Upgrade to Discs

[trvet]

I am in the market to upgrade my bike to disc brakes. My plan is to by some Crossmax SLs and then a disc brake kit. So, I need some help on the right course of action to make this happen and recommendations on brakes. My bike has XT brake lever shifters so I assume these have to go when I put on the new brakes?

What kind of experiences do people have with Magura Martas as that is my first choice. Other recommendations welcome.

TRVET

[Brizn]

I am in the market to upgrade my bike to disc brakes. My plan is to by some Crossmax SLs and then a disc brake kit. So, I need some help on the right course of action to make this happen and recommendations on brakes. My bike has XT brake lever shifters so I assume these have to go when I put on the new brakes?

What kind of experiences do people have with Magura Martas as that is my first choice. Other recommendations welcome.

TRVETHi TRVET, you wouldn't have to ditch those levers if you got mechanical disc brakes. Avid BB5 and BB7s are pretty much the choice in this class of brake.

If you went with hydraulic brakes, you'd get superior performance, but with trickier maintenance, ie: bleeding the lines. I've heard good stuff about those Martas. Avid Juicy 5 or Juicy 7 are also a very popular set up. Each of these sets is money.

others will chime in..

[rednow]

I ride Avid Juicy 7's and they're great! The are the most adjustable/easy to set up disc break I have ever owned. In the past I rode Hope mini's which were also nice but a pain to set up. I have friends that ride the Maguras and love them. If you are sold on the Maguras Performance in Rockville has a set on clearence in the shop. IMHO the juicy 5 or 7 would be the way to go.

[jon_baler]

....Avid BB5 and BB7s are pretty much the choice in this class of brake...

I just put BB7 on my new bike, and loved how easy they were to setup. One note on BB5/BB7, the BB7 can be adjusted from both sides, which is nice.

Pricepoint still has a rocking good deal:

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/12605-115_AVDMD3-3-Parts-158-Brakes/Disc/Avid-BB7-Disc-Brake---Mechanical-160mm-'06.htm

[Pinoy Rider]

I recently got 07 Juicy Sevens. 7 inch front and 6 inch rear. Power and adjustability is great for the price. However, I'm starting to get some squelling and pulsating after three rides. If I had to do it over again, I would probably spend the extra hundred for the Formula K24s

[Snot-Rocket]

I've been running Avids since their first release and just love them.

I tried hydraulics for a year and contrary to popular believe I find the Avids to be way low maintenance- at most once a year replace your cables and then you are done. With hydraulics I kept getting disc dragging issues, bleeding issues, all kinds of issues that I find are negligible w/ Avid Mechanicals...I won't argue that some hydraulics offer way better performance, but at 230+ lbs, I haven't found a need for much more then the Avids have to offer.

[BikerMiker]

Watch out for the Maguras. I've been through a few sets. They are OEM from Specialized this year on the high-end stuff. I asked one of the 'big guys' at Specialized about the brakes (I have my doubts) and he said 'they'll take care of 'em, don't worry' with a knowing smile. I wouldn't trust 'em. I don't trust 'em. The head guy at Magura then handed me a card and said 'call me with any problems.' Warning!

Avid has the best customer service PLUS the stuff is actually easy to work on. They have the best bleed instructions that I have seen and they actually work. They are a lot like bleeding moto brake lines. The gravity-fed bleeding of Shimano and Magura, etc is a joke.

If you weigh over 170 lbs, get hydraulic. If you love cable discs, you'll LOVE the increased power of the hydraulics. I wouldn't run the cable discs as I'm not a fan of cable stretch, cable/housing contamination, housing compression, etc. I'd MUCH rather have the power and efficiency of the hydraulic brakes. But that's just me. Cable discs are an upgrade from v-brakes, for sure.

I happen to be selling a set of '07 Juicy 7s, so I'm a bit biased... $300 with a spare 140mm rear rotor AND adapter. Brand new. (shameless plug complete).

mike

[jed]

I got some on a '07 Specialized Epic Marathon, and I was not psyched at first. Lots of my buddies had Martas in the past and hated them, everyone at the shop was ragging on them, etc. They don't have post mounts like most brakes do nowadays so I thought they'd be a PITA to set up. They have a rep for being hard to work on. Most shop guys can tell horror stories about them.

But, you know what? I rode them and discovered that I really like them. They have great power and modulation, and the lever feel is superb. I have owned Avid, Hayes, and Shimano hydros and I honestly feel like the new Martas are a little better than everything else, at least as far as performance. The new Martas have more power with a 160mm rotor up front then the Avid Juicy 5's on my Stumpy FSR do with a 185mm rotor. I won't say they are killing the competition, but I feel like they are a little better then the other stuff I've owned in terms of power, modulation, and lever feel. They turned out to be easy to set up, too. And they are stupd light; if you are an XC guy and have the bling, you can't go wrong.

I can't say whether they are easy to work on or not, and I hope I don't have to find out before I sell that bike at the end of the season. Also, I'm a medium-sized expert-class XC guy with good descending and tech skills. I can go fast downhill but I haven't tried them on a DH rig so I can't vouch for how they'd work for DH or freeriding.

BTW, you really can't go wrong with Avid, Hayes, or Shimano, either. They all have their minor plusses and minuses, but they are all good brakes. Defintely go hydro, though. Cable-activated discs are OK, better than rim brakes, but hydros have more power and better modulation. And once you get them set up, you don't have to fool with them a whole lot unless you crash and break something.

[macdaid]

One more check in the Avid BB7 col.

