upgrade brakes.

[Mantaii]

Hi!
Its been a while since I went out on my bike since I took up running but once the clocks change my bike will be coming out of storage and I will be hitting the hills and cycle paths again.

Before I do this though I quite fancy upgrading my brakes to discs, how easy is this to do and what would be a good starting price to think about getting discs? I read that I will need to change the wheels as well to allow for the discs to be attached.

I have a Trek 4900 (I think, its been a while since I looked at the model number!) , its a bit old now but it does what I need it to do.

Any help would be great.

Once I have upgraded the brakes I will think about upgrading my front forks aswell, I have suspension just now but would like somthing a bit lighter. I will be taking part in the Edinburgh Rat Race later this year and thats when I hope to have everything upgraded on my bike if I need to.

Cheers.

 

[jpembroke]

You will need wheels with disk-ready hubs. If you don't already have some then you'll need to upgrade. Then you need to buy the brakes. Disk brakes are sold as sets with levers, calipers, disks and fixings; the brakes are pre-bled so they are relatively easy to fit and set up. Worth having a look at Chain Reaction Cycles (CRC) website. They usually have some good deals on e.g. they have Avid Juicy 3 (see link below) - a reasonable entry level disk - for about £60.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=22185

 

[Mantaii]

Thanks for the info, how much would I expect to pay for disk-ready hubs?

O.

 

[Steve Austin]

Stop a minute!!

Has your frame got disc mounts? Have your forks got disc mounts?

You have to think about how much this could cost you first. If you need to buy new wheels, and discs, then this will cost you a minimum of £150 for decent quality kit. No point buying poor quality as it won't last, and cheap brakes don't work very well. Cheapest decent kit i can think of off the top of my head is this and i really don't think you can get cheaper than that.

But then if you want to upgrade your forks and spend £150 on new wheels, then you have to start considering that you can get a whole new bike with discs and better forks in the sales for not much more.
I'm not suggesting you don't upgrade, but have a think about how much money it will cost first.

 

[jpembroke]

Good point Steve Austin. I know the Trek 4900 is now available with disks so assumed that his frame/forks would be fine. However, you are absolutely right, if it's an old one then it may not have the mounts. Sorry about that.

 

[jpembroke]

That Merlin deal is a fantastic bargain, by the way.

 

[Mr Pig]

That Merlin deal is a fantastic bargain, by the way.

So it is, well spotted Mr Austin. That would be a great way to get disk brakes if you wanted them.

 

[Mantaii]

Now, I am going to ask a really newbie question......how would I know if the fortks and frame have disk mounts? I will be getting my bike out of storage in the next week so can check then.
Thanks for all your advice, will check out amount of money needed to upgrade compared with buying new.

O.

 

[jpembroke]

On the left hand side of the bike (i.e. the non-drive side) there will be two bolt holes at the back of the fork at its base, just above the hub skewer, and two bolt holes on the rear seatstay. These holes are about 6cm apart, they are 5mm diameter and are located in 'shark fin' shaped protrusions. An example of a rear disk mount can be seen here:

http://www.thickbikes.com/images/lebcoreardisk.jpg

 

[Mantaii]

Thanks for the picture. I made a mistake with the model of my bike. Collected it today out of storage and its a Trek 4100 Alpha.

http://images.bidorbuy.co.za/user_images/019/987019_TREK_4100.jpg

I have spotted two 5mm holes on the back but not 100% sure they are for discs.

Im starting to think I might sell my Trek 4100 and just get a new bike with lighter forks and discs already on it.

O.

 

[Tynan]

yay, another new bike justified

 

[summerdays]

Mr Summerdays did fit disc's to his bike ... yes he knew it would be reasonably expensive, but he also looked on it as a learning experience. You have to also remember that if you have integrated (is that the right word) gear and brake levers currently that you will need to buy new gear levers too. Me I would of bought the new bike - but then he has learnt more than me.

 

[Mantaii]

Good point Summerdays, I never thought about the gear / brake setup. I think they are intergrated. Right, well thanks for all your advice and I reckon I will be looking for a new bike now so will post in the correct section for suggestions

 

[jpembroke]

<stand in circle chanting>

NEW BIKE, NEW BIKE, NEW BIKE

 

[Mantaii]

Posted a thread in the MTB section and now Im not sure if I can afford a new bike! Didnt think it would be this confusing and so many things to think about