sm266

I'm having a difficult time deciding if I want disc brakes or not. I'm still running v-brakes, and they're fine. Everyone speaks of the greatness of disc brakes, though. Any opinions or concerns. I'd probably get the Avid Mechanicals.

MikeOK

Depends on what kind of riding you do. Discs for XC right now will step you up on the cool factor, but....

I've been through 3 different sets of discs now, 8" Hayes, 6" Hayes and 6" Shimano. They do work great, but no matter how much I tweaked on them they always seem to find a way to rub. Most noticable on the 8" but that was when I was on a full-on DH bike, and it really didn't matter that much. Pads are easy to change but you'll have to replace them more often and they are expensive.

V-brakes are simple, lighter, trouble free and when you flat it's easier to get your wheel back on, especially on the back. In a racing situation I think v's are hands down the best choice.

If you do a lot of DH, either slow and technical or fast, discs are the way to go. Discs also work better when wet, but that's a small percentage of the time. In any case, no matter what kind of riding I was doing, I would rather have V's than mechanical discs any time...

crashing_sux

It also depends on what you ride in. I had V's on my bike riding in Seattle where there is constant rain and mud, in one season I had worn halfway through my rim and the stopping power didn't compare with discs anyway. There is the rubbing issue but it's pretty easy to prevent with 6" rotors or even Avid mechanicals which are really easy to setup to prevent rubbing. 8" rotors tend to rub more, both from the fact that they warp more easily and due to a small amount of flexing in your wheels/hubs/forks/frame that can cause the rotor to move slightly side to side within the caliper. With an 8" rotor the effect of this small movement is exagerated.

If you ride in the wet often I highly recommend them, or if you have a habit of warping rims.