Subject: Re: Front Disc Brake Posted by: Chris on August 24, 2006 at 06:03:08: In Reply to: Re: Front Disc Brake posted by steve on August 23, 2006 at 22:05:17:

Message: >>>>>>If I upgrade from a v-brake to a disc brake on my front fork will I have to change my current brake lever? My shifter and brake lever are in one unit on my handlebars. Will I be able to use the current lever I have? Thanks,CK >>>>>Assuming you are using a cable actuated disc brake you should not have to change your brake lever. >>>> >>>>Cable actuated as opposed to hydrolic? >>>I am assuming you are asking what the difference is between cable actuated disc's and hydaulic. >>> Cable actuated disc brakes will use a standard brake cable to attach to the disc brake which uses a cam-like action when the cable is pulled to move one pad towards the rotor. Hydraulic disc brakes need to have a special brake lever which has a piston inside that pushes the hydraulic fluid in the line which inturn forces one or both pads in at the same time depending the the brake design. >> >>Before I purchase a front disc brake what should I know? I'm looking at an Avid Ball Bearing Disc Brake. In my searching I've found Avid BB 5 and Avid BB 7. I'm also finding a variety of rotor sizes. Thanks for the help. >If you are doing mostly cross country riding I would recommend the normal 160mm rotor or 6". If you are doing a lot of downhilling then I would recommend a 185mm (7") or 203mm (8"). The larger rotor sizes help keep the rotors cooler on long decents and also give you more braking power. Though, in my opinion the 160 rotor has plenty of power. The avid bb7 or bb5 are great brakes with tons of adjustment so it is easy to get them dialed in. Both are quite powerful. If you can afford it I would recommend the bb7's. I think they are a bit easier to adjust and are pretty much the benchmark to which all other cable actuated disc brakes are measured against. >Oh, I'm sure this is dum of me to mention but, you will need a disc specific wheel if you don't already have one. (I do have a surprising number of customers that overlook that part when converting to disc.) Good luck! ~~Would a disc specific hub work if I was unable to afford a completely new wheel?