Front disc and rear canti?

[simon.r]

I have my eye on a frame which takes a long drop rear cantilever brake. My experience of these is not good, regardless of type of brake / pad / levers / rim, especially in the wet.

I know that in theory most braking is done by the front brake, but I find it difficult to judge in the real world how much I use the front compared to the rear.

Assuming I use an appropriate fork / wheel / lever / brake combination what's likely to happen if I run a front disc with a rear cantilever? Anyone running a set up like this?

 

[sidevalve]

Can't see a problem really. Many m/cycles [and a lot of cars] use a disc front drum rear set up so if you can sort out the parts should be ok

 

[simon.r]

Many m/cycles [and a lot of cars] use a disc front drum rear set up...

Yes, that was part of my thinking. Although discs all round are probably more common nowadays I've ridden motorbikes that were easily capable of 100mph with front discs and a rear drum.

 

[Milkfloat]

In the past I used a V brake rear with a disc front. A small amount of adjustment was qui red to get used to the different levers, but other than that it was no problem.

 

[Ajax Bay]

How did XC cyclists and MTBers manage bitd with those rubbish canti brakes?

 

[Psycolist]

I am a great advocate of the V brake. I don't ride competitively, only for pleasure. I have a road orientated hybrid, a serious off road mtb and a bad weather hybrid that doubles up as my utility bike. All 3 are fitted with V brakes. I have no trouble stopping when I need to. I have never experienced a situation where I was unable to stop or slow down when I need to, in whatever weather or conditions. With the correct installation and set up, the V brake is a massive improvement over the older style cantilever or horse shoe designed brake. As for disc brakes, I honestly believe that the supposed benefits have been over egged and exaggerated, not by riders, but by the industry. An industry that benefits from the added costs involved in getting the rider to believe that they are missing out or placing themselves in danger or not getting the best from their bikes, unless they are using disc brakes. My own of experience of riding bikes with cheaper cable operated disc brakes was that they offered less reliable deceleration, as well as not giving the same feel in respect of the amount of pressure needed to be applied to the levers, to get the required stopping power & for the weight weenies, were heavier than a set of V brakes. The hydraulic equivalent, again heavier, gave such abrupt deceleration I found them to be more of a hazard than a help. Again, I couldn't get the 'feel' for the required pressure needed on the levers. Some innovations of the last 30 years in the world of cycling have been for the good of the riding experience. New materials, designs in suspension, geometry, tyres, all massively improved. But I am sorry, the disc brake, in my opinion, is not one of them. I shall now retire to my bunker and wait for the flack to start flying about. Its my own opinion based on my own experiences. Perhaps I have been unlucky with the bikes fitted with discs that I have been able to try, but I shall be staying with my good old V brake set ups thank you.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

My favorite bike has front disk and rear v brakes.
No problems whatsoever descending Scottish hills, even in the wet.
Having now 2 bikes with v brakes, one bike with front disk and back v, one with disks front and rear, having also had a drum brake bike, my verdict is that the latter has the best stopping power.

 

[Kajjal]

I started mountain biking in the early 1990's with cantilever brakes. They were very poor and on steep downhills you would accelerate with the brakes full on. V brakes were a huge improvement. Then came hydraulic discs which for me gave greater control again over the bike at speed.

Be careful fitting a front disc brake if the frame is not designed to take the extra force disk brakes have.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Be careful fitting a front disc brake if the frame is not designed to take the extra force disk brakes have.

How can you tell?

 

[Kajjal]

How can you tell?

If the bike originally came with rim brakes then it is not likely to be designed to take disc brakes. You could ask the manufacturer to confirm.

 

[Dirk]

Be careful fitting a front disc brake if the frame is not designed to take the extra force disk brakes have.

Braking is limited by tyre adhesion. I very much doubt that there is any bike frame ever sold that could not survive a front wheel lock up.

 

[Profpointy]

Braking is limited by tyre adhesion. I very much doubt that there is any bike frame ever sold that could not survive a front wheel lock up.

I recollect that it's to do with force/torque in effect twisting the spokes / fork differently according to whether the brakes are acting on the rim ir at the hub thus not about the total braking force available.

That said, after trying to draw vector diagrams in my head I'm uncertain I understand exactly why this is so, or if it is nonsense

 

[Dirk]

I recollect that it's to do with force/torque in effect twisting the spokes / fork differently according to whether the brakes are acting on the rim ir at the hub thus not about the total braking force available.

That said, after trying to draw vector diagrams in my head I'm uncertain I understand exactly why this is so, or if it is nonsense

In which case it is the fork or wheel that could be the problem - not the frame.
However, I would presume that any conversion would use the appropriate components and would therefore not be problematical.

 

[Profpointy]

In which case it is the fork or wheel that could be the problem - not the frame.
However, I would presume that any conversion would use the appropriate components and would therefore not be problematical.

Sorry yes - would be fork and / or wheel which matters - clearly not the frame itself.

Still can't quite convince myself what the forces are doing though

 

[dan_bo]

How did XC cyclists and MTBers manage bitd with those rubbish canti brakes?