Wednesday, 13 July 2011

Maintaining your MTB Disc Brakes



The brakes are the most important part of your bicycle. Coming down a hill without them can cause you your life if not a broken arm or leg. So, be wise, maintain them the best you can as you will definitely need them to slow you down. Here are some tips from a MTB service specialist.

Some facts about disc brakes:-

There are two common types of mtb disc brakes, mechanical (cable-actuated) and hydraulic. Slight difference between these two types are relevant.

Actuation: Both systems use brake levers to start the braking process. The mechanical disc brakes use brake levers to give the cable a tug. The cable forces the mtb brake pads against a surface, known as the rotor or disc. The hydraulic disc brakes use brake levers to compress a fluid that will move the pads against the rotor.
Weight: Fluid vs. Cable. The fluid will be heavier then the cable and so the hydraulic mtb disc brakes will weigh more. It’s not very much but there is a difference. If you want to have the lightest brakes try to use V-brakes.

Performance: The hydraulic mtb disc brakes will perform better then the mechanical type. This is because the fluid reacts faster then a cable that is pulled. Also the cable can rip apart and you will lose all the braking power.

Price: Of course better performance will cost more. New hydraulic mountain bike disc brakes will be a shade higher in price as the mechanical mtb disc brakes.

It’s up to you which system is the one that fulfils your needs the most.

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