Brake Poll - What do/would you like?

[funky-funky-chicken]

I am curious about peoples’ perceptions about brakes. Vote for your favorite or which do you use and why. What would you get the next time around? I personally switched to disc brakes on my most recent mountain bike. I am thinking about putting together another singlespeed and I can’t think about buying another mountain bike without disc brakes.

[noise_is_life]

I have Avid mechanical disc brakes, I will never go back to rim brakes.

They are strong, controllable and they make it really easy to take off the front wheel.

[Kingbozo]

Discs are far superior. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

[GearDaddy]

If you're going to use aluminum/steel rim brakes, definitely swap out the stock brake pads with Kool-stop pads or something with a longer braking surface. This is a definite improvement. I am running Bontrager Race-lite wheels, which have a ceramic braking surface on the rim. I pretty much have to use a special type of brake pad on my Avid V-brakes with those rims because "normal" pads will wear too fast. But the ceramic rim surface is much better in wet conditions than aluminum/steel rims.

I've used bikes with disc brakes, and they work really great. I used them when riding in the Seattle area, and with the weather and trail conditions there, disc brakes really make sense. Around here where there aren't any really big hills, and the conditions that I am riding in are usually dry, disc brakes are not really necessary. But, they do work the best in all condtions as far as I can tell.

[KleinCrazy]

If building a single speed I personally would go disc front and Avid Arch V-brakes on the back so that I can Keep my Flip-Flop Hub.

This is how I have my current single set up and it works great. Most of your braking power comes from the front anyways.

my 2cents.

The Geared Ride has Avid Mechanicals front and rear.

[funky-funky-chicken]

James, how does the lever feel differ between the Avid Mechanical and the Avid V-Brake? I opted to go the hydraulic route and have aprehensions of mixing the two on the same bike. I like when things "match."

[manual63]

Now that I have discs on my P.2, I will back them. Much better modulation than V-Brakes and they don't heat up as fast. Yesturday I got caught in the rain for a few minutes.....my brakes kept on working even in the wet......now that's just too cool.

[qheuie]

i have ridden the avid mechanicals briefly and wasn't too impressed. ( i think the rotor and pads had not bed in yet, though)

i currently run magura rim brakes on my Klein. i like them A LOT.
they have a great feel, are easy to maintain, and have good power.
on my single speed i have a shimano XT front disc and XTR v in the rear. i am bery impressed with the feel the hydraulic shimano gives. you get way better feedback from the brake than you do with cable brakes (disc and V) . like James said, with a V in the rear you can still use the flip flop.

[Daddy X]

I am running Hayes Hydraulics on my bike and love them. Like stated before, the modulation is amazing and they are great for spring wet/muddy conditions. I have had only one minor issue with them and that is that sometimes I get a resonating hum/squeal from my front brake at low speeds. This has occured when I take off my front wheel and then put it back on. I am assuming that I am either bumping the pad putting it back on and mis-aligning it or either the disc gets bumped and gets out of true a little.

When I get on my single speed with v brakes it usually catches me off guard on the first high speed corner when I just touch the brake gently and have no response, lol. I also notice that I am more apt to have skidding issues on the tight swithbacks with the v brakes. You can just finesse the discs so well, I don't have the same issue with them.

[manual63]

Originally posted by Daddy X
You can just finesse the discs so well, I don't have the same issue with them.

That's called modulation for those of you who don't know. V-Brakes catch too easily and are hard to finesse or modulate. Disc brakes are more like car and motorcycle brakes, because they are discs too, and you can either gradually apply them or just stomp...I mean grab....them and stop.

[martini]

Originally posted by manual63
That's called modulation for those of you who don't know. V-Brakes catch too easily and are hard to finesse or modulate. Disc brakes are more like car and motorcycle brakes, because they are discs too, and you can either gradually apply them or just stomp...I mean grab....them and stop.

It all depends on set-up though. V brakes can be super tight(firm feel at the bar), not giving much in terms of control(that immediate feeling of momentum slowing) or actual power, or set up so the lever is parallell with the bars(soft feel at the bar) before the pads contact the rim(that's how I like them). With this set up, you really DO get teh modulation factor.

I use Avid discs on my 29"er and wouldn't have it any other way. I've ridden hydros and just didn't like the feel of them. They seemed to be very on/off. I couldn't get any modulation out of them. I love my Avids and will be getting them on each new MTB I get. I just can't see riding with out them. They've made a huge difference for me, but I also wiegh in the 'hood of 230lbs, so I need the power they offer.

And to get really picky, or geeky:geek: , V's can also be considered disc brakes. They are a pad, being applied to a metalic surface in order to slow momentum.:cheesy:

[denis-on-enduro]

plain and simple disc all the way brakes are breaks though
v-brakes are just as good i personaly like disc hydralic ones because you can stop quicker and it is better on tight turns

[Dr. Guitar]

Brakes? Why are you so concerned about stopping? GO GO GO! I had cantilevers forever. Last year, my new fork made me have to "upgrade" to V's. I am having to force the habit of one finger braking. I am still trying to get the hang of the V's. They do make you stop, but you have to be very aware of locking up.

I know Discs would be awesome, but I need to work on carrying speed and such, so stopping is low on my list.

