Disc brakes on MTB?

I would recommend discs. You get fantastic control on the downhills because
you can slow down without locking up the wheels, also it takes less effort
to brake (i.e. 1 or 2 fingers) so on the longer downhills you will not find
your hands cramping/locking up due as can happen with V brakes.

On the downside is the expense and inability to self maintain the
hydrolics - I have seen disc braked bikes become useless on epic (multiday)
rides after hydrolic problems but the simpler V braked bikes kept on just
fine.

Perhaps a good compromise is one disc on the front and one V brake on the
back.

A good compromise would be
"Steve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I am looking at buying a MTB, this will be my first bike in a long time.
However I haven't been able to find out whether the disc brakes are
worth the money or not. It seems only the higher end MTBs have them
however, I have seen some for around $650 that come with them. What are
the pros/cons of disc brakes?

Steve said:

I am looking at buying a MTB, this will be my first bike in a long time.
However I haven't been able to find out whether the disc brakes are
worth the money or not. It seems only the higher end MTBs have them
however, I have seen some for around $650 that come with them. What are
the pros/cons of disc brakes?

Disk brakes are not suseptable to water problems lubricating the rubbing
surfaces between the rubber pads and rims. They continue to work just as well
even when drenched wet.

Disk brakes don't make nearly as much noise (crunching grinding noises) after
riding through muddy water, or dusty/dirty conditions.

Disk brakes still work just as well, even if your rims are bent, buckled or
otherwise stuffed.

Disk brakes hold up better under heavy, prolonged use, without fading.

V-brakes can wear out your rims, eventually requiring replacement, where
disks (thick steel versus lightweight aluminium) last just about forever.
(well, life of the bike anyway). However, if you ride your MTB "properly"
you'll be bending rims way before you're wearing them out anyway. :-)
Pads don't count as wearing out, because they're consumables- they are
*supposed* to wear out.

Hydraulics offer better modulation ability (better braking control), compared
to cable operated brakes. This advantage is not automatic, it's up to YOU to
operate the brakes in an effective manner under different conditions.
Though both disks and V-brakes have cable-operated versions, hydraulics are
only available for disks.

Hydraulic operated brakes offer a softer more spongey feel than cable brakes,
but this is what gives them their better ability. Some people may interpret
this softer feel for "worse" than cable.

Notice I've said nothing about braking power. In many cases, V-brakes can
have better stopping power than disks. You don't choose disks for their
stopping power, but after reading the above, you can see you have many more
other advantages to choose from.
That's not to say that disks won't stop you with one finger, they can.

From a maintenance perspective, V-brakes and cabled disks are on about equal
complexity, with the v-brakes probably needing a little more maintenance.
Though this would probably be due to the generally cheaper components used with
v-brakes rather than disks.
Hydraulics are a lot more complex with a little more maintenance. Unless you
buy cheap junk, in which case, you'll wish for cable.

From a reliability perspecive, while you can afford to be frugal with cables
and still have brakes that work- if you're frugal with hydraulics, you're
buying junk that you'll never be happy with.

If you're going to buy hydraulics, spend the money. Lots of it.

My vote would always be disks. Cabled if you're cheap, hydraulic if you've
got money to spare.
Though I have decent quality hydraulics now, I've used cabled disks, and have
been very happy with them. I've had bad hydraulics, and cursed them the whole
bloody time.

--
Linux Registered User # 302622 <http://counter.li.org>

John Tserkezis <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Though both disks and V-brakes have cable-operated versions, hydraulics
are only available for disks.

Not true. I believe you can still get Magura hydraulic rim brakes (OK,
not really a V, but a rim brake), and someone was making a hydraulic V
a few years back which may still be available. The name "Wengler" is
in my head, but I can't be stuff Googling to check if it's right.

Quoted message said:

Hydraulic operated brakes offer a softer more spongey feel than cable
brakes, but this is what gives them their better ability.

A Hayes hydro disc feels harder than a Hayes cable disc to me.
Hydraulic discs offer more efficiency (no cable stretch, and the fluid
has less friction than a cable), automatic adjustment, and from my
experience, less maintenance. The maintenance is a bit trickier, but I
think I've bled my brakes twice in 4 years - I have to replace V
cables about once a year, and swapping pads on discs is trivial.

Steer clear of the cheaper disc brakes - I haven't been paying a huge
amount of attention to what's around, but I'd consider the Hayes, Avid
and Deore cables to be the only ones worth getting. Deore hydros offer
pretty good performance at a not too insane price, and Armor seem to
have an OK rep. Hayes, Hope, Shimano XT/XTR seem to be the premium
brands, though I've probably forgotten some.

