[IanP]

Thinking of replacing my rather old and battered GT Avalanche, used irregularly (depending on climbing injuires) for xc and trails and for going out with the 9 year old daughter (who enjoyed the follow the dog trail in Cannock the other week and is keen to do more).  Have seen Specialized Rockhopper with V-brakes for £350 which seems excellant value
 
http://www.dalescycles.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=SPECROC08

Can also get the disc version for £100 extra - a bit more than I want to spend.  I haven't ridden a disc braked bike for any extended period and haven't really felt I've missed out on the sort of stuff I do but I guess you don't miss it until you've got it!  So are disc brakes worth the extra £100?

[fatboySlimfast]

Yes, less maintenance than v's, more powerful!

[soapy]

if you buy the giant then it's only fifty quid more

[SA Chris]

Yes. Also away from the mud and wet, so stay dry(er) and don't grind rims away. More effective, be cautious on first acquaintance. Make sure they are hydraulic, not cable discs though.

[fatdoc]

no contest for the extra cost....


should regard discs as an essential item for MTB

[fatkid2000]

With the lightening of materials - disc brakes are making an appearance on road bikes even - I don't see the need unless you do loads of alpine decents in the wet. But for MTB worth an extra £50.

[IanP]

no contest for the extra cost....


should regard discs as an essential item for MTB

Thanks all, seems like I need to move with the times.

Until...

But for MTB worth an extra £50.

But it seems like the cost is £100 extra on a give bike for discs  .

[Iesu]

should regard discs as an essential item for MTB

I wouldn't personally say they are "essential" but they are definitely "better".

If you do a lot of off-road riding then over the course of a while you'll definitely spend less money on a set of disc wheels than if you've been through a few rims using rim-brakes (and i have been a few - very disconcerting when the rim blows out whilst riding!). So in the long run they are cheaper, and you don't have to have a wheel rebuilt when the braking surface finally wears out (i don't ride off-road enough to even find out if this is possible with disk brakes?).

On the other hand, if you're more of an occasional off-roader with mainly on-road or more gentle off-road (e.g. towpath) use then I would say that V brakes are perfectly adequate. After all people were going downhill fast long before the advent of disk-brakes (and even V-brakes), and canti's seem to be prevalent in the roadie world (my brother had cable disk brakes on a tourer and took them off as they were a nightmare).

I'm only a relatively recent convert to discs (ok well I had hopes up front for a couple of years and Avid Juicy on my new bike) and maintenance wise they take a bit of getting used to if you're already adept at maintaining rim-brakes (anyone know how to dispose of brake fluid in an environmentally responsible manner - local Waste Transfer Station?).

At the end of the day, if you haven't got the extra £50 or £100 then don't spend it! I'm sure you will be happy with the rim-brakes and you won't cry yourself to sleep at night because you haven't got disk brakes!

[IanP]

On the other hand, if you're more of an occasional off-roader with mainly on-road or more gentle off-road (e.g. towpath) use then I would say that V brakes are perfectly adequate. After all people were going downhill fast long before the advent of disk-brakes (and even V-brakes)

.....

At the end of the day, if you haven't got the extra £50 or £100 then don't spend it! I'm sure you will be happy with the rim-brakes and you won't cry yourself to sleep at night because you haven't got disk brakes!

I'm an occasional off-roader, nothing really hardcore but things like Marin trail, and natural stuff around Peak (Kinder, Ladybower etc) and sometimes Yorkshire / Lakes (standard red grade stuff really) and have managed fine with V-brakes so far.  It's not much a question of whether I have the extra money, more would I prefer to spend it on yet another pair of rock boots or a weekend flight to Siurana. 

[Yossarian]

well, i've just bought a new bike with v-brakes.

actually, it only has one.

[soapy]

?

instead of a \ / it only has a /

..?






[/obtuse]

[Yossarian]

no.

it has a \ /, but only one of them.

and the \ /s are gold.

that's right. gold.

[Norton Sharley]

Trust the roadies to make this complicated.  Go and see other threads in this forum about whether stuff is essential or not.  These days it ain't a mountain bike if it ain't got disc brakes.

£100 is a bargain for two hydraulic brakes. 

Both those bikes are a bit on the heavy side but both provide a frame that you can put better quality components on as you break bits.

I'd buy the Specialised because it has a marginally better fork on it.  But with disc brakes. 

And as for Fatkid's comment, he just doesn't understand money, he's a doctor after all.   

[fatdoc]

  with the MTB comments by Shorton, as for wages.....


how's the bonus doin mate 

[Norton Sharley]

bonus just spent on stereo equipment.  There's another thread to scare the cockles off the poor, whatever that means