Disc Brakes: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 4: | Line 4: | ||
The use of disc brakes is almost always limited to mountain bikes. They are most likely not appropriate for a casual rider, but may be beneficial for serious racers or particularly "perforamnce" oriented, serious riders in general. Disc brakes wear quickly, and will need to be replaced often. As such, if you are doing long rides without a lot of technical maneuvers, disc brakes are probably not for you. | The use of disc brakes is almost always limited to mountain bikes. They are most likely not appropriate for a casual rider, but may be beneficial for serious racers or particularly "perforamnce" oriented, serious riders in general. Disc brakes wear quickly, and will need to be replaced often. As such, if you are doing long rides without a lot of technical maneuvers, disc brakes are probably not for you. | ||
There are two kinds of disc brakes. One is mechanical and the other hydrolic. The mechanical system uses all the same cables, housing, and levers as V-Brakes or Calliper brakes. Hydrolic brakes use fluid instead of cables, and require a different skill set for adjustments. | |||
* [[Adjusting mechanical disc brakes]] | * [[Adjusting mechanical disc brakes]] | ||
Revision as of 18:21, 8 July 2007
Disc brakes work by basically the same principal as any other brake: pressing rubber pags against a metal wheel to keep the wheel from spinning. In the case of disc brakes, the metal wheel is not the wheel of the bicycle, but an additional wheel added to the hub for the specific purpose of braking.
The metal wheel attached to the hub of disc brakes is called the rotar. A calliper, attached to the bike's frame, houses two rubber pads that fit around the rotar. When the brakes are applied (mechanical disc brakes use the same cable, housing, and levers as a Calliper or V-Brake), the rubber pads slow/stop the rotar, causing the rear-wheel to likewise slow/stop.
The use of disc brakes is almost always limited to mountain bikes. They are most likely not appropriate for a casual rider, but may be beneficial for serious racers or particularly "perforamnce" oriented, serious riders in general. Disc brakes wear quickly, and will need to be replaced often. As such, if you are doing long rides without a lot of technical maneuvers, disc brakes are probably not for you.
There are two kinds of disc brakes. One is mechanical and the other hydrolic. The mechanical system uses all the same cables, housing, and levers as V-Brakes or Calliper brakes. Hydrolic brakes use fluid instead of cables, and require a different skill set for adjustments.