disc brakes...reliability?
- Thread starter steve729
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Disc brakes rock in wet conditions--just as well as in your car. Think of your best day in the rain with your Vbrakes. There's absolutely no way your discs could possibly perform as miserably.
FWIW, I have Avid BB5 (lower end mechanical disks) with 185mm rotors on a 29er.
Wet conditions might be the one time that they really do work better than rim brakes. In most conditions I'd say they are about equal. They do experience heat fade on long downhill runs and I've never had that with rim brakes. I commute on my bike and when I need to come down from 35mph in a hurry for a stop light, the heat fade is very apparent.
They are simple to set up, easy to maintain, and quiet. They make removing tires easier. Brake pads are easier to swap out. If you bend a rim or break a spoke, the disk will stay true and make it easier to ride home so long as the tire isn't rubbing on your frame. And there are other reasons why they are nice to have.
I wouldn't spend the $ to swap over unless you really need it. In 99% of the conditions I think rim brakes work just as well, and better in long sustained braking situations.
Wet conditions might be the one time that they really do work better than rim brakes. In most conditions I'd say they are about equal. They do experience heat fade on long downhill runs and I've never had that with rim brakes. I commute on my bike and when I need to come down from 35mph in a hurry for a stop light, the heat fade is very apparent.
They are simple to set up, easy to maintain, and quiet. They make removing tires easier. Brake pads are easier to swap out. If you bend a rim or break a spoke, the disk will stay true and make it easier to ride home so long as the tire isn't rubbing on your frame. And there are other reasons why they are nice to have.
I wouldn't spend the $ to swap over unless you really need it. In 99% of the conditions I think rim brakes work just as well, and better in long sustained braking situations.
Disc brakes will work better in snow and mud. As soon as you get snow or mud on your rims the rim brakes will suffer.
I've been running hydraulic disc for about 3 years and find them to be far better than anything I've ever run before. If set up properly they require little effort to engage. My opinion is once you go disc you never go back 
scottm
SILVER Star
I commuted in rain and snow for years with my Shimano hydraulic disks, huge improvement over rim brakes, night and day. Wish I'd had them when I was racing. I just put Juicy brakes and rotors on, they seem to be better in wet, the open slots might be clearing the pads better...?
Wife has mechanical disks, doesn't ride in all the weather, but they seem to do as well. The cable/housing might stretch and shrink with temps, but it's not as noticeable as it is with rim brakes. The pads on her mechanical brakes are held back by springs when not in use, that might let slush freeze on the rotor more than my hydraulics, not sure.
Wife has mechanical disks, doesn't ride in all the weather, but they seem to do as well. The cable/housing might stretch and shrink with temps, but it's not as noticeable as it is with rim brakes. The pads on her mechanical brakes are held back by springs when not in use, that might let slush freeze on the rotor more than my hydraulics, not sure.
I swapped out my rim V-brakes on the tandem a few years back for a set of Avid 7's and Hope rotors. Took the bike from being scary on the descents (ie rims so hot had to stop and let 'em cool), to being able to bring a 380# captain and co-pilot to a stop without any issues. Night and day difference, no doubt. I still cannot believe that I used to ride in the Alps with the V-Brakes...sheer madness on the descents.
Steve
Steve
Not all disk brakes are the same, I have seen ones on 200 buck bike that could not lock the brakes even in dry condition. But my Hope disk brakes work nicely much better than the V-brakes. Check this out:
Hope USA - Hope Brakes
Hope USA - Hope Brakes
It couldn't get any sloppier than last Saturday @ MBO. The XO disks I rode performed flawlessly.
If you are on a budget, the Avid mech discs are far superior to low end hydros... in my opinion.
I agree fully. I ride Avid BB7 mechanical calipers, and I've ridden very good hydro discs too. The mechanicals will stop you every bit as fast as hydraulics, and the higher end mechanicals have pretty good feel and easy set up.
However, the hydraulics are much more awesome for real mountain riding where you have to put pressure on the brakes for long periods of time. When you have a 5+ minute uninterrupted descent, your hands will appreciate the lightness of a pair of hydraulic Elixers. But I ride in Texas mostly, so I really don't need that.
At the end of an hour of arm pumping descent you will be glad you had hydraulics! But in fact either are better than rim brakes so it is all relative...
Having tacoed 2 front rims in the last month I will never go back to rim brakes. I just "trail tuned" the rim and kept riding. That would not have happened with rim brakes.
I've got rim, mech disc and hydraulic disc set up currently. I prefer my mech discs over the other two. (BB7). Ease of maintenance, set up and reliability. Performance wise, discs are much better than V's. Although I still love my XTR V's.
My test for DH is extended 1 finger operation, recently got the Code's and love them. For my Freeride bike I have the Avid Juicy 7's, they work fine (I run a 7" front as I'm on the heavy side).
??? The descent of Monarch Crest trail only takes 15-20 minutes. Where's this hour-long descent of which you speak?
Google Alpine Trail. There are a lot of videos floating around of it. It will make you smile.
The fastest riders in the Oregon Super D series are finishing @ 50 minutes.
