# Disk? Cantilever brakes



## karen.488walker (6 May 2009)

Can you change the brakes on a bike from cantilever to disk brakes? Love my bike but starting to venture onto mountains but don't know if my brakes are good enough. (scott contessa 30 or 40?)


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## Black Sheep (7 May 2009)

are they cantilever or V brakes? 

V brakes should, if set up well (can take some fiddleing) be as good as budget disk brakes (my old ones were and used to migrate from bike to bike until some scrote stole the bike they were on  )

anyways, you can fit disks if you have disk mounts on the frame and fork (there'll be a bit of extra metal on the left fork leg and left rear triangle with two holes in it) it is possible and ok to fit just a front disk brake and keep V brakes on the rear

this is because about 70% of your braking effort comes from the front wheel, however the levers may feel a bit odd as they'll not feel the same as each other.

if you have brake levers that have the gear levers built in then you'll need to replace the gear levers 

i'd avoid cable disk brakes and go straight for hydraulic - i got shimano deore disks and they're great.


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## GrumpyGregry (7 May 2009)

well set up good quality cable discs like BB7's work very well, and way better than any sort of rim brake, especially in the wet, but they do require more hand 'effort' than their hydraulic equivalents where not much effort from one finger will slow you down faster than you would believe. That said some people are paranoid about snagging a hydraulic brake line on a passing branch and being left with no brakes - not yet met anyone it has happened to in real, non-racing, life.


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## Cubist (7 May 2009)

GrumpyGreg said:


> well set up good quality cable discs like BB7's work very well, and way better than any sort of rim brake, especially in the wet, but they do require more hand 'effort' than their hydraulic equivalents where not much effort from one finger will slow you down faster than you would believe. *That said some people are paranoid about snagging a hydraulic brake line on a passing branch and being left with no brakes - not yet met anyone it has happened to in real, non-racing, life*.




Interesting that point, because at the time I took up diving the drysuit was becoming more and more available to the common man, rather than just commercial divers. It made perfect sense to me that if I was diving in the North Sea in March, being warm and dry in a drysuit was the way forward. Our club had many diehards who swore that their wetsuits were far better, and less likely to puncture, fill with water and drown the user. Having read your post I now realise that this was simply resistance to change, and fear of the new, or a realisation that they had to shell out for a new suit if they wanted to be warm and toasty. 

To the OP. The fork leg and frame have to be disc compatible, as do the hubs. There are bikes out there with hydraulic rim brakes.


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## karen.488walker (7 May 2009)

Scott Comp 70mm pads brakes, aluminum linear-pull levers
These are my brakes. I'm not sure about the diff. between v brake and cantilevers. I would need new wheels for disk brakes so they are not cost effective. Think I need the best pads going? 
I didn't receive any of these replies by email, so I missed thme should I have done. I am v.v. new to all of this.


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## karen.488walker (7 May 2009)

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/myka-fsr-comp-2008-womens-mountain-bike-ec001463
Can't decide if i need to just upgrade to a specialized Myka comp 2008. Love what I've got and don't know how to get my husband to buy it but want absolute confidence in my brakes. Could well be venturing inot proper off road MTBing soon. (live in ski resort)


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## GrumpyGregry (7 May 2009)

karen.488walker said:


> http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/myka-fsr-comp-2008-womens-mountain-bike-ec001463
> Can't decide if i need to just upgrade to a specialized Myka comp 2008. Love what I've got and don't know how to get my husband to buy it but want absolute confidence in my brakes. Could well be venturing inot proper off road MTBing soon. (live in ski resort)



That is a very good bike for the money. One of the lasses I work with bought one on cyclescheme. Serious downhilling in summer ski resorts is the reason why disc brakes exist. one finger braking for minutes on end, and no overheating rims making your tubes go 'bang' with unpleasant results. mind you I've had that happen in the French Alps on a road bike. Taught me to brake only when absolutely necessary.


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## karen.488walker (7 May 2009)

Good advice. Will work on finance department. Although it's a bit strained at the moment! He's losing his job in 3 weeks!


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## Black Sheep (7 May 2009)

do you have a picture of your brakes? 

that way we'll be able to tell you what is fitted and perhaps how to improve braking.


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## karen.488walker (7 May 2009)

http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/BikeSpecs.aspx?Year=2006&Brand=Scott&Model=Contessa 40&Type=bike

Does this help?


