Upgrade the Brakes?
April 11th, 2005 by Tim GrahlI got to thinking on my ride yesterday about disc brakes versus V-brakes and the worth of them. I know there are about as many opinions on it as there are mountain bikers but I figured I’d give my two cents worth.
The two bikes I have been riding lately are the Redline Monocog and the Gary Fisher X-Caliber. The Monocog has V-brakes and the X-cal is stocked with disc. Prior to both of these I had been riding my GT Avalanche that also had V-brakes. As far as stopping power, I can definitely tell a big different in the disc brakes. The consistent stopping of the disc brakes is very noticeable. Where the V’s never seem to grab with a consistent force, the discs are constant. Also, in the muddy conditions we ride here in Central Virginia, the disc brakes don’t get as mucked up as the V-brakes do. However, I did ride for a long time with the V-brakes and it isn’t dangerous or anything to have them.
Now for my argument against upgrading your bike to disc brakes. I think in most cases if you have V-brakes, just stick with them. Especially if your bike is in the Blue Collar price range, the idea of spending an extra two to three hundred dollars for a set of disc brakes can be a waste. I would say to put that three hundred bones in a piggy bank towards a newer bike that disc will come stock on.
Take, for example, the Raleigh M80 that Mike has been riding for a couple months now. It comes stock with disc brakes as well as a pretty good set of components for less then $700. So that money you saved on the disc brakes just got you almost halfway to owning a new bike.
So if you are looking to upgrade those V-brakes just cause all your buddies are riding disc already, make sure you put some thought into whether your rig is worth dumping that kind of cash into. If not, tuck that money away and wait until you can afford a new bike for a good price.
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Well said Tim. I wanted to upgrade to disc sets but it would have cost me atleast…$250 for the wheelset, rotors and calipers. These weren’t even Hydros, they were mechanicals.
Definitely save and save and keep on saving.
Agreed! And while your at it, slap on a new set of pads. Especially if it’s been awhile. Learn to tune on your brakes. Linear pulls are pretty easy to figure out. With the right pads, and a little tuning, your linear pulls will amaze you!
Ted, what brand of pads do you recommend for v-brakes? I’ve bought some cheapo Bell brands and those didn’t work at all. I’ve even tried what Target sells and those wore out too fast.
Koolstop pads are known for being good replacements. Salmon for wet areas or the combo black/salmon for general. Ritchey reds are good all around and Ritchey Blues for wet weather.
The golden rule for bicycle parts/upgrades basically comes down to determining if what you have is set up properly or not: It doesn’t matter how much it costs or how much money you throw at it, if it’s not set up properly to begin with, it just won’t work as well as cheap stuff set up right.
Disk brakes sort of took the thunder out of V-brakes, but if you set up your brakes correctly, you can get some excellent results. Remember, setting up the cable tension is only a third of the battle. Basically, you also need to set up where the pad contacts the rim (it should contact more towards the top of the rim) and if both pads touch the rim at the same time (figure out how to use the alignment bolts). Both sides NEED to be equal.
Like what has been mentioned before, after a while, it’s always a good idea to change pads, especially if they are really contaminated with metal shards, dirt, rocks, ect. Koolstop is the best, but if your shop doesn’t have them, Avid pads + Jagwire also make excellent replacements. Steer clear of Shimano’s generic brake pads (unless you need XTR cartridge pads or whatever)…they work fine, but the Deore ones cost 3x what normal pads cost and they aren’t any better.
Yes i agree tottaly about how setting up your brakes is the most important thing. You are better off replacing your pads or tightening up your cable than thinking about going disk… I personally think disk on the front V brakes on the back equally measured so they touch the wheel at the same time is the best combination, also it is cheaper option. But very good performance!
I built up a steel hardtail and went to avid bb7 disc brakes. Go disc if you can. After break in period, they are very consistant, super low maintenance, and from what I’ve read, close to hydros as far as performance.