karen.488walker
New Member
- Location
- Sevenoaks :(
Can you change the brakes on a bike from cantilever to disk brakes? Love my bike but starting to venture onto mountains but don't know if my brakes are good enough. (scott contessa 30 or 40?)
Disk? Cantilever brakes
- Thread starter karen.488walker
- Start date
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Black Sheep
Guru
- Location
- Rammy
are they cantilever or V brakes?
V brakes should, if set up well (can take some fiddleing) be as good as budget disk brakes (my old ones were and used to migrate from bike to bike until some scrote stole the bike they were on
)
anyways, you can fit disks if you have disk mounts on the frame and fork (there'll be a bit of extra metal on the left fork leg and left rear triangle with two holes in it) it is possible and ok to fit just a front disk brake and keep V brakes on the rear
this is because about 70% of your braking effort comes from the front wheel, however the levers may feel a bit odd as they'll not feel the same as each other.
if you have brake levers that have the gear levers built in then you'll need to replace the gear levers
i'd avoid cable disk brakes and go straight for hydraulic - i got shimano deore disks and they're great.
V brakes should, if set up well (can take some fiddleing) be as good as budget disk brakes (my old ones were and used to migrate from bike to bike until some scrote stole the bike they were on
)anyways, you can fit disks if you have disk mounts on the frame and fork (there'll be a bit of extra metal on the left fork leg and left rear triangle with two holes in it) it is possible and ok to fit just a front disk brake and keep V brakes on the rear
this is because about 70% of your braking effort comes from the front wheel, however the levers may feel a bit odd as they'll not feel the same as each other.
if you have brake levers that have the gear levers built in then you'll need to replace the gear levers
i'd avoid cable disk brakes and go straight for hydraulic - i got shimano deore disks and they're great.
GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
well set up good quality cable discs like BB7's work very well, and way better than any sort of rim brake, especially in the wet, but they do require more hand 'effort' than their hydraulic equivalents where not much effort from one finger will slow you down faster than you would believe. That said some people are paranoid about snagging a hydraulic brake line on a passing branch and being left with no brakes - not yet met anyone it has happened to in real, non-racing, life.
Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
GrumpyGreg said:
Interesting that point, because at the time I took up diving the drysuit was becoming more and more available to the common man, rather than just commercial divers. It made perfect sense to me that if I was diving in the North Sea in March, being warm and dry in a drysuit was the way forward. Our club had many diehards who swore that their wetsuits were far better, and less likely to puncture, fill with water and drown the user. Having read your post I now realise that this was simply resistance to change, and fear of the new, or a realisation that they had to shell out for a new suit if they wanted to be warm and toasty.
To the OP. The fork leg and frame have to be disc compatible, as do the hubs. There are bikes out there with hydraulic rim brakes.
OP
OP
karen.488walker
New Member
- Location
- Sevenoaks :(
Scott Comp 70mm pads brakes, aluminum linear-pull levers
These are my brakes. I'm not sure about the diff. between v brake and cantilevers. I would need new wheels for disk brakes so they are not cost effective. Think I need the best pads going?
I didn't receive any of these replies by email, so I missed thme should I have done. I am v.v. new to all of this.
These are my brakes. I'm not sure about the diff. between v brake and cantilevers. I would need new wheels for disk brakes so they are not cost effective. Think I need the best pads going?
I didn't receive any of these replies by email, so I missed thme should I have done. I am v.v. new to all of this.
OP
OP
karen.488walker
New Member
- Location
- Sevenoaks :(
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/myka-fsr-comp-2008-womens-mountain-bike-ec001463
Can't decide if i need to just upgrade to a specialized Myka comp 2008. Love what I've got and don't know how to get my husband to buy it but want absolute confidence in my brakes. Could well be venturing inot proper off road MTBing soon. (live in ski resort)
Can't decide if i need to just upgrade to a specialized Myka comp 2008. Love what I've got and don't know how to get my husband to buy it but want absolute confidence in my brakes. Could well be venturing inot proper off road MTBing soon. (live in ski resort)
GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
karen.488walker said:
That is a very good bike for the money. One of the lasses I work with bought one on cyclescheme. Serious downhilling in summer ski resorts is the reason why disc brakes exist. one finger braking for minutes on end, and no overheating rims making your tubes go 'bang' with unpleasant results. mind you I've had that happen in the French Alps on a road bike. Taught me to brake only when absolutely necessary.
OP
OP
karen.488walker
New Member
- Location
- Sevenoaks :(
Good advice. Will work on finance department. Although it's a bit strained at the moment! He's losing his job in 3 weeks!
Black Sheep
Guru
- Location
- Rammy
do you have a picture of your brakes?
that way we'll be able to tell you what is fitted and perhaps how to improve braking.
that way we'll be able to tell you what is fitted and perhaps how to improve braking.
OP
OP
karen.488walker
New Member
- Location
- Sevenoaks :(
Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
karen.488walker said:
That Scott looks OK!
I read an ad last year somewhere where a ski company were selling off their MTBS. They were a season old, and had been used for guests to pedal from their chalets to the resort and back. It would be worth checking around now that the season has ended. The bikes were quality Konas, and were about half price. It may be worth having a word with some of the reps.
Black Sheep
Guru
- Location
- Rammy
karen.488walker said:
yes,
they are V brakes.
how are the pads for wear? there should be some grooves in the pad to indicate wear, if they've dissapeared then its new pad time
are the cables adjusted correctly or do you have to pull the levers a long way? if so they need adjusting.
that should (if it needs doing) help a fair bit.
Mr Pig
New Member
- Location
- North Lanarkshire
Well that Scott bike has disk mounts on the fork and looks like it might have mounts on the rear as well so yes, fitting disks should be easy.
You can buy a set of ready to go disk brakes, like Shimano Deore, that come with the levers on and already bled so that you just bolt them on. Then just buy a set of disk wheels and disks and you're away. A lot cheaper than buying a new bike and the way to go if you like the bike you have :0)
You can buy a set of ready to go disk brakes, like Shimano Deore, that come with the levers on and already bled so that you just bolt them on. Then just buy a set of disk wheels and disks and you're away. A lot cheaper than buying a new bike and the way to go if you like the bike you have :0)
Black Sheep
Guru
- Location
- Rammy
Mr Pig said:
the deore disk brakes do indeed come ready to run, but have a lot of spare hose which needs cutting down (and then they need bleeding)
they come with disks
but new wheels are needed - the op has said disk brakes are out due to cost, although it would be cheaper to upgrade to disks than replace the bike i'd say.
Mr Pig
New Member
- Location
- North Lanarkshire
Pushing tin said:
Unless you're trying to talk yourself into a new bike? ;0)