disk brakes

Better stopping power, especially in the wet. If you MTB in a particularly muddy area, you get less
of it on the disc than on your rim. You don't have to worry if that last bump/rock/tree stump/etc.
dinged your rim, it won't affect your braking.

The disadvantages are they weigh more, are more expensive, and can be more difficult to maintain.
Although this last one is less true with the fully mechanical versions.

May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear for the hills! Chris

Chris'Z Corner "The Website for the Common Bicyclist": geocities.comczcornerOpen ↗

RE/

Quoted message said:

I am planning on buying a MTB and wanted to know how much of an advantage , if any, it was to have
disc brakes.

Five things that move me:

1) They work pretty well when it's raining really hard.

2) Better modulation - you can control the amount of braking force with much more precision - useful
going downhill with if-fy traction.

3) One-finger stopping. Not all disk brakes allow this, but my Hope C2's do and it's nice to be
able to be able to keep a mostly-full grip on the bars and still have maximum braking power at
your disposal.

4) They don't need a true wheel.

5) Mud is moot. Actually, some months ago, I had seen the light and replaced my rear disk brake
with a V-brake. Lighter; cheaper; plenty stopping power... Then I got the rear wheel nice and
muddy....what a horrible sound!....didn't look like it was doing the rims any good either....so
I reverted.

From the various threads on V vs Canti vs Disc it seems that V brakes actually have the most raw
stopping power and resistance to fade...but it's the disc brake's other amenities that I like.
-----------------------
PeteCresswell

"(Pete Cresswell)" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

5) Mud is moot. Actually, some months ago, I had seen the light and

replaced

Quoted message said:

my rear disk brake with a V-brake. Lighter; cheaper; plenty stopping

power...

Quoted message said:

Then I got the rear wheel nice and muddy....what a horrible

sound!....didn't

Quoted message said:

look like it was doing the rims any good either....so I reverted.

Hmm. I haven't tried disc brakes on a bike yet, but I have heard plenty of awful squealing from
other people's disc brake equipped bikes.

Andrew Lee' whatsupandrewathotmaildotcom said:

Hmm. I haven't tried disc brakes on a bike yet, but I have heard plenty of awful squealing from
other people's disc brake equipped bikes.

Gee, I've never heard rim brakes squeal!

Set 'em up right and all brakes are quiet.

Barry

arrow-<< I am planning on buying a MTB and wanted to know how much of an advantage , if any, it was
to have disc brakes. >><BR><BR>

HYDRAULIC discs work great when the conditions are very wet/muddy, where you may have an occasion to
wack a rim, have lots of above and lots of downhill, otherwise not worth it, IMHO..

I would save your $ on mechanicals...

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 vecchios.comvecchios.comOpen ↗ "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

Qui si parla Campagnolo said:

HYDRAULIC discs work great when the conditions are very wet/muddy, where

I would save your $ on mechanicals...

Why not mechanical? When I consider disc brakes, I'm scarcely comfortable with depending on
hydraulic lines not to break, and the servicability issues with them.

As I understand, mechanical disc brakes are okay, but I'm certainly open to elightenment.

For now, I'll just stick with my V brakes.

Quoted message said:

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 vecchios.comvecchios.comOpen ↗ "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

--
Rick Onanian

B a r r y B u r k e J r . said:

Set 'em up right and all brakes are quiet.

...and keep your rims true and your V brakes not adjusted too close, or you get terrible grinding
with just a little bit of mud or water.

I love my V brakes, but occasionally consider disc brakes when the weather is icky and I find myself
loosening them.

Quoted message said:

Barry

--
Rick Onanian

Quoted message said:

As I understand, mechanical disc brakes are okay, but I'm certainly open to elightenment.

I like my Avids. Less chance of a hydraulic line breaking, etc. on mtn rides, you can find
replacement cables at any LBS, etc. Basically, they're easier to live with than hydraulics.

I hear from a friend that has hydraulics (that came stock on his scalpel) that my mechanicals don't
feel the same.

My mechanical discs also haven't been hors de combat for the last 6-8 weeks waiting for
warranty parts...

Mike

"Tom" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I am planning on buying a MTB and wanted to know how much of an advantage , if any, it was to have
disc brakes. Thanks,

Tom:

I run Avid mechanical disk up front and Avid V-brake in back. Since the rear only provides 30-40% of
your braking, you want the "better" brake on the front. While a rear disk doesn't really hurt (more
later) it doesn't help much either.

I like these disks because they are easy to set up and maintain. With V-brakes, you have to fiddle
with pad clearance all the time to keep them well-set-up. Even then, in the mud and wet, you might
have one of those dreaded "oh, [censored]!" moments where you grab the brake and get nothing. Grab it
harder, and all of a sudden - wham! All brakes and endo, and all that.

Disks give you braking all the time, no problems. Well, there are some purported problems, but those
have not yet been proven. To view those potential problems, search this newsgroup using the search
string "disk brake" and "wheel ejection". You'll get plenty of reading.

