Are Disc Brakes Worth the $$$

BRScott

You ride trails, at least once a week. You like climbing fast, jumping things, and you push yourself on downhills. Are disc brakes definately worth it?

dgz69er

i feel that disc brakes are a crappy fad. my pop has them on his bike, and he has all xtr componants, i'm not sure what his disc brakes are. but he has had troubles with them. they are noisey, he doesn't like the whole using oil to adjust them thing. i don't know much about them, but i like a nice quite ride, with something reliable. they are easy to adjust. although as much as i want them to be a fad, i don't think they will be, manufacturers appear to be making forks without v-brake mounts. my trek has both, i've considered upgrading, but i don't feel its really worth it.

ScaldedDog

Absolutely. The hydraulic ones can be finicky, but the cable actuated Avids are way less finicky than even v-brakes. If you ride, you'll love em.Mark

robalert

you have so much more control with disc brakes

i love my avid mechanical BB discs

Digibike

So make up your mind, are they a fad or aren't they?

I have them, I think they're as fadish as color television.

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yo-respek!

tkdman76

Abso-freakin-lutely!!!

jmitting

In a word, Control. I run bottom of the line tektro mechanicals with a pair of avid sd5 levers and the difference is night and day. I will never run anything but disks again.

SomeGuy

Worth the dollars? For sure!

Worth the extra pound of weight? Depends on what you do. In dry XC conditions, I don't think they are worth it. For mud or downhills though, they are a big bonus.

My next bike will come with some Hayes hydra disc brakes. I'm actually going to buy some good V brakes to use on it in summer - although this is partly because my nice wheelset is V-only :|.

freeride_er

mech discs can make a difference but high quality v-brakes are better for xc stuff. im a dirtjump/street/freeride guy and hydraulic are soo much nicer for what im doin'

rek

Yes, without a doubt.

I even fitted some cheap mechanical discs to the front of my commuter bike simply for the far more confident (and consistent) braking they give, especially in wet conditions.

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Peter
Cannondale Synapse Carbon Scalpel Cyclocross Ultra

FSRXCRIDER

disc brake advantage(s):
-you can brake easily on a bent rim,
-make cool noises

caliper brake:
-...cheaper!
-can work as well as disc brakes
-lighter

disc disadvantges:
-break your disc and your done for
-the hydraulic kind are very unreliable, and take lots of time and money for weekly checkups

caliper disadvantages:
-have trouble working on a bent rim
-pad pressure can be tough to adjust



i have shimano deore on my bike, sh!t!! those auctally work better than disc!!


sence disc brakes are so common, they mean nothing. so the next time you look at a nice bike and see disc brakes, dont mention them, because in my view, disc brakes are to show your cash off, its what makes a good bike bad.

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"The Freeride Master"

jaz

I have ran my mini mono disks for just over a year & the maintenance I've had to do amounts to taking the pads out twice & giving them a quick sand to remove a little glaze & that's because I was a bit bored, even then it took about 4 minutes each so I wouldnt say they are unreliable or need constant maintanance.

The modulation you constantly get with disks beats V's by miles, maybe you can set V's up to match that modulation (I've never ridden V's with as good modulation though) but disks do this all the time zero time mucking about setting them up time & time again.

V's in the wet are not a patch on my hydro disks, my old V's used to scare me with the loss of power & my disks dont.

As for the small weight penalty big deal my mtb with disks is more than likelly lighter than yours with V's so what does it matter to me, save the extra weight in other areas if that bothers you.

As for power I do most of my braking with the front & even with a small 160mm rotor I get tons more power than my old V's, for example a last second stop from a good speed allows me to stop quicker than my old V's & I even have so much power I end up stopping on the front wheel motor bike stoppie style if I feel like it which I couldnt do with V's & I find it easier to scrub speed at the last second or even in a corner without fear of locking a wheel therefore retaining extra control.

On the back it doesnt make much difference but a 140mm rotor is powerfull enough for my riding style & seems no worse than my previous V's but with superior modulation.

I'd say disks are the best thing I like about my latest bike & I wont ever sacrifice that extra confidence they have given me & go back to V's.

EX2

Disks all the way baby they never let you down.And you carnt beat two finger braking on a long technical desent.

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EX2

paigeo

i run hayes mx-2 disks on my marin b-17 and they rock. i am used to linear pull brakes, that is what i have used since...well, ever, and i am now converted to disks. at first, they pretty much sucked, but i gave them about a week to wear in and now they stop so fast i've gone over the handlebars. i have an 8" rotor on the front and a 6" in the back. i work in a bike shop, and i have to repair many, many more hydraulic, catalever and linear pull brakes than I do mechanical disks. disks are more reliable and they supply more stopping power even in mucky conditions.