V clamp brake vs Disc

I know Disc Brakes, have better stopping power over V clamp wheel brakes.
But is there a hug difference?

Fly

Fly said:

I know Disc Brakes, have better stopping power over V clamp wheel brakes.
But is there a hug difference?

Fly

Click to expand...

How do you know?

I don't for sure, but I have been told that. And you say????

Fly

Fly said:

I don't for sure, but I have been told that. And you say????

Fly

Click to expand...

I have no data to offer an opinion.

What has your research discovered?

rim brakes don't offer any better or worse stopping power than discs assuming the quality of components is similar. think about how a rim brake works vs how a disc brake works, it's exactly the same. it's like having a big 26 inch rotor. the problem is that rim brakes get wet easily and don't work so good once that happens.

I personally prefer drum brakes. they don't stop as quick, suffer from serious fade problems, and they're easy to lock up, but they're completely unaffected by the environment. I can roll through water, mud, sand, anything I like and drum brakes will work as well as they would have on clean dry pavement.

Brute they now have these hydraulic disc brakes.I was wondering if they have more
clamping power to the disc.I was thinking on the lines from the ole mechanical brakes
cars had many years back to when they up dated to hydraulic later on.

I,m very new to bicycles, as you can see.But since I finished my first build, and we go
much faster then the average bicycle, I,m finding out these thing do stop that great.

My bike is brand new, but I did some checking on some bike forms to see if indeed
there was a better pad that would help.People seem to like Kool-Stop pads, so I
ordered some.I have not received them yet.I was told most cheaper bikes come
with cheap hard rubber pads.

I,m hoping this will help.I can already see some grooving on my rims.The Kool-Stop
pads are said to be softer. Even if they wear faster, I don't care if they grip better
& don,t wear the rims as fast.

More comments from you guys would be helpful. I,m just trying to learn.

Fly

My hydraulic disc brake has huge stopping power without having to pull hard on the lever, but if you're just talking about mechanical (cable) disc brakes then I've found they perform about the same as V-brakes when set up properly.

V-brakes are lighter, but lose power when your rims get wet.

Cable disc brakes don't care if your rims are plastered in mud, but the disc can be bent easily during a crash, rendering them useless.

Drum/roller/coaster brakes have less power but are protected from the elements and hard to damage.

Must be a reason engineers recommend disc brakes on motorcycles and cars, never seen one recommend v brakes over disc. V brakes are a cheap alternative for a light weight bike. Personally I prefer V brakes over other rim type brakes.

im probably wrong, nothing to do with neatness simplicity or hours of use has any bearing on the engineers decison...

hey, why do we use discs when we could stick these rim brakes on the the next R1?

hmmmm.... people dont like changing their moto rims. or car rims much. not very good to use them as a braking surface.


but thats a totally different area of engineering, aint it?

here we are talking bikes... lightweight, cheap, economical... they dont have to stop from +200mph. they dont have to stop day in day out, all day long. some rides, im lucky to even touch the brakes other than to stop at the end!

theres lots of sites detailing exactly how to set up v brakes.
when you do set them up properly, well...


no matter what the braking device used, once it can lock the wheel up freely, stopping power is determined by your ability to stop the front wheel from locking up, your ability to transfer your weight, the terrain...

disc brakes, v brakes, some of the old cantilever brakes, theyre all powerful enough to flick you over the bars without a seconds thought, usually with one finger.

why have super powerful brakes that can stop an elephant dead if you keep flying through the air as the bike DID stop like a dead elephant?


never had issues with water mud or similar on my v-brakes. or me cantilevers.

someone raised the issue of bending discs...


i will NEVER ride disc brakes in the bush!

I don't have any before and after data, but my front disk/rear side pull. one hand brake lever combo seems to get me stopped fairly quickly.

Like others, I've assumed disk to be better without any data