When Use Disc? V-Brake?

You've pretty much got it summed up there!

I would add that disk brakes are coming down in weight all the time and the difference between top-end disks and v-brakes is neglibible.

Also, in the dry well set-up v-brakes will match a lot of disks. In the wet obviously there's no comparison...

Thanks for the response.

Moving forward now, can you folks kindly please name a bunch of brands/models for the following that I may check out:

V-brakes:
-entry-level (up to $100)
-mid-level ($101 to $200)
-high end ($200)

Disc brakes:
-entry-level (up to $100)
-mid-level ($101 to $200)
-high end ($200)

If my price ranges are off, feel free to suggest your own.

I am likewise pondering improvements on my wheelset and would need to decide on whether going V or disc in a month or so.

Thanks!

Shimano XT V brakes are pretty much one of the better V's out there. Avid makes some good ones as well though. The XTs are pretty light and last. You can find deals on brakes and levers on the net for cheap, especially this time of year ($100 or way under sometimes). If you ride XC in dry conditions most/all of the time V brakes are just fine (especially with ceramic coated rims).

Avid mechanicals get rave reviews (never tried them) but most dig them ($90 or under per wheel). Lots of people rave on Hayes, but I had them and never really loved them as much as I expected to based on many others views. I now ride Shimano XTs (8" rotor front/6" rear). Retail is like $190 per wheel, but you can find A LOT better deals if you spend 10 minutes on line. I paid $245 with shipping for the 2003 models when I bought them earlier this year. I read some good things about the Hope mini system for XC riders.

For me it was easy to choose brakes. When I lived in Colorado I had the XT V's with ceramic coated rims and they worked great even for the FR junk we did, but it was dry as hell in weastern CO. When I moved to Oregon it was obvious they were not going to cut it up here where the locals have webbed feet (I am starting to get some webbing myself now, cool). Tryed the Hayes for a while, but like I said I just never felt they were all that great (better in wet than the V's though, but not the dry).

It gets pricey since you have to get new hubs and spokes and all. Have fun shopping and ride well.

K.

Check out http://www.firstprinciples.ca. Their rotor mount lets you get away with only replacing the spokes on one side of your existing wheels.

Man, when I was riding with my old Avid Tri Align Cantis I thought they were the best thing since mud in my face. I just bought the Avid Single Digit Ti levers and brakes and haven't ridden them yet. I wish I had the deep pocket right now to get the Avid Ultimates. I have to believe that they are the best thing out there in levers and V-brakes. Hmmmm. Upgrade for Christmas!

I've got a couple of friends that run the Avid Mechanicals and absolutely love them compared to the hydraulic versions. Less mess, and more reliable. Plus they are extremly easy to adjust and replace worn pads.

I would say if u think u r gona b in anything other than dry conditions go with disc. I ride Hayes HMX-1 XC, I have nothing but good things to say about them and have heard only good things. I know several shops that sell only Hayes disc brakes and if you are looking for low mantinence these are the ones for you. As far as price goes, i'm not too sure but i'll check it out and post asap.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by rtsy
I'm trying to understand the pros and cons of V-brakes vs. discs and also the applications, i.e., when is one a better choice than the other.

I've been reading up and here's what I've found so far:

V-brakes pros:
-cheaper
-lighter
-simpler hence easier to maintain

Disc pros:
-greater stopping power
-more reliable in more extreme conditions (mud, water, sand, etc.)

Can someone please share your thoughts and experiences here? I do mostly cross-country riding.

I would definately go with disc brakes. If you are worried about setup/ maintenance issues then get yourself a good set of mechanical discs that you wont have to bleed. I just got a new set of avid mechanicals from cambria for 130.00 (leftover complete set) and they are great. One finger stopping power, great modulation (control), they are fairly light weight, and simple as hell to set up.
Not to mention the fact that in any type of adverse conditions your braking power will be much much better than v brakes. Also on prolonged downhills discs will usually fair much better as well (less brake fade).
Another thing which is nice about discs is that if you ever ding, dent or bend a wheel you wont have to worry about your brake pads slicing open your tire (this is rare but has happened to me in the past).
Personally i cant see any reason to stick with v brakes other than the weight advantage... but ask yourself are you so weak that you cant carry another couple of ounces on your bike?
Check out:
supergo.com
cambriabike.com
for some good deals on disc brakes. Cambria had some avid mech's left over from 01' like a week ago (the same thing i just bought) under their hot deals section, check and see if they still have any left.