Back to the brakes: I find that hydraulic disks are better in terms of modulation, but not so far
and above mechanicals as to justify the increased price. Cable-actuated disk brakes are a little
easier to deal with on the rear as well - you don't have to figure out how to run a solid line all
the way back. You can use your cable stops in exactly the way you would for V-brakes. In addition,
bleeding hydraulic brakes can be a pain in the neck the first time, but once you learn how to do it,
it's second-nature. I prefer the ease of mechanicals.

I went from center-pull cantis to Vs to front-disk/rear V to all disk (now I'm back to half and half
due to riding a different frame with no disk lugs on the rear, but no matter.)

The difference between the cantis and Vs was night and day. The step up to disk-front provided more
predictable foul-condition braking, and no problems when I whacked a rock and sent the rim out of
true a bit. The step to full disk meant less maintenance and more riding. One finger braking at all
times. And when your arms are tired after an extended downhill run, it makes a difference. Changing
the pads is so very simple - a 2 minute job, no joke. And Avid mechanicals are so cheap (but still
excellent quality) as to rival the most expensive V-brake set-ups in cost.

The last benefit is rim wear. If you are not using the rim as a braking surface, it's not going to
get thinner with every ride. In addition, you'll never overheat your rims and blow your tire off due
to braking on an extended downhill. I've had the rear do that once, and have had some friends do the
front. Talk about an "oh, [censored]!" moment...

You'll pay a weight penalty, and you must carefully bed in the pads to prevent squealing (the
brakes, not you.) And they cost more initially. But after all the years of cantis and Vs, I'll
not go back.

Spider

In article <[email hidden]>, "Tom"

Quoted message said:

I am planning on buying a MTB and wanted to know how much of an advantage , if any, it was to have
disc brakes.

See the thread entitled "More on disk brakes and wheel ejection"

Tom Gibb <[email hidden]

[email hidden] schreef ...

Quoted message said:

From the various threads on V vs Canti vs Disc it seems that V brakes actually have the most raw
stopping power and resistance to fade...but it's the disc brake's other amenities that I like.
-----------------------
PeteCresswell

And somewhere in between is the ever-working Magura HS-33 rim brake. More stopping power than a
V-brake - but in a gentler way - and completely fade resistant (in our experience).

--
Regards, Marten

Tom' may have said:

I am planning on buying a MTB and wanted to know how much of an advantage , if any, it was to have
disc brakes.

I've ridden a couple of other people's bikes with disc fronts, and I like them a lot. I can't afford
them myself yet.

Main advantages:

They are less susceptible to road crud; mud and water are less of a problem.

They don't get wierd when the wheel's not true.

They won't cause the wheel to get overheated on a long downhill run.

Main disadvantages:

They cost more.

They weigh more, although it's not a really big amount by my standards.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail. Yes, I have a killfile. If I
don't respond to something, it's also possible that I'm busy.

(Spider) may have said:

Disks give you braking all the time, no problems. Well, there are some purported problems, but
those have not yet been proven. To view those potential problems, search this newsgroup using the
search string "disk brake" and "wheel ejection". You'll get plenty of reading.

After reading everything I could find on that subject, I concluded that as long as the unit doesn't
use a QR axle, and the rider checks to make sure the axle nuts are tight once in a while[1], the
reported issue is not going to bite them.

Even with a QR axle, the problem's apparently pretty rare. How much this should scare you is a
matter of personal priorities.

[1] on the order of every couple hundred miles ought to be more than often enough in my opinion.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail. Yes, I have a killfile. If I
don't respond to something, it's also possible that I'm busy.

RE/

Quoted message said:

Hmm. I haven't tried disc brakes on a bike yet, but I have heard plenty of awful squealing from
other people's disc brake equipped bikes.

It's definately a problem - but seems to occur with rim brakes too.

When I first got my discs I must've contaminated the rotors or something because they started
squeeling horrendously.

Tried all sorts of things: sanding, boiling, and so-forth. Wound up buying another set of pads and
wiping the rotors with alcohol and the problem went away never to recur. That was over a year ago.

Now that I think of it, the risk of pad/rotor contamination *is* one of the downsides of disk
brakes. Maybe it could be said that rim brakes/rims have the same risk - but the disk pads/rotors
are down there where stuff happens - like chain lube overspray, leaking hubs, and so-forth.

Still doesn't deter me though - although I would admit that my brief flirtation with rear V-brakes
was partially based on a little paranoia in that vein....
-----------------------
PeteCresswell

"Rick Onanian" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Qui si parla Campagnolo said:

HYDRAULIC discs work great when the conditions are very wet/muddy, where

I would save your $ on mechanicals...

Why not mechanical? When I consider disc brakes, I'm scarcely comfortable with depending on
hydraulic lines not to break, and the servicability issues with them.

