"…Let's Ride"

When your choosing a brake setup for your mountain bike, there are two options, V-brakes (rim brakes) or disc brakes. As well as one of the most important mechanisms on your bike, its one of the most overlooked. With either setup it’s always important to make sure your brakes are functioning properly before heading out for a ride.   

So which setup is best? Well, to tell the truth, it all depends on what kind of riding you do more of….whether you like the streets and moderate trail riding or if you’re a hardcore “grit & dig” aggressive off-roader. So lets check out some of the advantages and disadvantages of both options.  

　  

V-Brakes (Rim Brakes):  

One of the major benefits of rim brakes are their weight. They allow for the lightest brake assembly possible. If you’re main riding consists of road/street or moderate trail riding, these brakes would be adequate . A must-have if you’re going for the lightest bike possible. They work just fine, stopping you when you need and don’t usually cause any problems.   

One disadvantage is durability. They simply cant stand up to more aggressive riders like disc brakes do. If your rim gets damaged or even slightly bent, your brake performance will be affected dramatically and forget about stopping power if you get them wet or muddy, there will be no stopping for quite a distance, depending on how fast you’re going. Also, if you do a lot of riding, rim brakes can actually wear the rim away, affecting stopping power and ultimately leading to a complete puncture, which could cause a dangerous blowout. 　  

  

Disc Brakes:   

All in all, disc brakes have been the more tried and true and more dependable solution for the aggressive bikers. They are amazing to be honest. I ride aggressively and I can say, from first hand experience, quality disc brakes will hold strong in even the nastiest conditions. They stop you faster. They require less force and function perfectly even if the rim is wet or bent. They will stop your bike even when the tires are caked with mud or dirt. They are available in cable or hydraulic setups, both function reliably well.  

Certain drawbacks must be considered however. One of the biggest issues is the weight, they are simply just heavy. Your mountain bike can be a fairly bulky and heavy piece of equipment to begin with, adding more weight with disc brakes is going to be noticeable. Now, depending on what kind of bike and brakes you have, it can potentially add up to 400 grams, which doesn’t seem like a lot, but its definitely something you will notice.  They are developing more light-weight models.

In addition, disc brakes cost more than rim brakes. But, as it goes these days, you get what you pay for.  If you want the quality and reliability, then it costs more.

 I have a whole page dedicated to disc brakes, click here and check it out.

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