopper a few years back.

I bought whatever disk ready wheelset Performance had available (TerraMax rims I think) at their local store that was on sale. I didn't need anything high end as this is mainly my commuting bike.

I also bought the BB7's there on sale. So at that time the wheelset was about $120 and the BB7's (160mm rotors) were about $80-90 each. These were the original BB7's that didn't have the ability to be remotely adjusted. So I used the integrated Aliveo brifters that were already on the bike.

You probably can still find last years model of the BB7's new for $40-50 each.

BB7's are great brakes and are really easy to install.

revo_maniack

ok thanks... i am going to look for the cheapest wheels possable, and for an older model brake..
thanks!

Bike Lover

For the record, a larger rotor does not give a larger braking surface area. It allows for a greater torque to the wheel (if the clamping force and brake friction material allows it).

If I was our dearly departed Pete, I would have just made a long drawn out thread that would have done nothing but create bad feelings. Instead, I'm trying to save everyone heart ache.

WrenchDevil6

You do realize that you just said that a larger disc doesn't provide a larger braking surface, right? The larger size inherently provides more braking surface. 7" is larger than 6" thereby having a larger braking surface. As for having a greater torque to wheel ratio, that is correct as well, but it is in direct proportion/relationship with the size of the braking surface. For the record, of course.

Savvy?

mcoine

Swapping to a bigger rotor while using the same caliper and pads does not increase the surface area of contact between the pad and rotor. That would be determined by the surface area of the pad.

Savvy?

revo_maniack

ok... we dont need to get into a raid... haha.. the braking surface can be interpreted in 2 ways.. how big and therefore more area to brake on rotational wise, and the hight of the rotor where the pads rub on. like when your looking at it from the side, how much there is where the pads rub. well, thanks.. i will be looking around.. ill ask my local shop and see what they can tell me..
thanks!

WrenchDevil6

Really? So if the size of the rotor increases that doesn't allow for more surface area to pass between the pads? I'm not sure that you're sure what you're arguing against.

I understand the point that you're attempting to make that the surface area between the pads doesn't increase, but you need to rethink how FRICTION and braking work together. There is not an instant clamping of the disc, it is an even application of the pads on the rotor using friction. If you increase the rotor size, you increase the amount of frictional area available to pass between the pads; therein lies the basic physical property of increase braking area.

born2bahick

I think thermaldynamics are the basic physical properties. the larger rotor turns faster, creates more friction, therefore more braking effect with all other components being the same.

zephyr16

bigger rotors give you more mechanical advantage, and hence will stop you faster. they also dont suffer from brake fade as much because the rotors dont heat up as quickly.

not too sure what the hell you are talking about with a larger braking surface...the size of the braking surface on the rotor is the same for all sizes of rotor...

WrenchDevil6

Are you kidding?

The size of the braking surface is not the same size between different sized rotors. Think about what you're saying for just a second. The braking surface is the entire diameter of the rotor. There's a reason that you gain mechanical advantage with an increase in rotor size. There is MORE rotor to pass through the pads. Thus the braking surface is increased. How is it that you guys can argue against this? You want to quote mechanical advantage, yet you want to leave out the most important advantage. Braking surface is not figured solely on the section of rotor that the pad is touching when the brakes stop the vehicle. Braking surface is figured by the total area available to interact with the pads in order to stop a vehicle using friction.

Again... Braking surface is not only the area in relationship to pad size.