So why Spend money on Bicycle Disc Brakes for Your Mountain Bicycle?
I’ve loved using my mountain bike for over a decade. Over time it might qualify a lot more as a hybrid bicycle because of the modifications I’ve made to add much more comfort to the ride. This becomes more necessary to us as we get older.
One area where I thought it was constantly lacking was the brakes. Despite the fact that they are Shimano center pull caliper brakes, they just never perform well in damp weather or muddy conditions. So I was amazed when I recently borrowed a close friends bicycle with new disc brakes. One of many key benefits of bicycle disc brakes may be the great all-weather performance. One more point I really like is the fact there is no maintenance necessary as opposed to the normal adjustments required on cable activated traditional brakes. Once you install the disc brakes, setup the calipers it is possible to just ignore them.
Not surprisingly should you decide to upgrade to disc brakes you will find them higher priced then traditional rim brakes. However their effectiveness is so good that almost all will happily pay the price. One other negative would be that the disc brake assemblies and rotor do add some weight to your bike. Once again, you need to evaluate if considering your riding habits, this really is suitable. In most cases to switch to bicycle disc brakes you will need new wheels also. Disc rims cannot be installed on regular hubs used with standard rim brake wheels.
Even though it will take some work and extra cost to upgrade to bicycle disc brakes, if you need far better and consistently improved brake performance in all conditions, disc brakes are a great investment. However you must decide if the cost is worth it. Honestly speaking, not everyone really needs to upgrade to bicycle disc brakes. Many riders are quite happy with their rim brake and ride in an environment where rim brakes manage the job for example in flat and dry land. But when you take to more steeper trails and wetter conditions, disc brakes become most valuable. Another point to think about is if you’re a 200 lb rider as i am, you will definitely appreciate the improvement in braking power.
I’ve tried the Shimano disc brakes and as with all Shimano bicycle parts, they worked beautifully under any kind of conditions from mountain trails to riding through creek beds.
In addition to Shimano, according to reports, Avid disc brakes, Hayes disc brakes, and Tektro disc brakes are all available in kits and as individual components making it likely to suit any kind of application desired.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 30th, 2010 at 3:51 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.