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## Cubist (7 May 2009)

karen.488walker said:


> http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/myka-fsr-comp-2008-womens-mountain-bike-ec001463
> Can't decide if i need to just upgrade to a specialized Myka comp 2008. Love what I've got and don't know how to get my husband to buy it but want absolute confidence in my brakes. Could well be venturing inot proper off road MTBing soon. (live in ski resort)



That Scott looks OK!

I read an ad last year somewhere where a ski company were selling off their MTBS. They were a season old, and had been used for guests to pedal from their chalets to the resort and back. It would be worth checking around now that the season has ended. The bikes were quality Konas, and were about half price. It may be worth having a word with some of the reps.


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## Black Sheep (7 May 2009)

karen.488walker said:


> http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/BikeSpecs.aspx?Year=2006&Brand=Scott&Model=Contessa 40&Type=bike
> 
> Does this help?



yes, 

they are V brakes. 

how are the pads for wear? there should be some grooves in the pad to indicate wear, if they've dissapeared then its new pad time

are the cables adjusted correctly or do you have to pull the levers a long way? if so they need adjusting. 

that should (if it needs doing) help a fair bit.


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## Mr Pig (8 May 2009)

Well that Scott bike has disk mounts on the fork and looks like it might have mounts on the rear as well so yes, fitting disks should be easy.

You can buy a set of ready to go disk brakes, like Shimano Deore, that come with the levers on and already bled so that you just bolt them on. Then just buy a set of disk wheels and disks and you're away. A lot cheaper than buying a new bike and the way to go if you like the bike you have :0)


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## Black Sheep (8 May 2009)

Mr Pig said:


> Well that Scott bike has disk mounts on the fork and looks like it might have mounts on the rear as well so yes, fitting disks should be easy.
> 
> You can buy a set of ready to go disk brakes, like Shimano Deore, that come with the levers on and already bled so that you just bolt them on. Then just buy a set of disk wheels and disks and you're away. A lot cheaper than buying a new bike and the way to go if you like the bike you have :0)



the deore disk brakes do indeed come ready to run, but have a lot of spare hose which needs cutting down (and then they need bleeding) 

they come with disks

but new wheels are needed - the op has said disk brakes are out due to cost, although it would be cheaper to upgrade to disks than replace the bike i'd say.


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## Mr Pig (8 May 2009)

Pushing tin said:


> although it would be cheaper to upgrade to disks than replace the bike i'd say.



Unless you're trying to talk yourself into a new bike? ;0)


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## Black Sheep (8 May 2009)

indeed


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## karen.488walker (8 May 2009)

At the very least I need new pads. If not hydraulic v brakes. If not a new bike. Decisions decisions. Can't buy a bike out here. The exchange rate is killing us.


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## Mr Pig (8 May 2009)

I'm not an expert, but if your wheels are a few years old and the rims are worn, isn't there a danger that hydraulic rim brakes might crush the rims? Besides, if you get hydraulic rim brakes aren't you just going to forever wish you'd gone the whole hog and got the disks?

Add it up. The difference in cost between hydraulic rim brakes and disk brakes, not including the wheels, probably isn't that much. The only big difference is the cost of new wheels. However, using rim brakes of any kind, let alone hydraulic ones, will wear out your rims and you'll need new wheels anyway! So you could end up spending the price of disk brakes anyway and still only having rim brakes.

So personally, I'd bite the bullet and go for disks. Either that or, if you think they'll cope with what you're going to do, just buy new pads for your 'V' brakes. Or buy a new bike! ;0)


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## Black Sheep (8 May 2009)

don't do hydraulic rim brakes, you'll wear your rims out soo quick 

ideally you want rims that are built for use with hydraulic rim brakes

if your going with new brakes i'd go for very good v brakes (shimano XTR for example) or disks

if your going for disks, i'd go for hydraulic


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## Cubist (8 May 2009)

Couple of links for you. 
http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=14996583

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/mc/cycle/7/Magura/Brakes_-_Rim/

Depends on the state of your rims as to whether you are going to need new wheels!

Personally I'd try with new pads. If they don't stop you quickly or safely enough, then you'll have to make up your mind!


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## mountainrider (8 May 2009)

Only if you have mounts on your frame and forks. if you have suspension forks they should have them. worse case you could just mount a disc on the fork, using your old brake on the rear. v brakes are good though i had them and the old cantilevers before them, competed and everything they where fine. its just one of these things that once you have upgraded you cant go back, mainly for ease of maintenance and no mud scraping noises whilst riding.


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