So how long do you ride using the same cables and housings? 6 months? A year? 2 years? My Hayes
hydraulics have been on the bike since May 2001. That's about 2700 miles ago and many crashes
along the way; some small, some unforgettable. The bars have been twisted around full backwards,
forcing the rear hose to kink pretty significantly at the point of the hose guide on the front
end of the top tube. That kink has been there through many repeated accidents that put it in the
same bind, but it has never leaked a bit, nor presented any resistance from the pinched section.
Serviceability on these is way better than you'll find from cables and housings, IMO. As to
other servicing issues, the brake pad changes are far less often and at least as easy as
V-brakes, typically. I have had one tiny leak at the hose/lever attachment point; it was no more
than a seeping bit of fluid, not even enough to form a drop on the hose, but visible as it
reflected some light. I loosened and retightened the line and the leak has never recurred. I
have had to rebleed the lines once, a pretty simple process in spite of all the complaining
heard from those who don't do it. I'm on the 4th set of pads now, so I've used 2 sets on front 2
on rear in 2700 miles. Usually ride fairly decent conditions, but have had to ride some
horrendously muddy rides that did eat pads pretty quickly. No complaints here about disc brakes.
Never going back to V-brakes without a fight. Better modulation performance. Better control.
Better stopping power. Better in terms of maintenance. Just plain better, IMO. Add a pound or so
to my bike any day if you can offer me all this in exchange. I agree with Peter: save your money
on mechanicals. Part of the rationale behind the change, at least for me, was doing away with
cable limitations. I have never regretted that change.
--
Off to ride the mountains, D H Reply to newsgroup. Spam is out of control.

Mike S.' mikeshaw2@coxDOTnet said:

Quoted message said:

As I understand, mechanical disc brakes are okay, but I'm certainly open to elightenment.

I like my Avids. Less chance of a hydraulic line breaking, etc. on mtn rides, you can find
replacement cables at any LBS, etc. Basically, they're easier to live with than hydraulics.

Good point, as I often see hydraulic lines exploding on the trail.
<G>

Avid mechs certainly are excellent brakes, but I'd never go back to mechanicals now that I've got
hydraulic. Nothing to adjust, no cable stretch, not worn cable housing, just bleed 'em once a
year or so.

And FWIW, I crash often... <G>

Barry

[email hidden] (Chris Zacho "The Wheelman"😉 schreef ...

Quoted message said:

(Marten Hoffmann) said:

And somewhere in between is the ever-working Magura HS-33 rim brake. More stopping power than a
V-brake - but in a gentler way - and completely fade resistant (in our experience).
--
Regards, Marten

Magura HR-33? Are those the ones that look like drilled out scissors?

I guess you're confusing them with the HS-66 (road bike brake). The HS- 33 is this one:
tandem-fahren.deSakae.htmOpen ↗ (bottom right).

--
Regards, Marten

D H said:

So how long do you ride using the same cables and housings? 6 months? A year? 2 years?

My brake cables are as old as the bike, bought in 1997. I think one derailleur cable had to be
replaced once.

Quoted message said:

My Hayes hydraulics have been on the bike since May 2001. That's about 2700 miles ago and many
crashes along the way; some small, some unforgettable.

I haven't had that amount of mileage or crashes. How do you find the time to do that?

Quoted message said:

of the top tube. That kink has been there through many repeated accidents that put it in the same
bind, but it has never leaked a bit, nor

See, I wouldn't be comfortable with that, and would need to fix it (every time it happened) for my
peace of mind.

Quoted message said:

any resistance from the pinched section. Serviceability on these is way better than you'll find
from cables and housings, IMO.

How could that be? I can repair/replace cables and housings with one or two household tools in a
minute's time. I'm not familiar with hydraulic lines, but I've always understood that it requires
special tools and procedures.

I am speaking from a mostly ignorant point of view; I have zero experience with hydraulic. It's
likely that the things I've assumed are wrong.

Quoted message said:

As to other servicing issues, the brake pad changes are far less often and at least as easy as
V-brakes, typically. I have had one tiny leak at

I don't have any issues with wearing my V brakes too quickly, but with your mileage I suspect I'd
have to change them rather often.

Quoted message said:

I agree with Peter: save your money on mechanicals. Part of the rationale behind the change, at
least for me, was doing away with cable limitations. I have never regretted that change.

For those of us not comfortable with hydraulics, no matter how unreasonable that discomfort is, is
there any reason why we shouldn't get mechanical disc brakes? Either way, I don't have the money to
blow on discs, but in the future I might...

--
Rick Onanian

In article <[email hidden]>, B a r r y B u r k e J r .

Quoted message said:

Avid mechs certainly are excellent brakes, but I'd never go back to mechanicals now that I've got
hydraulic. Nothing to adjust, no cable stretch, not worn cable housing, just bleed 'em once a
year or so.

You should change the fluid once every two years *at least*.

--
Fact of life #15: Heads bleed, walls don't.