[xcwx]

I am looking at getting an 08' Giant STP as a do it all hardtail. I know there are maybe other bikes/frames that may be better suited but I need a complete right now and have a little bit of a budget to stay in (bout' $1300.00. I plan to do a bit of everything, urban, FR, DJ and some trail. Gonna get the large frame for the little bit of extra room. Hopefully the bike will be a good choice. So my question is with brakes, do hydro cables ever get snagged and possibly rip off leaving no brake? This is what I have been thinking about. The STP will come with mech disks and I thought I might upgrade those eventually with Jagwires and BB7's, or some hydro's, juicy 5 or comparables. So do you worry at all or have you had any failures due to lines that got snagged on something or rippied off with your hydro brakes. Seems like it would be alot easier and less cost to just fix a cable, the cable will stretch before breaking whereas the hydro line will rip away.

Any comments on the pro's and con's of mech versus hydro disks would be good to hear too.

thanks

 

[SquadraCorse]

I run Avid bb7's with SRAM flak jacket cables and speed dial 7 levers.I think they are absolutely fantastic. Very durable, easy to setup, maintain, and work great when you set them up properly. I've seen several people who have snagged hydraulic cables or broken them in crashes. It's certainly not a quick fix like a cable setup. It's harder to get the parts for since there are many different types of hydros. There's a good chance your LBC or shop near where you're riding won't carry the parts you need. Plus bleeding them out completely after replacing a line is a PITA and a mess. IMO, cables ftw.

 

[stumpjump]

I've been running hydaulic on my BigHit setup for two years and I have yet to have a problem. While hydraulic break may be a little more complex to deal with, the braking power is worth it. You will not get the respsonsivness and the modulation from a cable break as opposed to a hydraulic. I have Juicy'5 and they are well worth it.

As for the bleeding of the break line. SRAM sells a bleed kit for all of their setups and it takes me about 5 minutes to do a bleed.

Im not really giving the cons of a mechanical disc brake as I have never run them, but I can say hydraulic brakes rock out.

 

[w00dy]

Set up properly a cable disc will have comparable power to a Hydro.
Hydros feel nicer at the lever.
Cables are way cheaper and easier to fix.
I'm a cable man myself.

 

[Sir_Crackien]

personally i will never run mech. brakes again. they are just one headache after another. they require constant maintenance in comparison to hydro brakes. as the pads wear you have to make compensating adjustments. with hydro that is not true as they auto adjust for pad wear just like your car.

as for the people that say mech. brakes are cheaper. they have not looked for deals going on like pricepoint or jenson. at places like that you can normally a good hydro for less than 100 buck per. one thing that you have to remember is that the only maintenance is replacing the pads and bleeding them about once a year or so. with cable brakes you will be replacing that cable at least once a year. if you dont know brake fluid is very cheap, for 5 buck you can buy enough fluid for the life of the brake.

btw i have never have a mech that is as balanced in feel as any hydro. mech seem to have good modulation for good power just never a good mix of the two.

just to give you an idea i have owned the past brakes:

avid BB7 (old and new versions)
avid CODES <-- lots of power
hayes SOLES <-- way crap
hayes HFX9
hayes mech (which ever one is the nicer model)
Formula ORO k18 <-- currently run
Formula ORO K24 <-- currently run
Formula Extreme
Shimano Deore 525 <-- sold after 3 years. the second owner still runs them
shimano new XT <-- getting ready to run. have ridden on others bikes
i'm sure others that i'm forgetting

 

[vogey40]

Hydro all the way!! You cant beat the stopping power they give you. Maintianing them is easy too. I run them on every bike I own. Never had a problem with a snag or even a leak.

 

[pinkshirtphotos]

imo best brake feel right now are shimano. i really like my bb7 brakes too. i run hope mono mini now which are fantastic but i know many dont like the feel.

 

[1453]

on my DH bike I run hydro(Code front, hayes back) since I know the ride would be short. On my AM and street bikes I run BB7s. nothing like a snagged line in the middle of nowhere to ruin you ride home.

I paid about 50 a pop for the BB7s so they are dirt cheap to buy and own.

 

[shorty13]

I personally would not want hydros for my mtn bike. While it may not happen all that often, it is fairly easy to pop a line and when it does it sucks. I was riding a pretty technical ride that had a lot of steep ups and downs when one of my friend's lines popped causing him to have no rear brakes the rest of the ride. Cables are so much more durable and can take abuse. For road biking on the otherhand, it probably doesn't matter quite as much.
Therefore I vote cables. I do not think breaking power is at all a problem for them either, as some have said; especially with disk brakes.

PS someone said you have to replace cables about every year...that is false. Mine work fantastic and I have been riding on them for 2 years now...and not just casually. I'm on my bike more days than not.

 

[Bowbender]

I prefer hydraulic, they provide better feel and performance for me, and the likelyhood of a line being pulled from the lever or the calliper is very slim, as far as price someone has posted earlier priepoint and jensenusa are great resources. I just picked up a front and rear set LX levers and hone calipers for like $110 shipped from jensenusa.
Good luck with the build

 

[Sir_Crackien]

in the 5 years that i have been running hydro i have never even come close to snagging a line. also over the 5 years i have been running them on 2 bikes, doubling my chances. i have wrecked many times and never even done any real damage to my lines. also look at motocross/enduro motorcycles. you don't see them worried about their lines.

 

[Sandwich]

ahhh, i expected the connecticut peanut gallery to chime in.

Hydros are a much better brake when properly set up and bled. some brakes have absolutely horrendous bleeding procedures, others are dead simple, but once you get them set up properly, they're set, that's it. They require a tad bit more caution, as you can't store your bike upside down or spread the pistons while the bike is upside down (don't touch your brake lever in the car), but the power is worth it. Snagging a line is nearly impossible unless you're a complete clod. I've never snagged one on any of my bikes, ever, since 1985, even with cables. Keep your lines the proper length and you'll be fine.

That being said, you should stick with mechs for your hardtail. A pair of bb7s would be an awesome option. You really don't need hydros unless you're DHing or heavy, and you don't really need hyper-powerful brakes unless you're doing some serious brake workouts, like mega-steep hills or mile-long downhills. For a trail bike, mechs can be set up just great, and I think you'll find that you'll be happy with the mechs over a set of hydros.

If you get into DH, and are actually getting your speed up, grab some hydros.

Oh yeah, don't listen to W00dy, he's got the GI Joe kung fu grip; he could use caliper brakes and still outbrake most people....but he's actually right on most points.