Discs or V Brakes?

[SilverSurfer]

Can't decide whther to go for hydraulic discs or just plump for good, ol fashioned V brakes.

I had a bike with hydraulic discs and initially thought they were great. Then I realised that they would need to be serviced at some point and I realised that I didn't kow how to do that. Bleeding brake fluid and changing pads seems like car servicing to me.

So I'm starting to think that for my type of riding (cross country trails, nothing technical) that Vs would be a more sensible choice.

The only downside that I can see to Vs is that they will wear through more rims - is this the only consideration?

 

[Tim Bennet.]

Disks are better in every way on a mtb except the slight weight penalty. Hope disks are pretty much fit and forget. I think I've changed the fluid once in 5 years and the pads are much simpler to replace than V-brake pads. Don't dismiss them on the grounds of complexity or difficulty.

Initial cost is obviously higher, but a couple of rim changes with V brakes soon equalises the cost up over time.

 

[RedBike]

The only trouble with v-brakes is in the wet/ muddy conditions you could well end up getting through a set of pads a ride. (They also loose performance in the wet). Changing the pads on a good set of disc brakes is probably easier than changing v-brake cartridges and you don't have to do it anywhere near as often.

Servicing / bleeding disc brakes can be a bit more complex. luckily every bleed kit i've ever used has come with nice and clear instructions so that even an idiot like me can follow them! Saying that your brakes probably wont want servicing more than once a year and it's not mega expensive to have a shop do it. £10/£20.

If you're riding in muddy conditions then go for the discs. If not, save yourself some money and fit some top notch Vs

 

[e-rider]

I've been cycling for many years (both mtb and road) and I've only ever worn though one set of rims and that was with 12 years of heavy use.

Wearing your rims out with Vs isn't really much of an issue in my experience - maybe riding with worn-out pads might speed things up though!

Anyway, I'd say Disc brakes offer many advantages over V brakes. Although, there is nothing wrong with V brakes either.

You need to look at your riding and assess your requirements. Do you need the power of discs? Do you need the simplicity of Vs? Are you on a tight budget? Weight savings? Home mechanic or LBS? etc.

 

[RedBike]

Forgot to add, there's no way I would want to switch back to V's having got used to discs!

 

[e-rider]

and most decent factory built wheels are 'disc only' these days - although I've changed my mind about factory built wheels and have gone back to buying custom built instead (built by myself that is!) - far cheaper and easier to source replacement spokes and generally much more reliable.

 

[e-rider]

I tend to build wheels with say a Mavic 719 rim with a braking surface on a Shimano XT disc hub, this gives me the option of running either discs or Vs and enables me to swap the wheel between different bikes.

 

[User482]

Once you've ridden off-road with discs, you'll never want to go back to V-brakes!

 

[mickle]

I had Hope discs and went back to V's. Discs weigh a ton, get bashed and warped. V's (on ceramic faced rims if concerned about rim wear) are perfectly adequate for most off-road folk.

Maybe I don't keep my bikes long enough but I've never worn out a rim.

 

[SilverSurfer]

I'm tending to side with the Vs I'm afraid!

I can see how discs could be useful in the right hands, but I'm all for simplicity, lightness and ease of maintenance. When I had a GT Karakoram (bought in 1994) the rims lasted until 2003 - I'm hoping I'll ride any new purchase more than that one but you get the idea.

And I'm looking at a GT Avalanche 1.0 which is £80 cheaper in V form!

 

[summerdays]

I like my disk brakes (apart from the squeak), but they stop me far quicker especially in the wet downhill. Also the bike is far less mucky ... with out all that grey sludge that is produced by the V-brakes. And I wore out a rim in just over a year with V's (OK my cleaning wasn't that great to start with) and don't have to replace the brake pads every 3 months.

 

[02GF74]

I am in the disc brake camp for all the reasons mentioned below.

I have worn at least 6 rims out. I have also had bake pads wearing out on one ride due cycling in mud resulting in me grabbing onto trees when going downhill in an attempt to stop - not recommended.

bleeding is a no brainer, on shimano that is, a tube a small bottle and 8 mm spanner, easy peasy.

not so clever on magura marta brakes which do not have a bleed screw fitted.

 

[SilverSurfer]

Yes I had Avids on a hybrid and they were binding all the time.

Thought about setting them up but took one look and decided to flog the bike. Ok, there were other factors in the sale.

So I feel that I'm siding with the 'less faff' camp. Can't see me going through many rims, I just don't ride enough (got a roady and a fixie to get my leg over in limited time).

 

[GilesM]

Once you've ridden off-road with discs, you'll never want to go back to V-brakes!

I agree, take a trip to any busy trail centre at the weekend, very few people using V-brakes. I certainly wouldn't even consider riding Vs now, the stopping power of a good set of discs is amazing, and the control you have to modulate the brakes with just one or two fingers on the lever is incredible.

 

[Cubist]

Cube do two versions of my bike, one with hydraulic discs (Hayes Stroker Ryde) and the other with hydraulic rim-brakes. Apparently those German riders love them.
Disc brakes are, IMHO the only option if you're riding in wet or muddy conditions.