What brakes for my bike?

[J-Dog]

I've never done any bike work before but need to put some front brakes on an MTB that has been made fixed wheel.

What type of brakes should I put on it and if I have options, which will be the easiest to fit?

Thanks.

 

[tyred]

Are you using standard 26" MTB wheels? If so, your frame should already have braze ons for cnatilevers so they should fit straight forward.

 

[betty swollocks]

Questions: need some more info about the bike:-
Do you have straight handlebars or drops?
What wheels/frame do you have - suitable for rim brakes or disc brakes, or both? What is your preference?

 

[RedBike]

It all depends on which wheels, forks, bars and levers you want to use. You're probably looking at v-brakes for flat bars and canti's for drop bars.

 

[fossyant]

Check Chain reaction - I picked up a set of XT cantis for £9 a pair...in the flood sale......oh so good, powerful etc.... £18 for two sets...cheaper than the pads.....

 

[J-Dog]

Its one of these bad bwoys but with straight bars:

 

[RedBike]

That isn't a MTB!!

I can't see very well from the picture but they look like deep drop duel pivots.
Duel pivot brakes wont work correctly with standard v-brake/mtb levers. You need to make sure you get flat bar road bike brake levers.

 

[J-Dog]

I see.

Thanks.

 

[J-Dog]

This is what is on there now.

 

[chris667]

A new set of cables and a clean up would improve things a lot, and be much cheaper than new calipers. If it's still not good enough, buy a set of dual pivot caliper brakes. Best to go to a good bike shop to get them, because not all of them would fit.

 

[J-Dog]

Thanks. Will go the cable route.

Its such a shed and I'm a beginner but I'm also skint so want to do it myself.