road bikes with disc brakes image
grumpish
I have had several bikes with traditional pad brakes and never seem to be able to keep them adjusted. Disc brakes appear to be less troublesome.
Answer
Hey Dondo,
I used to work at a larger bicycle retailer. It really depends on what kind of riding you are doing. If youâre mtn. biking, thereâs really no other way to go. A nice set of discâs will having you stopping better than you ever have before. As far as set up on them, they are pretty easy to dial in if you know what youâre doing. If not definitely stop by a Local Bike Shop(LBS) and have them take a look. Set up charges depend on what you have to have them do but if you just need them to set them up I wouldnât see it costing more than $30 us. Thatâs adjusting, not installing...
If youâre riding a hybrid or road bike, discs might be overkill. Opinions on this vary on the user and your local riding situation. If youâve got a bunch of hills to deal with they might be worth it. Otherwise invest in a nice set of v-brakes or calipers.
Just remember you get what you pay for... if youâve got a department store bike, usually youâre going to have issues with brakes and shifting. Disc's won't be any better than traditional if they arent' adjusted properly. If you spend a bunch of time riding, itâs always better to upgrade, that way you have less time spent on fixing the bike and more time riding it!
If youâre a diy mechanic, definitely check out some of the books available on bicycle repair...
Check out Park Tools "Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair" Iâm not a huge fan of anything Bicycling magazine publishes, another good one would be Zinn and the art of... any cycling maintenance book..
Hope that helps!
Hey Dondo,
I used to work at a larger bicycle retailer. It really depends on what kind of riding you are doing. If youâre mtn. biking, thereâs really no other way to go. A nice set of discâs will having you stopping better than you ever have before. As far as set up on them, they are pretty easy to dial in if you know what youâre doing. If not definitely stop by a Local Bike Shop(LBS) and have them take a look. Set up charges depend on what you have to have them do but if you just need them to set them up I wouldnât see it costing more than $30 us. Thatâs adjusting, not installing...
If youâre riding a hybrid or road bike, discs might be overkill. Opinions on this vary on the user and your local riding situation. If youâve got a bunch of hills to deal with they might be worth it. Otherwise invest in a nice set of v-brakes or calipers.
Just remember you get what you pay for... if youâve got a department store bike, usually youâre going to have issues with brakes and shifting. Disc's won't be any better than traditional if they arent' adjusted properly. If you spend a bunch of time riding, itâs always better to upgrade, that way you have less time spent on fixing the bike and more time riding it!
If youâre a diy mechanic, definitely check out some of the books available on bicycle repair...
Check out Park Tools "Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair" Iâm not a huge fan of anything Bicycling magazine publishes, another good one would be Zinn and the art of... any cycling maintenance book..
Hope that helps!
Can a mtn bike be turned into a fast road bike?
Radman
I want to create a fast road bike, but still want flat bars, full suspension, and (good) disk brakes. Will this type of conversion be competitive in races if I change the gearing? (I know bike stores actually sell bikes like this, but the ones I've seen have been really cheap.)
Answer
Sorry, but even the strongest riders are going to be at a serious disadvantage on a mountain bike in a road race. Here are the issues.
First, your bike is going to be heavy. You need to realize, even in CAT 5 races, folks are toeing the line with sub 15 pound road bikes. In general, mountain bikes are optimized for robustness. Road bikes are optimized for weight. You can spend thousands of dollars to lighten up your full suspension bike, but realistically you probably can't get it too much below 25 pounds. Therefore, unless you have an incredible power to weight ratio, you will start out with a severe disadvantage.
Secondly, your bike suspension is going to be robbing your power. To get all of your power to the pavement, you'll have to lock out the suspension. If the suspension is locked out, why have it? Riding on the road with your suspension locked out, it is like carrying a big anchor.
Thirdly, flat bars are OK on trails where your rarely get enough speed for wind resistance to be a significant factor. On the road, though, wind resistance is a really big issue. Most CAT 5 races in our area average in excess of 20mph. At these speeds you are spending much more energy moving air than moving your bike. In fact, published research shows the single greatest factor in road races is riding in an effective aerodynamic position. This means you've got to be down on the drops with a flat back.
Fouthly, beside the fact disk brakes are not allowed in road races, why would you ever them on a road bike? Disk brakes are heavier. Rim wear on a road bike is not a significant issue like on a mountain bike. You won't be spending enough time or energy braking to appreciate the beautifully modulated feeling of hydraulics on a road bike. (If you have mechanical disks, you don't even have that slight advantage.) Furthermore, very light weight road brakes provide more than enough stopping power.
Finally, your bike's drive train (chain, chainrings, cassette) are an expensive replacement. Assuming you don't have to replace your crankset to put on bigger gears, you'll drop at least $200 to get the bigger gears you'd need to hang with the roadies. Seems like a lot of money to spend in the futile effort to be competitive on your mountain bike.
If you want to get into road racing get a road bike. You'll be far happier with the results. Also, if you are like me, you'll find you enjoy the mix of road riding and mountain bike riding.
Hope this helps.
Sorry, but even the strongest riders are going to be at a serious disadvantage on a mountain bike in a road race. Here are the issues.
First, your bike is going to be heavy. You need to realize, even in CAT 5 races, folks are toeing the line with sub 15 pound road bikes. In general, mountain bikes are optimized for robustness. Road bikes are optimized for weight. You can spend thousands of dollars to lighten up your full suspension bike, but realistically you probably can't get it too much below 25 pounds. Therefore, unless you have an incredible power to weight ratio, you will start out with a severe disadvantage.
Secondly, your bike suspension is going to be robbing your power. To get all of your power to the pavement, you'll have to lock out the suspension. If the suspension is locked out, why have it? Riding on the road with your suspension locked out, it is like carrying a big anchor.
Thirdly, flat bars are OK on trails where your rarely get enough speed for wind resistance to be a significant factor. On the road, though, wind resistance is a really big issue. Most CAT 5 races in our area average in excess of 20mph. At these speeds you are spending much more energy moving air than moving your bike. In fact, published research shows the single greatest factor in road races is riding in an effective aerodynamic position. This means you've got to be down on the drops with a flat back.
Fouthly, beside the fact disk brakes are not allowed in road races, why would you ever them on a road bike? Disk brakes are heavier. Rim wear on a road bike is not a significant issue like on a mountain bike. You won't be spending enough time or energy braking to appreciate the beautifully modulated feeling of hydraulics on a road bike. (If you have mechanical disks, you don't even have that slight advantage.) Furthermore, very light weight road brakes provide more than enough stopping power.
Finally, your bike's drive train (chain, chainrings, cassette) are an expensive replacement. Assuming you don't have to replace your crankset to put on bigger gears, you'll drop at least $200 to get the bigger gears you'd need to hang with the roadies. Seems like a lot of money to spend in the futile effort to be competitive on your mountain bike.
If you want to get into road racing get a road bike. You'll be far happier with the results. Also, if you are like me, you'll find you enjoy the mix of road riding and mountain bike riding.
Hope this helps.
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