disk brakes on mountain bikes

[Calin]

Hi
I have a mountain bike (the very basic model) and I would like to know from some of you if there are advantages for front wheel disk brake (as opposed to the V-brakes).
Now, the front brakes are real squeaky, and some change is necessary. I wonder if the brake pads change will solve something.

Thanks
Calin

Update:
I just refitted the current brake pads on the front wheel, and the sound is gone. The brakes are strong enough to block the wheels on asphalt (the front wheel can be braked to a stop downhill on road - I tried this but I won't try such things in the near future)
I will keep the V-brakes, no disks for me in the foreseeable future. No upgrade on the bike, only repairs if necessary (hope not)
Thanks to everyone. Anubis, 10x of what my brakes do now would be not only overkill, but really life threatening (that does not means I won't have a bike with disk brakes in the future. I hope so)
About "it's going to cost more to upgrade to disc than what your bike is worth" - right now my bike at most 100$, so the upgrade to disk brake will certainly more than double its value (it would have a cost around 200$, I think). But all the bikes with disk brakes also have full suspension, which I don't really like

Calin

 

[Amused]

Squeaky front breaks are often caused by a misalignment of the pads. The pads cannot be parallel to the rim. They must toe in.

First, remove the pads and take some light grit sandpaper to rough up the surface that hits the rim. Then adjust them so they toe into the rim slightly.

 

[tranceport]

Or dirty rims.

 

[Viper GTS]

What bike is it?

If it's really a "very basic model" you'll likely end up needing a new fork + hub just to be ready for discs, let alone the cost of the disc system.

You'd likely be better off working with what you have, it can probably be fixed easily.

Viper GTS

 

[Calin]

Thanks all

Yes, I know about the: new fork; new wheel (complete, not only hub - they have different number of spokes; the tire was changed two months ago), and the disk system.
I changed the rear brakes to these:
http://www.sram.com/mtb/components/5/brake.asp
A front brakes change might be in order...

Anyway, is there significant difference between the braking with disk brakes and the on-rim acting ones (performance wise, esthetically the disks look much better )

Calin

 

[Blieb]

You can stop in a shorter distance ... the biggest thing though is that you have stopping ability in wet conditions.

They do weigh more however ... if you care about that ...

I don't have disk breaks. Just never seemed worth the cost and when you're flying you don't need to stop! You need to land

 

[Calin]

More weight? Well, this means I will just want them, not have them
I didn't feel the need for more stopping ability in any condition that i did ride until now... and with those squeaky brakes I feel I could stop the front wheel while going downhill 10%. I don't need more stopping power

Thanks, Blieb

 

[Anubis]

YES, Avid Mechanical Disks are teh best things everr, stopping power is 10x of V-Brakes Definitly worth it

 

[Scarpozzi]

Disk brakes have been around for years, but only in the last 5 have they become more popular. Due to how cheap V brakes are, I'd stick with them unless you upgrade the rest of your bike...

If the brakes are squeaky, it could be because the rubber is worn or because your rims are dirty. Try cleaning them with a brillo pad and water... Rinse them good and see if that helps... As stated above...be sure the angle is right because they may have too much surface area touching the rim... You can always swap pads for cheap...

 

[Gravity]

They came stock on my bike. I think they work very well.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Disk brakes are a significant upgrade, but IMO they are too costly to add on as an upgrade unless you have a high-end bike - the cost of making the upgrade will generally be as much as just buying a new bike.

For laughs, I recently asked the friendly folks at Serotta what it would cost to add rear disk-brake mounts to my mountain bike (a very high-end titanium hardtail), and was told they would have to replace the entire rear triangle, at a cost of $1,500! Between that, and the costs of a new fork leg, the brakes/levers, and a new wheelset, the upgrade would be somewhere between $2K and $2,500. Ay chihuahua!

In general, upgrading low-end and mid-range bikes is a waste of money. I upgraded most of the parts on my first good bike, a Bridgestone MB-3, but by the time I was done, I had invested something like $2K into a bike that was still worth about $800-900. You're almost invariably better off saving your money for a new bike if you find you enjoy the sport.

 

[Anubis]

yes Don if you need to replace the whole rear triangle its expensive, most bikes even cheap ones come with the mounts, Avid Mec Disk Breaks are about 65$ for the roter break and cable and can be used with almost any Vbrake lever

so for less then 150 you can get front and rear

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: Anubis

so for less then 150 you can get front and rear

Yeah, but the hubs are the big obstacle IMO - unless the bike has disc-compatible hubs, you are talking about a new wheelset, which is serious cake. I also have a strong preference for fully-hydraulic disks, as opposed to those Avids.

