K2 / Proflex Riders Group
General => Tech Forum => Topic started by: bike kid on July 16, 2008, 10:02:24 pm
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I am converting my k2 razorback from rim brakes to disc, my frame and fork are already disc compatible, and I am getting a disc compatible wheelset. But I am wondering what type of disc brake to get, hydraulic or mechanical ?
Thanks in advance,
Bike kid ::)
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from what I've heard (but I'm no expert) hydraulic are way better than mechanical. Get some Hope or suchlike. Plenty 2nd hand around for around £45 a set.
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just to rock the boat a bit i beleive the avid mechs are very good...despite the seeming complexity the hydraulics are prolly the most simple and efficient brake system.
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im with kiwi here, ive got avid bb5`s on my oz and theyre great and i believe the bb7`s are even better, ive had hope and hayes hydros but im definately a fan of the avids.
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im with kiwi here, ive got avid bb5`s on my oz and theyre great and i believe the bb7`s are even better, ive had hope and hayes hydros but im definately a fan of the avids.
I have a bevey of disk brakes, hydro and mech. The best so far is my bb7, stupid simple and easy to adjust for no brake drag. I had Andrew(frankd3000)shave the caliper housing for lightness, installed the organic pads bonded to alum plates. Yummy!
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Thanks for all the advice. I am aiming towards mechanical because they are cheaper, but I am considering hydraulic because some people say they are higher quality. I want to get avid because they are good brakes and I currently have avid V- brakes on my bike.
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i still have some old shimano xt's (hydraulic) that are going strong -
my neighbor, bob (the lung) picked up some of the cheap deore's and is quite happy with them.
another guy i ride with has some of the avids and is quite pleased - i'd have to say that they've
come a long way and most of the mid range to higher end units would be pretty good at this point.
OP
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Here's another way to look at it...
I ride Avid hydraulic Juicy's and BB's. The Juicy's are incredibly smooth and powerful. So far, they have been almost perfectly reliable. At the same time, Avid BB's are a little less smooth and powerful, but absolutely bulletproof.
So here are my conclusions:
Everything Avid makes is extraordinarily good quality.
The BB7's are significantly better than the BB5's. Both inner and outer pads are finger adjustable.
The Juicy's also get better as you go up in numbers as well. I'm perfectly happy with my Juicy 3's, but have used 7's and noticed an improvement.
If I'm going on an epic ride or a road trip where I cannot have a mechanical failure, I'll use the mechanical brakes EVERY TIME.
Do you really want to walk home from the Porcupine Rim or the Tahoe Rim trails because of an air bubble in your brake line?
BB7's are the way to go. Need more power? Get bigger rotors.
From my experience, stay away from Sh'mano, Tektro, and IRD Dual Banger mechs...
Good luck,
Will
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Useful discussion guys........thanks.......
I settled on Avids after reading a lot of reviews, Maguras also seemed to come out well, and they do use mineral oil rather than paint stripper.......<GRIN>
I've got a set of Avid Carbon Juicy 7's to go on my OzM rebuild and I was thinking what to put on the Missus's OzX, I think I'm tending towards the BB7's if they're low maintenance and good enough for what she'll throw at it....(it'll make a good "spare" for me as well, if I let the 4000se go.....)
Col.
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I have gotten a disc compatible wheelset, but the problem is the front rotor is larger than the rear rotor, so I have to get an adapter, or a new rotor. I have everything I need to convert to disc except the brakes themselves. I may just get some avid mechanical calipers so I can still continue to use my brake levers I have now.
Thanks for all the help,
Bike kid
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bike kid, where in the world are you? uk? us?
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I live in Salt lake city,Utah
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........a road trip where I cannot have a mechanical failure, I'll use the mechanical brakes EVERY TIME.
Do you really want to walk home from the Porcupine Rim or the Tahoe Rim trails because of an air bubble in your brake line?
why then are all cars and most motorbikes hydraulic disk braked and not mechanical.A air bubble or leaking fluid might reduce the efficiency,a broken cable or seized actuator is curtains.
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my hydraulics got over heated on my landcruiser when coming down the mountain at mount whitney not long ago - had no braking power.
the only thing that saved my life was the rear parking brake (cable controlled) and the electronic brakes on the trailer (used the override under the dash)
they're all good -
OP
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Hydraulic brakes do have more braking power, but they are also more finicky and require more attention than mechanical brakes. If anything happens during a ride with hydraulic brakes, you have no braking, but with mechanical you are at least able to make a temporary fix.
