Originally Posted by
lordbaldric
Hi there. I'm new to the forums and am about to buy a new bike from the LBS in the next couple weeks, and have a couple questions.
The bike shop sells Trek bikes and after doing some research I'm considering a DS 8.3, FX 7.3, Verve 3 or Marlin 6.
First question: It seems like disc breaks are more effective(?), but are they a maintenance hassle. I'd be fine with traditional rim breaks if the disc ones are a pain. Or are mechanical/hydraulic disc breaks different in this area?
Second question: I've read some people say that entry level shock absorbing forks are pretty worthless. If that's the case, maybe better to get rigid forks and save the weight? Replace the standard FX tires with a little more robust ones to absorb a little more shock?
I will be riding on streets and sidewalks mostly, but don't want a full blown road bike because of broken pavement, curbs, the occasional tree root, etc. Would also like a some versatility in case I ever ride on some unpaved trails. This probably makes a MTB way overkill.
Anyway, I appreciate any advice you guys can give me.
1) I've ridden offroad with cantilevers, u-brakes, v-brakes, cable discs, and hydraulic discs - each one for several years and fairly roughly. By far, hydraulic discs require less maintenance over the others. New pads are the easiest of all to replace save for parallel push cartridge V's. The most complex task is purging the air from the lines once a yearish- its not more difficult than recabling the brakes. Just like you need special tools to cut cables, you need special tools to bleed brakes. Adjusting for pad wear is where brakes need adjusting the most; for some it is critical, like on U-brakes. This is where hydros shine, as they don't ever need adjusting for pad wear. Once set up, hydraulic discs require the least maintenance of the systems previously listed. A close second would be parallel V brakes
2) Suspension requires damping and adjustability to work properly and low end forks are devoid of such complexities. Stick to rigid. Many people ride offroad on full rigid bikes. For comfort, look first to tires