Disc brakes vs. Rim Brakes

[upcruiser]

Eh, I still ridev brakes and prefer them. The only situation I don't like v brakes is literally for wet conditions and if I upgrade it will be because of that. I hate the sound of pads on rim in the mud and the stopping ability diminishes, though it isn't that bad. Other than that though a good v brake has great feel,PLENTY of stopping power and is mechanically simple and easy to adjust. Sorry but people are splitting hairs when they say v brakes don't have stopping power. A good XT or XTR v brake system is money. Pads don't wear out THAT fast either. I get a season out of mine and it is a 3 minute swap to replace them. I don't care for the feel of most discs systems I have tried, they are generally heavier, and I have seen too many friends bend the rotors when they laid the bike over. Hell, if you accidentally push on the rotor just a bit while putting your front wheel on it can get annoying warp in it. Just thought i should represent the simple and effective v brake a bit. Maybe I am old school, or a hold out but it took me till 2004 to switch to rear suspension as well. Now the evolution from center pull to v brakes was huge! I guess I still see them as a bit gimmicky and in the world of cycling people tend to dork out and fixate on gear way too much sometimes. Either with discs or v brakes you can have a great time and good performance, each has plusses and minuses.

 

[EricBirk]

Eh, I still ridev brakes and prefer them. The only situation I don't like v brakes is literally for wet conditions and if I upgrade it will be because of that. I hate the sound of pads on rim in the mud and the stopping ability diminishes, though it isn't that bad. Other than that though a good v brake has great feel,PLENTY of stopping power and is mechanically simple and easy to adjust. Sorry but people are splitting hairs when they say v brakes don't have stopping power. A good XT or XTR v brake system is money. Pads don't wear out THAT fast either. I get a season out of mine and it is a 3 minute swap to replace them. I don't care for the feel of most discs systems I have tried, they are generally heavier, and I have seen too many friends bend the rotors when they laid the bike over. Hell, if you accidentally push on the rotor just a bit while putting your front wheel on it can get annoying warp in it. Just thought i should represent the simple and effective v brake a bit. Maybe I am old school, or a hold out but it took me till 2004 to switch to rear suspension as well. Now the evolution from center pull to v brakes was huge! I guess I still see them as a bit gimmicky and in the world of cycling people tend to dork out and fixate on gear way too much sometimes. Either with discs or v brakes you can have a great time and good performance, each has plusses and minuses.

You must never DH then...
I honestly do not know how you guys say you bend rotors. They are on average 2" smaller than the 8"ers we run and I have never wrecked one. AND that is on a DH bike which sees WAY more crap than any trail bike. I cant tell you how many times I have sailed my bike off a berm and it landed on its side in trees/shrubs/branches/rocks with no issues.
If you guys are bending rotors putting your wheels back on, your definately doing something wrong...
I will never ever go back to rim brakes, unless it is a magura for trials. They dont have the power, they work like shiat when wet, and if the rim isnt perfectly true you get inconsistent braking. But hey you can pretty much get them for free, that is about the only plus.

 

[4xdog]

]As a slightly different take on the subject, the best brakes I've EVER had on a bicycle, having ridden dozens for over forty years now, are the Magura hydraulic rim brakes on my KTM Teramo Trekking bike. These brakes are simply amazing. Fantastic stopping ability in all conditions. Literal pop-in / pop-out pad changes. I ride confidently in traffic in all weather and know braking will never be a concern.

They're not easily available in this country (my Austrian-built KTM came back as luggage from a trip to Germany), but they're worth considering. Magura make disk brakes too, although I've not ridden those. I have HS11 brakes on my KTM, as shown in the attached image, which are the slightly lower line compared to the HS33.

http://www.magura.com/en/home.html

Don

 

[EricBirk]

As a slightly different take on the subject, the best brakes I've EVER had on a bicycle, having ridden dozens for over forty years now, are the Magura hydraulic rim brakes on my KTM Teramo Trekking bike. These brakes are simply amazing. Fantastic stopping ability in all conditions. Literal pop-in / pop-out pad changes. I ride confidently in traffic in all weather and know braking will never be a concern.

They're not easily available in this country (my Austrian-built KTM came back as luggage from a trip to Germany), but they're worth considering. Magura make disk brakes too, although I've not ridden those. I have HS11 brakes on my KTM, as shown in the attached image, which are the slightly lower line compared to the HS33.

http://www.magura.com/en/home.html

Don

Mags are fantastic!! I have never ridden them on a trail bike as I find they dont have enough modulation, but for trials riding on the rear there is nothing else out there that will grab and hold as hard as one of those.

