| With the widespread adoption of the mountain bike as | | | | - if the rim is bent the brake will still work, as the disc is |
| the default type of bike for on and off-road use | | | | attached to the wheel hub |
| comes a (somewhat) big decision - what type of | | | | - they have almost the same power in all conditions, |
| break should we use? | | | | whether it's water, mud or snow |
| Let's take a look at the two most popular choices out | | | | - barring any accidents the components will last much |
| there - v-brakes and disc brakes: | | | | longer; unlike v-brakes, where rubber acts on aluminum, |
| V-Brake Advantages | | | | disc brakes are made of much more reliable materials |
| - they are cheap, even the good ones costing only | | | | - you can choose your stopping power by choosing |
| around 30-40 dollars | | | | the disc brake type (mechanical vs hydraulic, the latter |
| - easy to install and maintain, as the brake pads and | | | | being more powerful) and the rotor size (bigger is |
| arms can be changed quite easily even by novices | | | | always better here). |
| - except for some very high end, specialized bikes, | | | | Disc Brake Disadvantages |
| every bike design supports v-brakes | | | | - the price; if you want top notch brakes you'll have to |
| V-Brake Disadvantages | | | | spend quite a lot, as brakes under 80-100 US Dollars |
| - if for some reason the tire rim is bent or out of | | | | might not give you the performance you need and |
| shape, the brake can't reach the rim or even if it does | | | | want |
| it might not apply enough pressure to stop the bike | | | | - installing and maintenance - you should be pretty |
| - on especially rainy days the brake loses it's efficacy | | | | good at tinkering with bikes if you want to install a disc |
| so you should pay attention to traffic or incoming | | | | brake and make it actually work |
| obstacles | | | | From the lists above it might seem that I am biased |
| - if the brakes are used a lot in a short time frame | | | | towards disc brakes... and I am. But as they say, you |
| then they can overheat the rim, losing their efficacy | | | | should pick the right tool for the job. If you go out biking |
| and even bursting the tubes | | | | occasionally and you're not a speed demon, or if you |
| - after a few thousand miles of heavy usage you | | | | go biking just in the city, v-brakes will suit you just fine. |
| might start to see grooves in the tire rim, caused by | | | | As an urban cyclist, I myself have v-brakes on my bike |
| the brakes; if not careful, this could lead to a quite | | | | and I'm quite happy with them even if I do have to |
| serious accident | | | | readjust them often. |
| Disc Brake Advantages | | | | However, if you are an off-roader and you feel the |
| - superior stopping power - some disc brakes are | | | | need to go all out, you should invest in a good disc |
| strong enough that you might feel your face coming | | | | brake, hydraulic preferably. You will feel the difference |
| off; they are simply unbeatable when compared to | | | | in handling and your confidence will rise knowing that |
| v-brakes | | | | no matter what, you can trust your brakes. |