Info on disc brakes

T

Toothy

New Member
I just put a suspension fork on my cruiser and want to get discs up front. I've heard the bigger the better...like 208. This hobby is leaving me broke. What kind of money are we talking. There seem to be so many brands out there. What would you suggest? Not looking to buy cheap but my spending is out of control. Plus I will need a new rim, 26 by 1.75 to fit it......man oh man!
Thanks.
 
Bicycle disc brake pricing is an odd game, advice can be a bit overwhelming & quick look can leave you horrified at both the expense & diversity... but if down to sheer practicality & cost conservation, it pays to very carefully do a bit of searching around.

For example you're absolutely correct in that should you wish greater stopping power on a budget, a larger then stock rotor is a less costly & often more effective upgrade then a switch from say, an Avid BB5 to an Avid BB7 or even mechanical to hydraulic calipers... where it gets odd is that can be less costly to buy a caliper & rotor set and then upgrade the rotors then it is to just buy a set that comes with the larger rotor in the first place. Sometimes it's even cheaper to buy a set of front and rear calipers & rotors then it is to just get the one. Heck, I've seen replacement pads for my Avids going for the same as I purchased the entire caliper & rotor set for and it came w/pads ofc lol

Whatever route you chose to go, generally I believe discs are definitely the best choice & they don't need be expensive, even with oversized rotors. I've included some links below, I've used Avid as an example as a combination of economy & quality, the easy availability of both replacement parts & upgrades - naturally there's many brands & types to choose from, these are simply examples I know are good, entry level yet effective brake sets. These are both 6 bolt setups as they're pretty much the most common & least costly... if you've a 6 bolt hub that is;

AVID BB5 MTB Mechanical Disc Brake Front and Rear 160mm
http://www.amazon.com/AVID-Mechanical-Brake-Front-160mm/dp/B00BOJ60O6 $48

AVID BB7 MTB Mechanical Disc Brake Front and Rear 160mm
http://www.amazon.com/AVID-Mechanical-Brake-Front-160mm/dp/B00BOK39T4 $65

The difference between the BB5 & the BB7 is primarily pad size, the BB7 caliper itself is marginally larger so it may not fit on all wheels. I've had both, the difference in stopping power between them isn't remarkable so if you have to have the BB5s you'll be fine with just the larger rotors you wanted. Again not the only or best example, but here's an economical 203mm rotor - remembering ofc that if you're upgrading rotors instead of buying an entire caliper/rotor set, you may need the mount adapter. Some come with one but even if they don't a bit of hunting around will usually turn them up for roughly $10 or so;

RavX Disc Rotor 203mm
http://www.amazon.com/RavX-Disc-Rotor-Size-203mm/dp/B0060Z5630 $20

Everyone has their favorites & to each their own I figure, but one thing is certain - be wary of "off brand" generic calipers... it's not necessarily that they're all unsafe or ineffective (some are, some aren't), it's that & you may not be able to get replacement pads, making any initial cost savings a moot point lol ;)
 
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No way I could add anything to Barely's response except to vouch for Avid brakes. I have BB7 on the front of two bikes and they perform perfectly. I had to fabricate caliper mounts because the forks weren't made for disc and I upgraded the rims to disc hubs and double walls. Those bikes will stop on a dime in any weather.

Tom
 
Thanks Barley and Tom,
I really appreciate that you took the time to put that together for me! Just to be clear, I can by a caliper and then buy a larger rotor later?
Thanks again…….great info!
Going to take the leap.
 
Correct, but, caliper location will be based on rotor diameter. You might have to adjust for that but as Geoff said, some kits will provide an adapter to accomodate the bigger rotor. Or, one could be fabricated.

Tom
 
http://www.busettii.com/upgrades-and-accessories.html here is a company that sells brackets for bikes without disc mounts. You have to know what size rotor you want to use so you can specify when you buy the bracket. I plan on buying one so I can run a rear disc. Front wheel is going to be a 130mm motorcycle drum mated to a 24" bicycle rim, rear is going to be a bicycle disc hub mated to an 18" motorcycle rim with a top hat adapter.
 
I run 203 mm front and rear. Started with bb5 front and rear. Then upgraded front caliper to bb7. Bike stops on the dime. The differnce between bb5-bb7, bb5 needs tools for adjustments, bb7 needs fingers for adjustments.

I use mtn bike 26" front wheel with sealed bearing hub/disc mount. Rear is bmx sealed bearing hub, w/disc mount, top hat adapter, 110mm spacing 26" rim

Check out 'dam good' rear hubs
 
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Toothy said:
Thanks Barley and Tom,
I really appreciate that you took the time to put that together for me!
Click to expand...

No worries at all, it's what we're here for after all lol ;)

With that thought in mind, I must apologize as I seemed to have overlooked the second half of your question;

Toothy said:
...Plus I will need a new rim, 26 by 1.75 to fit it...
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Another instance of a near dizzying selection of possibilities, I've really taken a liking to both the 'Alex Rims' & 'Weinmann' brands as they're both quite good quality for the price. I've had a few in different sizes & on different bikes at this point, all of which may have been subject to abuses better left unmentioned lol - yet in the thousands of miles accumulated & perhaps a *cough* few incidents, they're not just undamaged I've not even needed to true them!

Such is the wonder of stiff, double wall aluminum rims heh, both Alex & Weinmann seem near identical in quality BTW & here's summore links for ya - I've included the manufacturer's Amazon link to display all of the various options like rim only, wheel, sets, brake & spoke count as well as what I'm currently running if you're curious;

Alex Rims (or Alexrims): http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_sporting-goods?ie=UTF8&field-brandtextbin=Alex+Rims&node=3375251


Alex DX32 26" (I've both the 26" linked & the 20"s pictured, but Amazon doesn't seem to have the 20"s).

Weinmann: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_sporting-goods?ie=UTF8&field-brandtextbin=Weinmann&node=3375251


Weinmann Disc Bull (disc only) 26"
 
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magrider said:
...bb5 needs tools for adjustments, bb7 needs fingers for adjustments...
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Agreed magrider, 'cept maybe the bb5 has changed a bit? No tools needed for roadside tuning - mine have an inner pad adjustment wheel & outer pad cable stop adjustment, same as the BB7 abet smaller :)
 
After looking into the price of a disc hub, all needed components plus a sprocket adapter for it, I decided a moped rear hub is probably going to be a lot cheaper.
 
Or maybe a sturmey archer front drum brake hub.
Advantages are, they are brand new, and, you can get them with an inbuilt dynamo, if that floats your boat.
 
I'm not the OP, but I decided on a motorcycle drum in a 24" front wheel and a moped hub in an 18" motorcycle rim for the rear. I traded my current wheelset for the moped hub, and the motorcycle rim and drum were free. Grand total I'll have invested in this wheelset will be about $100. I'd be stupid not to build them for that price.
 
I currently have a macarri mustang and I would like to put a front disk set on the front forks. Though after reading, there are people that have had problems with the mounting. Especially with there not being any mounting tabs for the caliper.
Are these kids durable, and will stand the rising we do?
 
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