Sounds like V-brake is the best way to

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DDbike

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I saw one of "Manic57" post about brakes ....

He made a great case for the V-brake over any other kind of brake ..... (easy to replace when worn out) and less expensive and a great brake .....

... so gonna rethink my front and rear hubs ...... a decent front and rear hub I suppose would be a small shimano or something .....

.... V-brakes and an upgraded hub that does not break the bank and build my own wheels ....

.... sounds better over drum brakes ... heavy .... difficult to repair and replace .... and less expensive ...
 
2door

2door

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You might also want to explore disc brakes for the front. As for braking performance discs are hard to beat. The initial price is a little higher that other types but once installed and adjusted you won't find better or more reliable brakes than discs. And the bigger the better. If possible go with a 203mm rotor for maximum stopping power.

Tom
 
wheelbender6

wheelbender6

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Its personal preference. Both disk and drum work well in the wet and you don't need to get your rims trued as often. To me, a rear disc brake makes it a PITA to mount an engine sprocket.
If your current front fork accepts a brake caliper, disk is best. If your fork does not have the caliper tab, a front drum brake wheel can save you some money and still provide great breaking.
 
maniac57

maniac57

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I'm only going by MY experience with a disc front brake. It squealed like a lost soul and wore out within a couple weeks. *insert fat joke here*
Granted, discs DO stop better when fresh, but I stand by my original opinion.
Overall, Vbrakes are the best CHEAPEST option for good braking.
Unless you ride a lot in the rain..
 
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DDbike

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maniac57 said:
I'm only going by MY experience with a disc front brake. It squealed like a lost soul and wore out within a couple weeks. *insert fat joke here*
Granted, discs DO stop better when fresh, but I stand by my original opinion.
Overall, Vbrakes are the best CHEAPEST option for good braking.
Unless you ride a lot in the rain..
Click to expand...
V-brake approach ... makes sense in a world of rapid price inflation increases .....

...I would like to build a design for the "economic times "....

...V-brake = cost effectiveness .....

... now if I go with v-brake .... I need a good hub to replace wally world hub .....

.... with v-brake .... no need for drum brake (sturmey archer), but might as well go with multispeed drum on the rear and keep the drum disconnected or use only during wet conditions ....

.... I am guessing a good 48h BMX hub for my onex build for the front ....

...what say you Manac57?
 
Goat Herder

Goat Herder

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maniac57 said:
I'm only going by MY experience with a disc front brake. It squealed like a lost soul and wore out within a couple weeks. *insert fat joke here*
Granted, discs DO stop better when fresh, but I stand by my original opinion.
Overall, Vbrakes are the best CHEAPEST option for good braking.
Unless you ride a lot in the rain..
Click to expand...
After running disk brakes for the last ten years. I have sentimental love for a v brake. I will never use one again if I can help it? I absolutly would not use them again.. Disk brakes on every thing I own now. 203's baby
 
maniac57

maniac57

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IF you have the means, discs are the way to go. BUT!
MAKE sure they are decent brakes. The wallyworld discs are all looks, no real performance.
ESPECIALLY on a motorized bike.
My setup was scrounged from parts bikes and the caliper is from a chinese scooter.
REAL modern hydraulic bicycle discs are MUCH better quality and work better.
My bike does not get ridden in wet or nasty conditions, so rim brakes are my choice for budget and ease of replacement/adjustment and low initial cost.
 
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DDbike

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maniac57 said:
IF you have the means, discs are the way to go. BUT!
MAKE sure they are decent brakes. The wallyworld discs are all looks, no real performance.
ESPECIALLY on a motorized bike.
My setup was scrounged from parts bikes and the caliper is from a chinese scooter.
REAL modern hydraulic bicycle discs are MUCH better quality and work better.
My bike does not get ridden in wet or nasty conditions, so rim brakes are my choice for budget and ease of replacement/adjustment and low initial cost.
Click to expand...
You have a scrap yard from what you have said. I believe your Vbrake approach stands tall. Scraping bikes for parts is a unique venue .... Disk brakes are sexy and trendy ..... I want high function .... I'll walk or ride slow in rain and snow .


... an "over - consumption" mentality can over-design .... and go in debt for better performance .... but v-brake ... sounds like a solution .... in a world of "sound" investment ....

... too much tech and to much hype with fancy brakes ......

... I am going vbrake for now
 
Goat Herder

Goat Herder

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If you finally get bored with v brakes and putting new pads every couple of weeks. Gosh it was like that for me as I am a aggressive rider and had to put fresh pads on all the time. Yes I know the term salmon brake pads. I weigh in at about 260 pounds and the machines with cargo can be as much as 500 pounds.

Don't get some cheap wally world stuff with the smallest of rotors.. And most of all go to 203mm size rotors. What good does it do to get disk brakes that accually act like v brakes. That's just pretty sad right there..

However save some for tommorow type deal V brakes are a great brake.

Things I noticed with disk brakes is I never had to true a wheel again!