Thanks for helping,
Bike kid
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Hey Biker Kid,
I use avid mechanicals and have been since the very first version. I have two sets now. Low maintenance and low tweaking frequency. I had an initial Hayes Mechanical which was recalled. It was a piece of junk as it would lock up...Yikes. That one gave me a few scary drops. I sold the hydraulic they gave me as a replacement as the Avids had just been produced. I ride them year round..snow, mud, rain, etc. Also, I live down in Orem, UT. Welcome to the list. Do you ever post on utahmountainbiking.com?
Thunderchild
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I've heard that avid is one of the best brands for disc, mechanical and hydraulic.
I haven't posted on Utah mountain biking yet, but I am going to register. I have also been on the website a few times and gone on some of the trails listed.
Bike kid
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Looks like you found your set-up - eh, I'll thow in my 0.2 cents anyway, I prefer mech over hyro...hyros are a bit to powerful for my liking, I like something with a little drag to it.
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I am looking at bb7s because they are higher quality for only a little more money.
bike kid
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Go with the BB7s. The BB5s have only one sided adjustment per brake. The BB7s has adjustments for both pads(sides).
Thunderchild
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I've sold disk brakes and have tried them all on my own fleet:
+ formula B4, B4R etc - lightest and most powerful - but they break very easily in lots of fantastic ways. very Italian.
+ formula ORO - at last, they fixed the durability issues - but they now have pad retention problems on many of the models! even more Italian.
+ avid juicy 3's, 5's: just avoid them unless you like squeaking.
+ avid juicy 7's are good, but mainly because they have more adjustment to solve the squeaking.
+ Magura's - hard to find nowadays, very powerful but they kept using brittle hoses!?!
+ Hope - very popular in the UK but I think they are a bit over-rated. the M4's look fabulous and work well.
+ Hayes - not popular in europe for some reason.
+ shimano XTR - avoid, totally non standard
shimano XT - the best all rounder disk brakes and cheap too - use a 203 or a 185 front rotor and a large rear rotor.
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One of my biking friends has a pair of xtr dual control hydraulic disc brakes on his bike, I like the braking power, but it seems that as soon as you pull on the brakes they lock up, they also need frequent cleaning or else they will squeak. The shifting part of the levers is great.
thanks for the suggestions,
Bike kid ;D
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>bike kid,
the sharpness of the brakes (aka modulation) can sometimes be solved by using smaller rotors. A lot of guys go for the big 203 and 185 rotors but really don't need them.
Where I'm from (Scotland) my normal thursday night ride (its raining!) is up a hill thats about 1000ft climb from here with dropoffs and fast downhill sections with a lot of technical sections on the way home. Also, I'm 83kg, 6' or thereabouts, fat bastard according to the Nintendo Wii, and so need the bigger stopping power. I used to overheat my 160mm formula b4's until i went for a larger rotor.
actually, I did a movie on youtube of the descent. search for "Dumyat"
callum
rds
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"...fat bastard according to the Nintendo Wii,"
Damn, Wii! Nearly threw that little handle thing through the window after my 12 year old daughter whipped my butt in boxing!!! :o
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have to throw in a recomendation for Hayes el caminos....
really top flight, easy to care for and highly adjustable
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What do they usually sell for?
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"bestbikezone" has them on sale for about $95 a wheel ; unless you really wanted to, you'd never need to upgrade, just replace the pads....
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I have the money for disc brakes, I'm just waiting for a good deal on avid bb7's. I bid on a set for $56 and was outbid by a dollar.
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bb5 are almost as good as the bb7 apart from the outboard pad adjuster, same stopping power just need a little more care setting up but apart from that if you can get a cheap pair of bb5`s you wont be disappointed.
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Have you tried bb5's, or bb7's? From what I've read and what other people have posted in reviews, they say there's no comparison, bb7's are better.
Thanks for the replies,
Bike kid
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i own 2 sets of bb5`s but from what i can gather the only real difference in them is the outboard pad adjuster that makes setting them up and adjusting easier the 7`s have it the 5`s dont.
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so, besides the adjusters there's no major difference?
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so, besides the adjusters there's no major difference?
Well, the price is higher on the BB7, which leads me to believe there is some other features.
I sure like have the inboard adjuster so I can adjust it in anywhere.
Terry
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I went with Avid BB5's to save money on my last Proflex buildup and regret not getting the 7's. They are way easier to adjust - especially on the trail! For an extra $10 each, it's worth it.