Ive never done a direct comparison between disc and v brakes. It seems strange to me that disc brakes would be said to have more power. Practically speaking, stopping force is the frictional force of the brakes on the surface (rim or disc) times the distance to the center of rotation. V brakes have a much greater distance. Are the forces involved in disc brakes THAT much greater than those in v brakes?
-Andy

It seems strange to me that disc brakes would be said to have more power. Practically speaking, stopping force is the frictional force of the brakes on the surface (rim or disc) times the distance to the center of rotation. V brakes have a much greater distance. Are the forces involved in disc brakes THAT much greater than those in v brakes?
-Andy [/QUOTE]

Andy,

Good question and that's probably why it's taken so long.
If you know that much, you might want to get into transfer of power/energy. Yes the "forces" involved are THAT much greater.
I think your question should be rephrased as "Do I have to squeeze harder?" Well, no. The disc brake system does, mechanically or hydraulically, efficiently and effectively tranfer your "force" into the brake pads as well as, or better than, a V-brake in which you basically pull a pad into the rim(or tire).
"Pratically speaking," I'm lovin' it.

lo there,

if u have a m8 with them just try them!, ride really fast, and then u will see the choice!
1 stop on a sixpence
2 bail violently off the trail

could just be a uk thing!, but 🙂 don't listen to opinion, ride and make ur own mind up
cheers
steve

__________________________________________________
why did i pick a s hiit name!!!!

Right now there's little reason to stick to v-brakes. They don't cost that much more or weigh that much given their advantages. Stopping power and the amount of lever force required to activate that power will always be superior regardless of conditions. Modulation is much better. Once installed properly they actually require less maintenance. There are some great mechanical discs out there but quite honestly if you truly want the best and know someone who can set them up and bleed them right or feel you can do it yourself (its not very dificult) go hydraulic. While mechanicals offer close performance to many hydro systems and are extremely simple to set up they are not as maintenance free in the long run. You will still suffer from cables getting dirty and needing to be replaced cleaned etc, much like you would with a v-brake if you want to keep them running smooth. Once Hydro's are bled correctly the only maintenance they need for years is replacing the pads. A good system will keep the fluid sealed for years. This means lever performance and feel will ALWAYS be constant and not affected by wear, dirt, and other factors.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Hecubus
Right now there's little reason to stick to v-brakes. They don't cost that much more or weigh that much given their advantages. Stopping power and the amount of lever force required to activate that power will always be superior regardless of conditions. Modulation is much better. Once installed properly they actually require less maintenance. There are some great mechanical discs out there but quite honestly if you truly want the best and know someone who can set them up and bleed them right or feel you can do it yourself (its not very dificult) go hydraulic. While mechanicals offer close performance to many hydro systems and are extremely simple to set up they are not as maintenance free in the long run. You will still suffer from cables getting dirty and needing to be replaced cleaned etc, much like you would with a v-brake if you want to keep them running smooth. Once Hydro's are bled correctly the only maintenance they need for years is replacing the pads. A good system will keep the fluid sealed for years. This means lever performance and feel will ALWAYS be constant and not affected by wear, dirt, and other factors.

All the more reason to stick with v-brakes dtsy....XT/XTR with Aztec pads, no bleeding, fussing, special brake cables, leaking hydro fluid, more reason to stick with what works; if it ain't broke, and you'rre not a six figure pro, why bother with discs?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Alnamvet
All the more reason to stick with v-brakes dtsy....XT/XTR with Aztec pads, no bleeding, fussing, special brake cables, leaking hydro fluid, more reason to stick with what works; if it ain't broke, and you'rre not a six figure pro, why bother with discs?

Why bother because they are better!

What part about better all around performance, similar cost and weight, and lower maintenance did you miss?
BTW, leaking fluid is one of the rarest things you will see on hydro's. I've seen more v-brakes fail due to the wires starting to snap.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Hecubus
Why bother because they are better!

What part about better all around performance, similar cost and weight, and lower maintenance did you miss?
BTW, leaking fluid is one of the rarest things you will see on hydro's. I've seen more v-brakes fail due to the wires starting to snap.

