I have loved riding my mountain bicycle for more than ten years. Through the years it could qualify much more as a hybrid bike a result of the alterations I’ve made to add a lot more comfort to the ride. This grows more necessary to us as we get older.
One area in which I thought it was always lacking was the brakes. While they are Shimano center pull caliper brakes, they just don’t perform well in damp weather or muddy conditions. So I was amazed when I recently borrowed a close friends bike with new disc brakes. One of the major advantages of bicycle disc brakes could be the excellent all-weather performance. Another point I truly like is there isn’t any maintenance necessary as opposed to the standard adjustments required on cable activated conventional brakes. After you install the disc brakes, setup the calipers you can merely ignore them.
Needless to say if you do opt to upgrade to disc brakes you will find them more costly then conventional rim brakes. But their effectiveness is so great that many will happily pay the price. Another negative could be that the disc brake assemblies and rotor do add some weight to your bicycle. Again, you must evaluate if considering your riding habits, this really is suitable. In many instances to change to bicycle disc brakes you will require new wheels also. Disc rims can’t be set up on regular hubs used with standard rim brake wheels.
Although it will require some effort and additional cost to upgrade to bicycle disc brakes, if you want far better and consistently improved brake overall performance in all conditions, disc brakes make the perfect investment. But you must determine if the cost is worthwhile. Seriously speaking, not everybody really needs to upgrade to bicycle disc brakes. Lots of riders are quite very pleased with their rim brake and ride in an natural environment where rim brakes handle the job such as in flat and dry land. However as you take to more steeper trails and wetter conditions, disc brakes become most effective. One more issue to consider is if you’re a 200 lb rider as i am, you will really appreciate the improvement in braking power.
I’ve tested the Shimano disc brakes and as with all of Shimano bicycle parts, they worked perfectly under any kind of conditions from mountain trails to riding through creek beds.
In addition to Shimano, according to reviews, Avid disc brakes, Hayes disc brakes, and Tektro disc brakes are all obtainable in kits and as separate parts making it likely to fit any kind of application desired.