What brakes and where do i buy ???

[MacAoidh]

Hi all,

Just wondering on opinions of which V brakes i should be buying for my Speshy HardRock project and why ???

And links for good deals on full kits inc V brakes, rubber, levers AND cables if possible ???

OR should i maybe convert to Disc ??? How do i go about this ??? Is it expensive ??? Is it worth while ???

Sorry for all the Q's but i'm new to the whole building bikes scene and want to learn quickly

Thanks,

Mac :?

 

[6.5x55]

Depends if you want modern or retro. I have semi-retro Avid Arch-rivals on my Dave Yates. Awesome power and dead easy to set up. They're discontinued now but you could probably find them in stock somewhere. They should cost about £30 each end .

 

[dyna-ti]

Avid make very nice V's ,better than shimano[some would say ]
The Xt v's[the m739 stuff],looks very nice but rattles like hell and it is very very annoying.
Old LX the m600 ones,[ not the parallel push versions ]are very good,I noticed they work even better when used with the XT levers

Discs.OOooo,expensive[sucks air through teeth]
Avid cable discs BB7's i think,are considered the best,'bout the same power as rim brakes only you can have nice disc rims and theres no grinding noise when you go through mud .disc rims will of course ,never wear out
[ok near as dammit ]
Hydraulic Worth while :? up to you. Its a lot of outlay but you get a lot of brake,and if you've never used them before ,you'll wonder why not :?

To summarize-
V's-
Excellent stopping power,blows crappy [ok nice looking but still... ]cantilevers away
Cable discs-
You can run sti or whatever your favourite lever is because they pull the same amount of cable as V brake levers[very handy]
you can have best quality of wheels with modern upgradable hope hubs
Hydraulic brakes-
Expensive but really are fit and forget.In any weather,wet,dry,snow,ice it matters not,,and they beat everything designed to stop a bicycle,Period.
Anybody says other is talking bolloks

 

[suburbanreuben]

I'll agree with that! A decent pair of Hope C2's will set you back about £75-£100, but then you need disc wheels, forks and a rear disc mount convertor, if you don't have a tab on the frame. Better than any rim brake, though Avid Ultimates and ceramic rims come close- Equal to discs in the dry, and if fitted with SWissstop pads, nearly there in the wet. Cetainly not cheap though!

 

[velomaniac]

Having seen your hardrock there will be issues fitting discs. The frame is steel and not fitted with disc mounts. Clamp on disc mounts exist but tend not to work well with steel frames as the sides of the dropouts tend not to be perfectly flat which these adaptors require. As for forks it should be easy provided the frame steerer tube is 1&1/8th inch as opposed to older 1 inch. Really not many short travel forks of quality with disc mounts and rigid even rarer for 1 inch steerers. New mounts can be welded on by a frame builder but thats costly.

Stick with either Vee brakes such as those mentioned or go for Magura hydraulic rim brakes which are really impressive stoppers

 

[Splatter Paint]

XT v-brakes, this 'ere website for less than £50!

 

[dyna-ti]

I'll agree with that! A decent pair of Hope C2's will set you back about £75-£100,

But i have to disagree as to the choice of C2's
They are excellent but finding a fully working pair is nigh on impossible
I had ten sets pass through my hands and each one of them needed major servicing to get them running somewhere near average.
I gave up to be honest.
The problems i found was if you remove the pistons and you find them damaged then when you change the seals you will find they leak around the piston,seems its the dirt and grime behind the seal pushing it further out ,when you clean it out the seals no longer seal that well.
Pistons arent available,seals are but lever rebuild kits are getting thin on the ground

 

[suburbanreuben]

You're probably right... I've bought about 6 pairs in the last year, and only three have been functioning without leaks...even after new seals.
Because they're a closed system, they don't absorb water so easily, and hence don't need bleeding so often, from that aspect. They're then used unmaintained, and wear out. Or it could be that they've been around for nearly 15 years...
Any suggestions for alternatives? Something as powerful, but lighter?
Please don't suggest XC4's!

 

[drcarlos]

go for Magura hydraulic rim brakes which are really impressive stoppers

+1

Carl.

 

[dyna-ti]

I would suggest Hopes new tech X2
They look very nice too
Amongst an old set of bombers a modern wavy rotor and a 5 bolt hope spider that is