Braking dilemma.

[66 triumph daytona]

Im thinking of getting back xc racing on my modernish(04)hardtail.Its got an m970 v brake set up with ceramic rims.Although a very good set up Im wondering in the long term would it be totally out classed by discs?Its never bothered me in my general riding but with the odd few races looming would it make a major difference?

 

[hamster]

My preference is for a set of Magura rim brakes up front, I've never had a problem locking the rear with V's so power is clearly adequate there.

 

[mattr]

Depends totally on the course and weather. Flattish, fastish courses, with good weather. You'll never notice.
Anything with serious gradient, nasty rocky technical bits or torrential rain. You'll notice the difference! Especially if you ding a rim

 

[RickTheUncivil]

i work on the basis that v brakes have enough stopping power, no worries there. but when you flat your rim, your stuffed. discs give you some resilience.
plus when you end up in a bog....

 

[66 triumph daytona]

Re:

Cheers lads.The v set up I have is perfect until they get clogged,the thing is,a guy I know has offered a straight swap for his m970 disc set up-brakes,shifters,wheelset,the lot.I might just stay on v`s for a while,purely on their reliability and simplicity.

 

[kyle888]

Re:

I would recommend Avid BB7 cable disc brake set, as good as a good set of hydraulic discs but easy to maintain!
I got my set off ebay f&r with 160mm g3 rotors for £56 from hong kong but they got here within a week!
The front 160mm may be a bit small so you may have to get a 185mm but depends on terrain.

I have a 203mm front!!

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

I think that m970 disc setup swap should be done if your frame and forks take discs.

I don't need disc's, but I'm not racing and when I did it was just for fun in BMBOs.
Ah yes Vs can have the power, disc may have poor power, rub and sqeal if crap or setup poorly.
But what I believe they give is control in your braking with little effort that not even XTR Vs can give. Well that what I can pull as the main benefit from what everyone says.
Ignoring you miss the fun of clearing your Vs in winter halfway down a track, probably not something in a race though (well excluding Mountain Mayhem)

 

[mattr]

Re: Re:

I would recommend Avid BB7 cable disc brake set, as good as a good set of hydraulic discs but easy to maintain!

LOL.
As good as an average set of entry level discs and requiring regular maintenance to even work.

Cable needs regular adjustment to make sure the pad even reaches the disc (hydraulics self adjust), cables also need regular replacement to keep performance at 10/10ths, probably twice a year in "normal" use. (Hydraulics need a 10 minute bleed every year, you could probably get away with two, and they'd still be better than brand new BB7s, and they only need tuppence ha'penny worth of oil, rather than the 20 quids worth of cable you need to make BB7s work well.) replacing pads also requires mucking around with cable adjusters (just push the pistons back in on hydraulic)

And deore are probably cheaper than BB7 now (retail)

Only faff with hydraulics is initial installation and cutting hoses to length. Once that's done they are less work than cables.

Just get the 970 set up and stop mucking around.

 

[Matthews]

Re:

Discs all the way for me , fit and set them up then just use them , new set of sintered pads every 18mths /2 years is the only maintenance I've had to do on both bikes , one running Avid Elixier RSL's that everyone slates but not had any issues and one running hope M4/mono mini .
They just work reliably in all conditions and no worrying about rim wear/faffing about setting them up , I like to ride my bikes not spend hours messing before every time I want to take them out .

 

[kyle888]

Re: Re:

I would recommend Avid BB7 cable disc brake set, as good as a good set of hydraulic discs but easy to maintain!

LOL.
As good as an average set of entry level discs and requiring regular maintenance to even work.

Cable needs regular adjustment to make sure the pad even reaches the disc (hydraulics self adjust), cables also need regular replacement to keep performance at 10/10ths, probably twice a year in "normal" use. (Hydraulics need a 10 minute bleed every year, you could probably get away with two, and they'd still be better than brand new BB7s, and they only need tuppence ha'penny worth of oil, rather than the 20 quids worth of cable you need to make BB7s work well.) replacing pads also requires mucking around with cable adjusters (just push the pistons back in on hydraulic)

And deore are probably cheaper than BB7 now (retail)

Only faff with hydraulics is initial installation and cutting hoses to length. Once that's done they are less work than cables.

Just get the 970 set up and stop mucking around.

Wow a bit of cable adjustment oh no how terrible. They always get great reviews. Plus you can actually modulate the power rather than just off or on!