Originally Posted by jr85 .
i just bought this bike with V-brakes. i am not a massive fan of them and was thinking about customising my bike and installing dual-calipers. however, while the forks and rear of the frame do have a hole to mount brakes, this is not more crude and not suitable for a sunken nut. is it possible to upgrade the brakes?
FYI. The
holes which you mentioned are
for mounting fenders/etc. ...
- the hole on the rearward side of the fork can be enlarged to accept a recessed nut
- and similarly, the forward facing hole on the rear can be enlarged to accept a recessed nut
BUT, as
CAMPYBOB observed, if you simply want to
customize your bike, then because your bike's frame & fork are apparently
disc brake ready YOU just have to pony up for the disc brake calipers & levers + new wheels OR new hubs onto which you will have your current rims laced .... generally,
not a cheap proposition.
If you don't like your current V-brakes, then the more obvious (?!?) upgrade would be a set of XT or XTR V-brakes ...
- are XT & XTR V-brakes easier to adjust? Yes, but ...
- do XT or XTR V-brakes maintain pad angle better. Yes, but ...
- do XT or XTR V-brakes stop better? Maybe, maybe not!!
Cantilever brake calipers which are still used on Cyclocross bikes WILL give your bike a custom appearance.
BTW. I presume you want your bike to look something like this ...
I
enlarged the forward facing "fender mounting" hole on the B-Stay to accept a recessed nut (
as I suggested, above) ...
BUT, whether you choose to opt for disc brakes OR to install an appropriately long reach brake caliper (
maybe, a brake caliper with a ~73mm, +/-, reach will work for the rear ... maybe, for the fork too ... regardless, YOU have to measure the theoretical reach for YOUR frame & fork!), YOUR bike's brake bosses will still be present ...
- I removed the brake bosses from the seat stays ...
- but, it's a steel frame ...
- and, you probably should NOT remove the cantilever/(V-brake) brake bosses from an aluminum/CF/Titanium frame!!!
- the particular frame started as a 26er Hardtail ...
- the existing hole in the B-Stay was close enough to the brake surface on a 700c rim that I could use a 49mm-59mm ("long") reach Tektro brake caliper ...
- Shimano makes a "long" reach brake caliper, too, if you are brand conscious.
- BTW, as oldbobcat noted, you will also need new brake levers if you decide to change from V-brakes to dual-pivot Road calipers.
Cantilever brake calipers which are still used on most Cyclocross bikes will give your bike a "custom" appearance ...
- stopping power depends on how they are set up ...
- and, the pads ...
- don't forget that you will need different brake levers ... heck, why not put DROP bars on your bike? of course, I recommend you do-it-right & consider Campagnolo shifters
IMO, disc brakes for "Road" bikes are most beneficial if you ride in a wet-or-rainy environment (
e.g., Pacific NW, Costa Rica, or any similarly wet venue) or if you are planning a solo, loaded Tour with the bike.
