Disc Brakes Or Rim Brakes – How To Decide

January 2, 2010 by admin
Filed under Mountain Bike Blog

One of the bigger decisions you have to make when buying a mountain bike is which brakes are best for you. Disc brakes and rim brakes each have their own features and advantages, so it is important to understand these to be able to choose which is right for you.

A key feature of rim brakes over disc is weight. While disc brakes provide a better, more consistent overall braking performance, rim brakes are suited to those who can put up with slight variances in performance to take advantage of their light weight. Rim brakes are also less expensive than disc brakes – with disc brakes, you pay for the increased performance.

If you strike wet or muddy conditions, the poorer performance of rim brakes will be noticeable. Also, because they wear through to the side of the rim, the lifespan of rim brakes is less than disc brakes – eventually the side of the rim will blow right off.

Disc brakes were introduced – with a few teething problems – onto bikes in the late 1990s. Long used on cars, they have continuously improved to the point where today’s hydraulic or cable actuated brakes are very reliable.

As you can probably guess from their use in motor vehicles, disc brakes provide great braking performance in all conditions and terrain. The lifespan of both the disc brake and the rims are longer than rim brakes, because the disc brakes require less force to apply, and are not reliant on the bike’s rims or wheel condition.

As mentioned before, if you want the improved performance of disc brakes, you’re going to pay for it. Hydraulic disc brakes are top of the tree, with mechanical or cable actuated brakes less expensive, and not much more than rim brakes.

When you make your final decision, keep your budget in mind, as well as the conditions you’ll usually be riding in. If you’re going to be riding mainly on dry and flat areas, rim brakes are probably all you need and you’ll keep some extra cash in your pocket. However, if you have plenty of cash behind you and require excellent brake performance, disc brakes are the cream on your dream mountain bike.