Originally Posted by
gsa103
Even in-expensive hydraulics discs are far superior to other brakes.
I personally haven't tried discs yet and don't want to get into the argument about whether or not discs can be better in certain applications, but I'm having a hard time imagining something "far superior" to the rim brakes I'm used to for street use. The dual pivot calipers on my road bike will stop me just about as fast as the laws of physics allow, have great feel, are super simple to set up and adjust, are lightweight, and well, I'm having a hard time coming up with anything bad to say about them.
More relevant to the original post, my 10-year-old daughter has been riding a mountain bike with v-brakes for a year or two and they stop her plenty well. She's not the strongest little thing, probably pretty average for her age, but she has no problem stopping on a dime.
Might the original poster and his wife be happy with disc brakes? Absolutely. Would discs provide an obvious upgrade in braking performance for a casual rider versus calipers or v-brakes? I don't personally think so.
Originally Posted by
katit
This bike looks good, I would even buy it but pedals on it is clip-on.. Are they cheap to replace?
Platform pedals (ones you don't clip into) can be found cheap and swapping pedals is easy. If you're buying a new bike from a bike shop, they may even let you trade clip-in pedals for platforms at no cost.