No disk brake is comparable to my 203mm set ups. Avid makes a cable driven model that works awsome. It will through you clean off the bike if you grab a big enough hand full. Without any fad IME.
 
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DDbike

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Goat Herder said:
If you finally get bored with v brakes and putting new pads every couple of weeks. Gosh it was like that for me as I am a aggressive rider and had to put fresh pads on all the time. Yes I know the term salmon brake pads. I weigh in at about 260 pounds and the machines with cargo can be as much as 500 pounds.

Don't get some cheap wally world stuff with the smallest of rotors.. And most of all go to 203mm size rotors. What good does it do to get disk brakes that accually act like v brakes. That's just pretty sad right there..

However save some for tommorow type deal V brakes are a great brake.

Things I noticed with disk brakes is I never had to true a wheel again!

No disk brake is comparable to my 203mm set ups. Avid makes a cable driven model that works awsome. It will through you clean off the bike if you grab a big enough hand full. Without any fad IME.
Click to expand...
...aslong as I can slow down ...... I don't want to be a brake freak ....

... safety as an absolute ... is ..... zombie lad for freaks ....
 
mew905

mew905

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2door said:
You might also want to explore disc brakes for the front. As for braking performance discs are hard to beat. The initial price is a little higher that other types but once installed and adjusted you won't find better or more reliable brakes than discs. And the bigger the better. If possible go with a 203mm rotor for maximum stopping power.

Tom
Click to expand...
I disagree ;) http://www.jensonusa.com/!NYlPbC-BAX-rvKuxgoPDhQ!/Brakes/Avid-BB7-Mechanical-Disc-Brake-2011

For $50 for a 8" disc and a BB7 caliper with wide pads, you cant really beat it. Even V-brakes will run ya $30 at least. Pads can be had on aliexpress for about $6 a piece, will last much longer, and overall perform better :)

This of course assumes you have a disc capable front fork, otherwise tag on another $90 or so for forks.

V brakes I find do have the best stopping power and pads only cost about $6 each, but if you're using just front or rear (not both), they wear out incredibly quickly, but nearly every bike built since 1970 has posts for V-brakes to mount.
 
maniac57

maniac57

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DDbike said:
You have a scrap yard from what you have said. I believe your Vbrake approach stands tall. Scraping bikes for parts is a unique venue .... Disk brakes are sexy and trendy ..... I want high function .... I'll walk or ride slow in rain and snow .


... an "over - consumption" mentality can over-design .... and go in debt for better performance .... but v-brake ... sounds like a solution .... in a world of "sound" investment ....

... too much tech and to much hype with fancy brakes ......

... I am going vbrake for now
Click to expand...
It's the best option for a budget build and any motorized bike needs as good a braking system as possible given budget.
Plus it's super easy to cut off a brake mount from any walfart boxstore junker and tack or bolt onto any other bike without needing ANY custom parts.
NOT true of discs. You buy what fits.
 
maniac57

maniac57

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mew905 said:
I disagree ;) http://www.jensonusa.com/!NYlPbC-BAX-rvKuxgoPDhQ!/Brakes/Avid-BB7-Mechanical-Disc-Brake-2011

For $50 for a 8" disc and a BB7 caliper with wide pads, you cant really beat it. Even V-brakes will run ya $30 at least. Pads can be had on aliexpress for about $6 a piece, will last much longer, and overall perform better :)

This of course assumes you have a disc capable front fork, otherwise tag on another $90 or so for forks.

V brakes I find do have the best stopping power and pads only cost about $6 each, but if you're using just front or rear (not both), they wear out incredibly quickly, but nearly every bike built since 1970 has posts for V-brakes to mount.
Click to expand...
Only if you BUY them. Scrounge them and the price is free.
The last four or five Vbrake conversions I've done did not cost more than $2 worth of welding rod, grinding wheel and electricity.
If you want the best possible Vbrake, Koolstop pads are under $20
I'll put a properly adjusted vbrake with Koolstop pads against ANY disc brake setup retailing for under $250.
I'm fat and fast and they last fine for me. Pads are cheap and easy to find, adjustment is simple, and they are very reliable and damage resistant. Discs bend easier than rims.
But it's a personal choice in the end.
I'm a cheap bastard.
 
2door

2door

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"I disagree
This of course assumes you have a disc capable front fork, otherwise tag on another $90 or so for forks."

Funny, I have Schwinn Jaguar with front disc brakes. The fork wasn't meant for a caliper mount but I fixed that. Cost me a few cents worth of welding wire and C-25 gas.
Never had a problem with that installation after a thousand miles of hilly Colorado riding. And it'll stop on a dime.

Tom
 
Last edited:
xseler

xseler

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If I end up upgrading my brakes over the current set-up, I'm just gonna go ahead and upgrade the whole bike.........just slide a new one in it's place! Mountain bike, front suspension, disc front, caliper rear, 4 cycle, shift kit..............that Demon in my head just whispered, "Yeah, that's the ticket......"
 
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