[funky-funky-chicken]

Brakes? Why are you so concerned about stopping?

It is nice to be able to push the threshold and to have the confidence that if you go a little too hard, you can put on the binders and bring yourself back. It is true, working on how to carry speed is incredibly important... There is no sense in working any harder than you have to.

When riding for extended periods of time, the less hand effort required with disc brakes seems to be a real plus. When riding when you are fatigued and might be having a hard time controlling the bike, it is nice to know it won't take a lot of effort to slow yourself down.

There is no doubt that cantilever and V-Brakes are sufficient for most applications and the idea of retro-fitting disc brakes on an existing bike is often impractical. As with most bike performance related questions, there is no right answer, it is primarily a matter of user preference.

From a more practical point of view, disc brakes seem to offer some real advantages and I like the idea of not running the risk of wearing through the sidewall of a set of rims (done that before, not pretty.)

[manual63]

Speaking of modulation. I have been riding my P.2 for the last couple of months and it has discs. Yesturday I took my Schwinn out to Leb (I got my short stem on it now) and it has V-Brakes. They work really well, but it was very hard to not lock up the rear tire when braking hard into turns. I do have the V-Brakes set up so they have less firm feel and more goosh as I like to call it. This allows them to modulate better, but not as well as my discs on the P.2.

Keep in mind the discs on the P.2 are mechanical and not hydralic. I have ridden hydralic disc brakes and they seem to be more touchy than mechanical ones. I prefer mechanical ones because they are easier to maintain and cheaper too.

[jjrsds]

I put hayes hydro's on my bike last winter and I have not one regret. The slight weight advantage is worth it. Modulation, power and less fatigue in the forearms and hands.

[Maverick]

My newer bike has Hayes Hydros. I will never buy a bike without discs again unless it is a road bike, and that won't be anytime soon.

I probably don't need discs but they sure are nice...

[Dr. Guitar]

Okay. I am the guy that thinks that if they stop you, they are good enough. However, I test rode a Yeti at the Gravity Lab (cool shop btw) with discs on it. They are completely different from other brakes. I wasn't riding hard or anything, but you could tell there was a huge difference. Personally, on my budget, and for the kind of riding I like. I am going to stick with V's. At least untill good discs become cheeper, and I have a lighter bike.

[grizzly adam]

I can work on my V-brakes - how about your discs? Not many people have the know-how or the cajones to adjust or change their own disc brakes.

I can adjust my pad (brake pad that is...) if it starts to rub.

What if you get chased by a moose and you wipe out and tear the hose off of your precious disc brake and bleed fluid all over - then what?!

V-brakes rule! Lighter, cheaper, adjustable, user friendly.
(although - disc brakes look WAY cooler)

[funky-funky-chicken]

Bleading the hydros is actually a VERY simple process once you get over the initial hesitation, I can remove the pads without any tools, and they self center.

I have wiped out big time, hooked my heel on the brake hose (I have no idea how really) and it was the only thing that kept my bike from flying down the hill. No permanent damage to the bike, brakes worked fine.

If I get chased by a moose and crash, the least of my concerns would be how to stop... :laugh:

[Dr. Guitar]

If you could easily break your hydro disc brakes, or pull the tubing out of them... they would put XTR on them.

[jjrsds]

If you're getting chased by a moose what do you need brakes for?:crazy:

[grizzly adam]

So did you 22 disc breakers install them aftermarket on your bike or get them when you purchased a new ride?

[Daddy X]

Mine came with my ride. If I ever get another bike I would sure make sure they had them or else I would install them right away.

Grizzy, is the rumor that you don't even have brakes on your bike true?? No wonder you fly through "The Luge" so FAST.

[funky-funky-chicken]

I put mine on a new ride. The frame I had made without cantilever bosses and ordered the fork the same way. It makes for a nice clean look.

To do discs afterwards, you must have disc compatible hubs, frame, and fork. All difficult and expensive things to upgrade. If you are interested in going the disc route, IMHO you should just consider persuing an additional bike. An aftermarket "upgrade" may be prohibitive (and Ugly I might add if you don't have removable cantilever studs.)

[martini]

Had my frame built specifically for the brakes. Though I DO have canti mounts-removable studs though- on it if I feel like it(which I don't, and wish I didn't have...). Other than road, cross, or vintage, I can't see why I shouldn't use disc from now on. They're simple, light and cheap(I use Avids), and very very effective.

[jjrsds]

Added disc brakes after I bought the bike. New rims and Hayes Hydro. brakes. Very easy to install and their website gives all the instructions you need to fine tune them to your liking.

[grizzly adam]

Originally posted by Daddy X
Grizzly, is the rumor that you don't even have brakes on your bike true?? No wonder you fly through "The Luge" so FAST.

Speaking of no brakes......There was this one time on my MB-1 (with cantis and "aero" rims) that I was descending a very steep hill when all of a sudden both the front and back brake pads slipped off my fast and cool "aero" rims and I was picking up speed exponentially. The only way I could stop was to turn into the brush, which was ripe with raspberry bushes and let those grab me and slow me down.

A very eye-opening experience. I got rid of those rims REAL fast.