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| I'm gonna need better brakes.. (Page 3/3) |
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ls3mach
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JUN 30, 05:58 PM
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Is adding hydrolic disc brakes an option for you Don?
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Jake_Dragon
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JUL 01, 01:32 PM
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hnthomps
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JUL 01, 03:12 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by ls3mach:
I've been wanting to get a bike but refuse to spend any real money until I know what I want and if I'll enjoy and stick with it.
From what I've seen disc brakes are a real game changer. I assume they can be fit to most any bike. |
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I have had a number of bikes over the past 50 years with clincher brakes. They work OK most of the time but lessen in efficiency when wet as well as under some other conditions. I currently have experience with three bikes that have been equipped with disc brakes and I will never go back to clinchers if I have a choice. WRT to adding disc brakes to a conventional bike, it is not as easy as you may assume and could be quite expensive due to component swaps. Adding disc brakes (mechanical or hydraulic) may require extensive mods to the front and rear forks (up to replacing them), wheel axle and/or hub mods to allow attachment of discs, new brake cables and/or hydraulic hoses, etc.
It could certainly be done if you do enough custom work/spend a lot of money, but it would be better to get a bike initially designed to utilize disc brakes. Doing a long downhill like you propose can even heat up disc brakes and cause them to fail prematurely. I looked at a couple of bikes used to ride down a 10,000 foot mountain on Maui and saw oversized brakes and heard a lot about the higher maintenance costs for the brake system. I do like hydraulic disc brakes over mechanical disc types because they seem to provide better/quicker braking action when at higher speeds.
Good luck on your bike search and have fun no matter what type of bike you ride.
Nelson
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ls3mach
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JUL 01, 05:15 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by hnthomps:
I have had a number of bikes over the past 50 years with clincher brakes. They work OK most of the time but lessen in efficiency when wet as well as under some other conditions. I currently have experience with three bikes that have been equipped with disc brakes and I will never go back to clinchers if I have a choice. WRT to adding disc brakes to a conventional bike, it is not as easy as you may assume and could be quite expensive due to component swaps. Adding disc brakes (mechanical or hydraulic) may require extensive mods to the front and rear forks (up to replacing them), wheel axle and/or hub mods to allow attachment of discs, new brake cables and/or hydraulic hoses, etc.
It could certainly be done if you do enough custom work/spend a lot of money, but it would be better to get a bike initially designed to utilize disc brakes. Doing a long downhill like you propose can even heat up disc brakes and cause them to fail prematurely. I looked at a couple of bikes used to ride down a 10,000 foot mountain on Maui and saw oversized brakes and heard a lot about the higher maintenance costs for the brake system. I do like hydraulic disc brakes over mechanical disc types because they seem to provide better/quicker braking action when at higher speeds.
Good luck on your bike search and have fun no matter what type of bike you ride.
Nelson |
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Thanks for that Nelson.
Don has already said he has disc, I didn't know how easy it would be or I'd hydrolic would even help.
I for sure will be getting disc brakes on whatever I end up buying. I only want mechanical probably though, that's just for simplicity sake.
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hnthomps
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JUL 02, 08:28 AM
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| quote | Originally posted by ls3mach:
I for sure will be getting disc brakes on whatever I end up buying. I only want mechanical probably though, that's just for simplicity sake. |
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For what it is worth, I have a bike with hydraulic disc brakes that is my primary bike. I have had it for more than 10 years and put 40K plus miles on it. Other than changing the disc pads a number of times, the maintenance has been zero. The mechanical disc bike that I rode as a backup was noticeably less effective wrt braking and required a lot of adjusting on cables due to stretching when hard braking. IMO, the hydraulic brakes are a bit more complicated but work much more effectively than mechanical disc. That being said, I would still take a mechanical disc brake system over a clincher type brake.
Nelson
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