 

[upcruiser]

You must never DH then...
I honestly do not know how you guys say you bend rotors. They are on average 2" smaller than the 8"ers we run and I have never wrecked one. AND that is on a DH bike which sees WAY more crap than any trail bike. I cant tell you how many times I have sailed my bike off a berm and it landed on its side in trees/shrubs/branches/rocks with no issues.
If you guys are bending rotors putting your wheels back on, your definately doing something wrong...
I will never ever go back to rim brakes, unless it is a magura for trials. They dont have the power, they work like shiat when wet, and if the rim isnt perfectly true you get inconsistent braking. But hey you can pretty much get them for free, that is about the only plus.

I downhill plenty, I don't do the modern big hit, freeride stuff, but fast, rough single track, jumps etc sure. I am not saying the disc brakes don't have an advantage, but it is not that big IMO. As far as stopping power goes in the dry, v brakes are plenty strong. I have never once felt I needed more brake, ever, even in the wet, they work, not as well, and much noiser for sure. Good point about the wheel being out of true though, that is something I forgot to point out. I am pretty hard on my rims and do deal with that a bit. If you are riding a 45 lb downhill bike I could understand v brakes being insufficient, but on a cross country bike like I ride they were great. That might be where some of the difference in oppinion comes from. My wife's Stumpjumper runs Avid mechanical discs and riding them back to back with my old, trusty XT v brakes, I still prefer them in the dry. These are just my observations though. I have been an avid mountain biker since '86 and have watched it grow through some pretty radical evolutions as a sport. There seem to be many different ways to enjoy it these days, but I guess my love is more x country but coming from a motocross background I love to rip fast downhills.

All that said though, I have a full disc setup sitting in the garage that I will likely swap on sometime this summer since I need a new wheel set and heading back to the Upper Peninsula, there is much more muddy riding.

 

[EricBirk]

I downhill plenty, I don't do the modern big hit, freeride stuff, but fast, rough single track, jumps etc sure. I am not saying the disc brakes don't have an advantage, but it is not that big IMO. As far as stopping power goes in the dry, v brakes are plenty strong. I have never once felt I needed more brake, ever, even in the wet, they work, not as well, and much noiser for sure. Good point about the wheel being out of true though, that is something I forgot to point out. I am pretty hard on my rims and do deal with that a bit. If you are riding a 45 lb downhill bike I could understand v brakes being insufficient, but on a cross country bike like I ride they were great. That might be where some of the difference in oppinion comes from. My wife's Stumpjumper runs Avid mechanical discs and riding them back to back with my old, trusty XT v brakes, I still prefer them in the dry. These are just my observations though. I have been an avid mountain biker since '86 and have watched it grow through some pretty radical evolutions as a sport. There seem to be many different ways to enjoy it these days, but I guess my love is more x country but coming from a motocross background I love to rip fast downhills.

All that said though, I have a full disc setup sitting in the garage that I will likely swap on sometime this summer since I need a new wheel set and heading back to the Upper Peninsula, there is much more muddy riding.

For me the difference is in the amount of modulation, and how hard you need to pull to get that power. When riding the back country up here, prime example being Mount 7 the Psychosis race run in Golden, anything but HUGE disks just eats your forearms for lunch.

Definately on an XC bike I couldnt see it as that big of an issue, which is probably a huge part in our difference of opinions. Well that and when you started riding bikes in 1987 I was 3 :sombrero:

Its pretty crazy when you think of the amount of stuff that has changed, some for good, some bad, in even the last 10-15 years!!

 

[upcruiser]

For me the difference is in the amount of modulation, and how hard you need to pull to get that power. When riding the back country up here, prime example being Mount 7 the Psychosis race run in Golden, anything but HUGE disks just eats your forearms for lunch.

Definately on an XC bike I couldnt see it as that big of an issue, which is probably a huge part in our difference of opinions. Well that and when you started riding bikes in 1987 I was 3 :sombrero:

Its pretty crazy when you think of the amount of stuff that has changed, some for good, some bad, in even the last 10-15 years!!