Dave - who'd recommend discs if they're reasonable and don't add too
much to the cost of the bike.

--
Dave Hughes
[email hidden]
"Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once ...
with negative results." -- Ben (float), ASR

Steve Chapman said:

On the downside is the expense and inability to self maintain the
hydrolics - I have seen disc braked bikes become useless on epic
(multiday) rides after hydrolic problems but the simpler V braked bikes
kept on just fine.

Disc brake pads also wear out quicker than their vee brake bretheren.
<insert disclamier about riding frequency and style here>

Vee pads are much easier to check visually and generally will decay
over time. The first you tend to know about disc pad wearing is a
horrible metal on metal scream that really signifies "don't pull that
lever again".

That writ, in crappy conditions where wear is a big issue, discs rule.
It's the old story - from maintainance input, you'll get the return
you deserve.

idiot

--

Steve said:

I am looking at buying a MTB, this will be my first bike in a long time.
However I haven't been able to find out whether the disc brakes are
worth the money or not. It seems only the higher end MTBs have them
however, I have seen some for around $650 that come with them. What are
the pros/cons of disc brakes?

Everyone above said it all.

Just one point IMO. Generally speaking, disc brake systems are
considerably more expensive than their V-system counterparts (level to
level compro, eg XT disc and XT Vs). They also need disc hubs which are
not cheap either. Therefore, having a reliable and durable disc system
will set you back a bit.

Having said that, disc brakes are the flavour of the week these days, as
dualies were just not far back. That means every crappy brand makes
dualies and hardtails with discs. Since there must be some juice left
for the manufacturer in the end, some thing has to give one way or
other. So beware of crappy components on an el-chaepo bike that comes
with disc brakes.

Another thing that I think wasn't mentioned is the weight penalty of
discs. But that's for the weight-concious. I prefer discs because they
perform well in wet, dirt and mud (MTB, eh?). V's are fantastic in dry
and relatively clean conditions. The rest of disc drawbacks are accepted
by me because they save me well when I need it.

happy shopping, Amir.

--

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

Quoted message said:

I am looking at buying a MTB, this will be my first bike in a long time.
However I haven't been able to find out whether the disc brakes are
worth the money or not. It seems only the higher end MTBs have them
however, I have seen some for around $650 that come with them. What are
the pros/cons of disc brakes?

I love my discs (Avid cable operated), and wouldn't go back, but there are
occasional downsides. Discs will still work well in the rain, but *I* find
(riding on Blue Mountains sandstone tracks) that they wear out *very*
quickly when it gets muddy. By very, I mean one set went from half worn to
unusable in about 25 kms. OK, the conditions were appalling - a huge storm
hit after I'd started, but I barely used the brakes at all - most of the
wear appeared related to the constant grinding sounds coming from the
disc...

Of course, such conditions are so bad for the rest of the bike I usually
avoid them - too much maintenance otherwise!

For me, the benefits of outstanding, easy to adjust, well modulated brakes
far outweigh the cons.

Tony F
http://www.thefathippy.com

The main thing I notice about discs is that they are progressive and
powerful, allowing me to wash off speed quickly on tiny patches of firm
ground and role over the bumpier looser sections without brakes. I can keep
a much higher average speed with discs coming down bumpy, loose & steep
slopes. I am quite overweight and maybe a lighter person will not appreciate
these benefits as much.

Having said that, my discs (Shimano) have lately only had the power of
V-brakes. There still seems to be some pad left but they have lost power.

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

Quoted message said:

I am looking at buying a MTB, this will be my first bike in a long time.
However I haven't been able to find out whether the disc brakes are
worth the money or not. It seems only the higher end MTBs have them
however, I have seen some for around $650 that come with them. What are
the pros/cons of disc brakes?

Alex said:

The main thing I notice about discs is that they are progressive and
powerful, allowing me to wash off speed quickly on tiny patches of firm
ground and role over the bumpier looser sections without brakes. .....
........
Having said that, my discs (Shimano) have lately only had the power of
V-brakes. There still seems to be some pad left but they have lost power.

I have a 2000 model Avanti Barracuda with RST discs but only because
it was a superceded model and I got them for $14 above the V-brake price.
I can't really make a comparison as this is my first "non-KMart" bike but I
like them a lot. I've seen a TV program lately showing MTB's in competitions
in Tasmania and most of them if not all the Avanti models has discs so
there must be something to it.

--
Regards, Bob