The thing is, you can get such good braking from a properly set-up set of V-brakes that I think this is only an "upgrade" if you routinely ride in inclement conditions, or do a lot of long downhills anyway.

 

[brtspears2]

I have disc brakes but the squeal that I cannot fix annoys me. At least the squeal from the discs isn't as bad as v-brakes,, and I say the brake feel is much better.

 

[Brutuskend]

At least 60% of your braking come from the front breaks, so a disk on the front is not a bad idea. There are other bennies as well.

#1. If your wheel goes out of true it will not effect your breaking. IE you won't get that lurching feeling when it comes to the bent part.

#2. No rim wear due to the pads rubbing on the rim.

#3. Because the breaking takes place lower, disks are much less likely to want to throw you over the bars on hard breaking.

You will need to upgrade the hub (But I'm sure you KNOW that)

BTW: I will be building a new set of wheels for my bike soon, and I have a almost brand new XT Disk break hub laced to a black Velocity Synergy rim with a 3 cross/radial lace and black alloy nipples. It will be for sale soon.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Gravity
They came stock on my bike. I think they work very well.

I haven't been mountain biking for the last few years, and the last time I went into a bike store I was amazed to see disc brakes on almost all of the $600 range bikes.

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: DonVito

Originally posted by: Anubis

so for less then 150 you can get front and rear

Yeah, but the hubs are the big obstacle IMO - unless the bike has disc-compatible hubs, you are talking about a new wheelset, which is serious cake. I also have a strong preference for fully-hydraulic disks, as opposed to those Avids.

The thing is, you can get such good braking from a properly set-up set of V-brakes that I think this is only an "upgrade" if you routinely ride in inclement conditions, or do a lot of long downhills anyway.

yea i forgot about hubs, i ordered mine forseeing that i woudl get disks, full hydros are really nice but for me arnt worth the price over the mechs

i had Vs for teh longest time and loved them but my current bike DOES NOT have v-brake mounts in the rear so i went disk

and where we ride its nasty, dry as bones on 1 hill a monssoon on a nother during the same ride so disks help alot

 

[helpme]

When I bought my S-10 6 years ago, it came with front disc breaks. When those finally busted, I replaced them with the Avids that Anubis cited and they work fine.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I'll definitely get disks on my next MTB - they're awesome - I just can't see spending several hundred dollars on upgrading an inexpensive bike. V-brakes really are pretty damned good, so it's not as though the bike's existing brakes are unacceptable.

 

[toant103]

Originally posted by: Calin
Hi
I have a mountain bike (the very basic model) and I would like to know from some of you if there are advantages for front wheel disk brake (as opposed to the V-brakes).
Now, the front brakes are real squeaky, and some change is necessary. I wonder if the brake pads change will solve something.

Thanks
Calin

it's going to cost more to upgrade to disc than what your bike is worth.

 

[andylawcc]

Originally posted by: Amused
The pads cannot be parallel to the rim. They must toe in.

how come? that sounds counter-intuitive... do you mind explaining? (and if it gets too technical, then forget it, coz I probably won't understand.... )

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: andylawcc

how come? that sounds counter-intuitive... do you mind explaining? (and if it gets too technical, then forget it, coz I probably won't understand.... )

I'd have a hard time explaining the physics of it - I was always a poor science student - but basically if the pads are parallel to the rims, and contact them all at once, the inherent flex of the pads causes them to shiver against the rim, then become reverse-toed-in ("headed-in"?), causing an unholy squeal.

When Shimano released the first V-brakes, they suggested a parallel setup (I think they felt they could get away with this because the rubber part of the brake pads was MUCH shallower than on cantilever brake pads), but mechanics quickly learned that V-brakes, too, would squeal like demons if they did this.

Toeing in brake pads is one of the trickiest things about proper brake setup, though road-bike sidepulls or V-brakes are both much easier to set up than the cantilevers we used to use on MTBs. I know the old Ritchey pads had little rubber nubs built into the pads to make them much easier to toe in; I'm not sure if anyone else has ever adopted this.

 

[SuperTool]

The pads should be at an angle to the rim, like so. That way you have progressive engagement where the front touches the rim first and then the rear, instead of the whole brake pad at once. So it's a much smoother engagement.
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[notfred]

Want to buy mine? I want hydraulic disks.

 

[RiDE]

Originally posted by: notfred
Want to buy mine? I want hydraulic disks.

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