I'm about to buy a new bike in the next few months. I want something that can handle the trails but also be comfortable on the road. Probably a 50/50 mix. I've been leaning towards the Specialized Hardrock pro with disc brakes. Now that I've been reading around it seems that the general consensus is that disc brakes aren't worth the extra expense. So I was wondering what the experts thought about
A. Disc Brakes

B. My current choice of ride.

I have about a five to six hundred dollar price range. According to the posts it looks like the gary fisher marlin and specialized hardrock are the performers in this category. Thanks in advance for your help.
Scott

Expert don't think discs are worth it?...I guess it depends on the rider. I personally think they are invaluable for my riding. However...not everyone needs them. In fact for most people they are overkill / overweighted / overcost. What the weather like where you are. Muddy, rainy or really dry? Terrain? etc...

Those play big parts. Personally I can ride either really dusty terrain or super wet and sometimes deep mud. I also ride very steep and fast technical trails (up and down) and need constant braking in all conditions. Disc brakes offer me that.

It sounds like you could go with a typical xc bike with good v's...the hardrock is meant for more aggressive riding and the geometry shows it. Past that I can't recommend much because I don't know squat about xc bikes

The brakes on that bike are mechanical discs, which except for Avids, don't get great reviews. For the price, especially if you don't live near any major hills, you'd probably be better off to go with V-brakes and better components on the rest of the bike. Unfortunately, Specialized doesn't make a bike that fits quite into your price range except the one you were looking at, although there's option's on either side. Overall, the Hardrock Pro is a good bike and I'm sure you'd be happy with it. Really pretty much any hardtail in your range will do what you want it to. The Marlin is good as well, although the geometry is different, so you might find one or the other more comfortable.

The Shimano discs require CONSTANT adjustment to keep the pads from rubbing. If you ride over a peanut on a paved road you'll throw the caliper out of alignment. You can upgrade to Avids, but then that puts you in the price range of upgrading to a Rockhopper. As stated above, if you do fairly aggressive trails or some downhills, the adjustment isn't a huge deal. But it's an unnecessary headache if v-brakes can suit your terrain/riding style just as well.

I think the majority of people who have disc brakes don't NEED disc brakes. It's kinda a luxury. For the type trails I ride, I could probably get by with a good set of Vee's. I run Hayes hydraulics. Why? Because I like them and they do offer great modulation and I KNOW they'll work regardless of trail conditions and especially when I travel.

Do I NEED them, No, do I have them Yes.

Again as mentioned, a cheap pair of cable actuated discs is more for the glamore than for performance. With the exception of the Avid's, you can get just as good braking out of a set of vee's than a crap set of discs.

L8R

Thanks a lot guys, looks like I'll be saving a couple bucks by not going with the discs.

************************************************************************

Hold on Man....

I have used rim brakes, Hydraulic rim brakes, and now hydraulic disc (8" on both front & rear) brakes..... I must state that at least for my style of riding, which is XC with DH almost every ride, that I truely love the disc brakes even though they have required some extra maintenance. I was already accustomed to bleeding & adjusting the hydraulic's, but they really pay for themselves in the muddy and wet conditions that I frequently encounter..... Mine are the Hayes HFX-9 DH brakes.

PS. I could care less about the "glamour" of anything on my bike, I own what I have because it works, nothing else matters 2 me, period..

Have a good ride!

I probably don't need them, but they are really nice.

Resons to get disc brakes:

1) When running on muddy trails the grass, leaves and mud all cake up around traditional brake calipers to form a donut. That donut gets thick and eventually you cannot pedal without stopping and clearing it out. That doesn't happen with disc breaks. There are no calipers to collect all that debris.

2) Wheel true. With disc brakes, it doesn't matter if the wheel goes out of true. I'm a heavier rider and a truly TRUE wheel is a bit of a holy grail for me. If the wheel goes out of true, the breaks start rubbing. The solution is to back of the tension, but that kills breaking power.

Disc brakes nuetralize the wheel true issue. The disc is isolated from the impact of road, rocks, stumps etc... They don't bend unless you apply some truly unusual forces to it.

3) All weather braking. Disc brakes just plain work. Water and mud doesn't phase them.

4) Ease of adustment. Disc brakes take a business card and a few minutes to adjust. Once adjusted, they tend to stay there. Traditional breaks require things like "fourth hand tools" to get right. They are also more apt to go "out of adjustment" from loss of wheel true and inadequetly tightened bolts. Once the pads get misaliged it's a serious ***** to tighten the attaching screws without twisting the pads.

5) Ease of use. Sorry but disc brakes are just plane better. They apply a nice even pressure that are easy to "ride on". They don't "pulse" like traditional brakes. They don't change breaking power with moisture. When you clamp on, they stop PERIOD!!!!!!

They guy looking at the Specialized Hardrock pro might consider Giant. I bought an 04 Giant Yukon recently and I'm very happy with it. I also looked at the Hardrock Comp and decided on the Giant on a cost basis (including higher end derailer). Except for the crappy tires (Specialized comes with crappy tires as well), I'm 100% happy.

The one caveat I'll add is that Giant ships their next higher level bike (Iguana) with WTB Weirwolf tires that are supposed to be VERY nice. At ~$560, the Iguana is a direct competitor to the Hardrock Pro. Though, I definitely like the flame black/grey Hardrock pro frame better than the blue Iguana. The Hardrock also has a sloped top bar that should making racking your jewels a little tougher than Giant's traditional parallell top bar.

Had I not wanted disc brakes, I would have bought a Specialized Hardrock Comp. But Disc brakes was my #1 reason for buying a new bike. The $430 Giant Yukon offered the best platform with the most options (minus the ****ty tires ;-))

If you choose disc brakes, I think you'll be 100% satisfied once they're broken in (one ride). Those who shun disc probably haven't ridden them enough to appreciate the power, versatility, control and ease of maintenance they offer when compared to traditional brakes.

For being in the DH set I find my disc brakes to be invaluable since it is nice to get woahed down at the end of the run.

As said the hardrock is designed to be more along the lines of the big hit hardtails, with the hardrock and when a rider on one is ready to step up to the next level of bike in the specialized bike line and stay with a hardtail, they usually go with the Pseries(P1,P2,P3,P3street)