Yeah seriously. My first mountain bike had index shifters and 18 speeds and had Biopace chaingrings which was the most cutting edge technology at that time. My second bike I retrofitted with a Rock Shock RS1 when it first came out which was crazy at the time. The notion of suspension seemed so hi tech and controversial in regards to weight, performance, etc, it is funny to look back on now.

I think I would probably enjoy a modern dh bike but have yet to really try one. Heck, my wife's bike seems plush compared to my Epic but my Epic is like a Cadillac (actually more like a Porsche) compared to the stuff I rode before. I could see the demands for those circumstances being totally different for sure.

 

[EricBirk]

Yeah seriously. My first mountain bike had index shifters and 18 speeds and had Biopace chaingrings which was the most cutting edge technology at that time. My second bike I retrofitted with a Rock Shock RS1 when it first came out which was crazy at the time. The notion of suspension seemed so hi tech and controversial in regards to weight, performance, etc, it is funny to look back on now.

I think I would probably enjoy a modern dh bike but have yet to really try one. Heck, my wife's bike seems plush compared to my Epic but my Epic is like a Cadillac (actually more like a Porsche) compared to the stuff I rode before. I could see the demands for those circumstances being totally different for sure.

ahhh good ol Biopace hahaha

Its funny because I just bought a Marin Mount Vision as my do everything bike and to me that felt crazy twitchy as I am used to my 8" rig. I absolutely love that bike though!!!
You should definately throw a leg over a DH rig and take it for a rip, on the proper hill of course, its will definately put a smile on your face.

 

[LilKJ]

Wow... I thought this debate ended 10 years ago. Discs are better, plain and simple. Th only comparison that can be made is in the miniscule gram count. (and that's even getting close)

There are entire types of riding that were made possible by the evolution of discs... they are simply a superior technology. If you can't tell the difference or don't feel the need, you need to speed up.

 

[upcruiser]

Wow... I thought this debate ended 10 years ago. Discs are better, plain and simple. Th only comparison that can be made is in the miniscule gram count. (and that's even getting close)

There are entire types of riding that were made possible by the evolution of discs... they are simply a superior technology. If you can't tell the difference or don't feel the need, you need to speed up.

Really? 10 years ago it was way more debatable. The disc brake systems availabe from around '97 to '00 were pretty wretched IMO. I tried them and couldn't stand them whatsoever on a bunch of buddies bikes, stopping power especially. I consider myself a pretty aggressive rider, especially on the faster stuff, coming from bmx, dirt jumping, and motocross background. When I used to race xc alot I always used the downhill portions to really put distance on or pass folks. So, I don't think it is a case of me not pushing the bike hard enough, as I think that is more of my forte. And again, I never feel like my buddies out brake me into corners when we are going head to head. Seems like 95% of people riding don't even know proper hand and elbow postion over the bars, making things more difficult for them anyway. Just relating my experience and that maybe there are arguements to be made. Then again, you are hearing this from someone who loves 3FE powered FJ80's and who's idea of a dream bike is a Rivendell! Definately take it with a grain of salt!

 

[tacollie]

Disc brakes are far better than v-brakes. Disc brakes have more power, more modulation, and the pads last longer. There is no debate there. In my experiance they are even less maintance. The question is if you would benefit from discs. They are an expensive upgrade, ecspecially if you need hubs.

 

[whitetaco02]

Well, the Mrs. surprised me! :wings:

She got me a Trek 4300 DISC!!!! It is my Father's Day and Birthday present. I rode it around the neighborhood a few times and it is a nice bike.

I am a beginner so I feel it will suit me well!

 

[chris_the_wrench]

Well, the Mrs. surprised me! :wings:

She got me a Trek 4300 DISC!!!! It is my Father's Day and Birthday present. I rode it around the neighborhood a few times and it is a nice bike.

I am a beginner so I feel it will suit me well!

Glad to hear it! I hope you enjoy the bike, and I'll warn you ahead of time that riding can become an addictive and expensive activity!

-Chris

 

[whitetaco02]

Chris, you ain't lying man! I have already rode about ten miles this evening and I can already feel it and love it!

I just hope I can get with some other people and hit some trails. There is just not much going on around here.

 

[chris_the_wrench]

The IMBA just had a big get together in Georgia (I think). But regardless check out this link for some clubs that maybe near you.

-Chris

Chris, you ain't lying man! I have already rode about ten miles this evening and I can already feel it and love it!

I just hope I can get with some other people and hit some trails. There is just not much going on around here.