"They are better" is a subjective comment; better all around performance, MAYBE, to a pro, but for the average Joe, I cannot see how he/she can scientifically deduce that discs are better; AND, they are not similarly priced, unless you include the cheap discs, in which case, you have all show, and no go. Discs have their place in Pro downhill, but not needed by amateurs/dilitantes, weekend warriors, or everday commuters.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Alnamvet
"They are better" is a subjective comment; better all around performance, MAYBE, to a pro, but for the average Joe, I cannot see how he/she can scientifically deduce that discs are better; AND, they are not similarly priced, unless you include the cheap discs, in which case, you have all show, and no go. Discs have their place in Pro downhill, but not needed by amateurs/dilitantes, weekend warriors, or everday commuters.

Are you listening to what your saying? Only useful to a pro? Does that mean that anyone who doesn't have a major sponsor or get paid to ride is not worthy of riding discs? Your coment is the most absurd thing I've ever heard. I don't know how you ride but almost every one I know and ride with is skilled enough, can ride agressively enough to be take some serious advantage of discs. What about everyone who races for fun, are they not good enough either because they are not a s good as Roland Green. Give me a break. Anyone who rides a mountain bike and wants it to stop will be able to take advantage of a disc system pretty much regardless of skill level. Regardless of experience anyone will notice stopping power whether its muddy wet or dry. Anyone can notice that hand fatigue can be drastically reduced since the lever force needed to actuate the levers is much less and you don't need to due a death grip. EVERYONE will appreciate being able to brake with confidence during an extended downhill run where V's will suffer from some very scary brake fade once they overheat. And I'm not talking about downhill racing, just any long downhill section that may be encountered in any normal XC trail. The list can go on.
And yes while discs are still somewhat more expensive depending on what you get there are still options available that are even cheaper than a good set of V's. There are Hayes, Shimano, and possibly even the Avid's that can be had for around $100, maybe even less for BOTH wheels. A set of quality hubs for discs such as XT's or Deore's are not any more expensive than the non-disc versions and Disc specific rims cost about the same.

You can enjoy biking for what it is, or you can turn it into a money pit...to take perfectly good wheels, hubs, tires, brakes and cables, and change them out to accomodate the latest fad in braking is nonsense. If you buy a new complete bike that comes with discs, does that mean that bike is better braking than one that comes with v's? I think not. There are plenty of pros who do not use disc brakes, and the ones who do, seem to be more apt to be downhillers. A 40lb junker in the hands of a skilled rider will serve that rider well; a $3000+ show bike in the hands of Mr. DeepPockets is just that...show!! Read your own rant..."...long downhill section..." if that's the ONLY type of riding you do, well than blow your wad on discs. I'll stick with what has always worked for me...downhill, uphill, urban assault...V's on a HT

There's a lot of things we don't need. Shocks? Gears? What else? Heck, who even needs V brakes. Hell, we should all be riding rigid single speeds because we really don't NEED everything else. Your argument boils down to showing your just a stuborn person who hates change. If you ever feel the need to give someone who's asking advice on the subject, actually state some real facts as to why you think the way you do. The bottom line is discs are superior to V's PERIOD. This isn't even an argument anymore, its a pretty generally accepted fact at this point. The same stupid argument happened when linear pull (V-brakes) started to replace cantilevers. Look around and see who the hell would still want to run a canti on their mountain bike.
Right now bikes at virtually every price point are comming with discs. Even some sub 700 dollar bikes can come with a good set of brakes from Avid or Hayes. Discs stopped being a fad a long time ago when they actually started to prove to be efficient and reliable.

Hi all,

I'm with hecubus🙂 disc's a fad! not even an arguement. I learnt my lesson when I was a sceptic about front suspension forks, but would I ever go back to fully rigid.....NO! (maybe one day I'll come round to full sus, in time?)

the average joe arguement only cuts the mustard when people are talking about shaving a few grams here and there. U only have to ride a trail fast with disc'c to tell the difference. Or try to stop using V's behind someone using discs (only good if u like smelling ass)

I'm as sceptical as the next person when it comes to magazines telling what to use, but when a genuine move forward hits the bike world why shy away from it. Some people will go for disc's, some will go for V's, its a personnel choice not a performance choice. I think I'll just go back to polishing my elavated chain stays

Steve