The R Us Group

I’ve enjoyed riding my mountain bicycle for more than 10 years. Over time it could qualify a lot more as a hybrid bicycle due to the alterations I’ve made to add additional comfort to the ride. This gets to be more important to us as we grow older.

One place in which I thought it was continually lacking was the brakes. Despite the fact that they are Shimano center pull caliper brakes, they simply do not perform well in damp weather or muddy conditions. So I was pleasantly surprised when I recently borrowed a close friends bike with new disc brakes. One of the major benefits of bicycle disc brakes is the fantastic all-weather performance. Another point I really like is there’s no maintenance needed as opposed to the standard adjustments required on cable activated traditional brakes. Once you install the disc brakes, setup the calipers you can just forget about them.

Not surprisingly should you choose to upgrade to disc brakes you will find them more expensive then traditional rim brakes. But their effectiveness is so great that most will happily pay the purchase price. Another negative could be that the disc brake assemblies and rotor do add a little bit of weight to your bicycle. Once again, you must determine if considering your riding habits, this can be acceptable. Generally to switch to bicycle disc brakes you may need new wheels also. Disc rims cannot be installed on standard hubs used with typical rim brake wheels.

Though it will take some work and additional cost to up grade to bicycle disc brakes, if you’d like far better and consistently improved brake performance in all conditions, disc brakes make the perfect investment. But you must decide if the price is worthwhile. Honestly speaking, not everybody truly must upgrade to bicycle disc brakes. Many riders are quite happy with their rim brake and ride in an natural environment where rim brakes manage the job for example in flat and dry ground. However as you decide to try more steeper trails and wetter conditions, disc brakes become best. Another issue to consider is if you’re a 200 lb rider as i am, you will definitely appreciate the improvement in braking power.

I have tested the Shimano disc brakes and as with all of Shimano bicycle parts, they performed beautifully under just about any conditions from mountain trails to riding through creek beds.

In addition to Shimano, in line with reviews, Avid disc brakes, Hayes disc brakes, and Tekro disc brakes are all available in kits and as separate components making it likely to match virtually any application desired.