|   what are the advantages of both types of brakes? DISC... | jcobras3
Mar 21, 2003 3:20 PM | | i really need some help...i want to convert to disc brakes. is it a big job? also, do you have any recomendations on brands? thanks alot! |
| re: what are the advantages of both types of brakes? DISC... | Sid the sloth
Mar 21, 2003 10:32 PM | | Discs are great in wet and steep downhill conditons. That is, they grip better than v-brakes or cantilevers. Swapping over to discs isn't too hard- you will need the proper mounts though. You will need disc mounts on your frame and or fork, depending on where you want to have disc brakes. Some frames have two bolt hole mounts on the rear triangle- just above the rear axle. Also, some forks have these mounting holes as well. If you don't have a fork or frame with these mounting holes, then you will need to get a frame or fork that has these mounts in order to install disc brakes. Also, you will need hubs that will allow rotors to be attached to them. This may either involve tearing down your existing wheels and installing new hubs, or going with new wheels altogether.
Not sure what kind of riding you do, but if it's strictly commuting in wet weather, or some trail riding, Avid cable actuated discs are pretty decent. If you are into freeriding and downhilling, then hydraulic discs such as Hayes or Shimano XT brakes are something to seriously consider. Installation isn't too complicated, other than bleeding the hydraulic brakes, which is much like bleeding the brakes on the typical automobile- not too difficult, and they only need to be adjusted once. After that, they basically automatically adjust themselves as the pads wear down. I think cable brakes do need to be adjusted periodically, though I could be wrong as I've never run them on my bike before. I don't think you can go wrong switching over to disc brakes. The only disadvantage (which I never think twice about), may be the slight weight gain over v-brakes or cantilevers. |
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