Easy set-up & looooow maintenance.
I'll never go back to V's. !!!

[trvet]

I weigh 164. Which size rotors should I consider for front and rear?

[Brizn]

I weigh 164. Which size rotors should I consider for front and rear?Depends on your riding style but I'd recommend 6" front and rear as standard. You can always get a bigger front rotor if you want more 'stop'. I'm a big dude, and ride some steep downs.. and have never ever had stopping issues with 6" f/r.

[eloach]

I would just stick with the standard 160mm.

[BikerMiker]

I like Jed. The problem with Martas is long term. I cooked a rotor in one day. That's bad. Customer service? Better than average but I like to be able to ride stuff that I don't have to worry about. I'm hoping things have gotten better in the last year or so but I'm nervous for Jed. Actually, I've ridden with Jed a bunch of times and he doesn't seem to know how to use his brakes as I don't think he's ever touched them!

mike

[Pinoy Rider]

Agreed. I weigh about 165 without gear. I wanted to give the bigger rotor a try, that's why I went with the 7 inch up front. I would have been satisfied with 6 inches.

[DaveG]

Watch out for the Maguras. I've been through a few sets. They are OEM from Specialized this year on the high-end stuff. I asked one of the 'big guys' at Specialized about the brakes (I have my doubts) and he said 'they'll take care of 'em, don't worry' with a knowing smile. I wouldn't trust 'em. I don't trust 'em. The head guy at Magura then handed me a card and said 'call me with any problems.' Warning!

Avid has the best customer service PLUS the stuff is actually easy to work on. They have the best bleed instructions that I have seen and they actually work. They are a lot like bleeding moto brake lines. The gravity-fed bleeding of Shimano and Magura, etc is a joke.

If you weigh over 170 lbs, get hydraulic. If you love cable discs, you'll LOVE the increased power of the hydraulics. I wouldn't run the cable discs as I'm not a fan of cable stretch, cable/housing contamination, housing compression, etc. I'd MUCH rather have the power and efficiency of the hydraulic brakes. But that's just me. Cable discs are an upgrade from v-brakes, for sure.

I happen to be selling a set of '07 Juicy 7s, so I'm a bit biased... $300 with a spare 140mm rear rotor AND adapter. Brand new. (shameless plug complete).

mike

My wife's marta developed a leak in the master cylinder a couple of years after getting them. I called up Magura, and told them what was going on. Then he asked for my address. I asked why? Well, we're mailing you out a brand new lever. I received it 3-4 days later. Fantastic customer service.

I also had a set of Magura Pro wheels (rebadged DT240's). The rear hub cracked (a known DT problem) I called up Magura and they contacted DT, got an RA number and convinced them to not only replace the hub, but rebuild my wheel as well. Again fantastic customer service.


Most disk brakes have some issues. I've heard countless horror stories about the Avid Juicy brakes, enough so that I'll probably never buy them. But other people have had absolutely no issues with them.

I do know that based on the customer service I've received from Marta I'd have no qualms about buying their products.

Dave

[fausto]

I love my Martas. Bleeding is a PITA, if you ever have to do it. Chances are you will not, so that seems moot to me. Their customer service is second to none. The one and only problem I've had with mine was pretty much my fault - I backed the reach screw out too far, not realizing it held the lever pivot in place. You can guess what happened. When I called, the guy asked if a bushing fell out as well, I wasn't sure. He sent a set anyway. A couple days later I got a call from a design engineer asking about my brake, if I was ok with their response, telling me they where going to include a warning in the manual about the reach screw. I told him ideally I'd like a little more reach adjustment, and it seemed like he was interested in my opinion. Keep in mind - I'm not a shop, they don't have to kiss my butt.

Another time I idly posted a question on MTBR on availability of parts for a brake they stopped making a long time ago. Guy emails me that he thinks they still have a couple in a warehouse in Germany that he could order for me (it had been at least 4 years since they had been made). I know he was making a sale, but... well he didn't have to do that. I certainly wouldn't hold my breath for avid or hayes to do something like that for average joe customer. Magura have a pretty loyal following for how crappy some make them out to be.

[extrafunky]

Just to throw it in the mix, I'm running Hope mono minis and I absolutely love the modulation compared to the XTRs on my other bike. It requires a lot of patience though when setting up but once it's set, you can forget about it. But it's no longer an issue on the 07s since it now comes in post mount. Depending on your riding style, they've also got 4-piston and 6-piston setups with bigger rotor options. Another plus are the bling bore caps and rotors. Only thing I hate is the squealing when the rotors get wet.

[brian_brox]

Pricepoint sells some wheel/disc brake combos:
http://www.pricepoint.com/thumb/3-Parts-55-Groups-True.htm

BB7s, juicy 5s or juicy 7s will all work great.

I'm 200 lbs and I run old school XT 4 piston hydros on 6 inch rotors. I wouldn't buy the big rotors unless you're really cooking on a 30-40 lb downhill bike. 6" is plenty for XC.

Magura:
My finance has the Magura Louise and they work great. With all hydros you have to take your time on the install. IMHO it seems like all of the systems have their pros and cons, but a bad setup will make anything ride poorly.

Whatever setup you choose, go to their website and read up on how they want you to intall them. Follow instructions carefully (or make sure your lbs does).

[DaveG]

Pricepoint sells some wheel/disc brake combos:
http://www.pricepoint.com/thumb/3-Parts-55-Groups-True.htm

BB7s, juicy 5s or juicy 7s will all work great.

I'm 200 lbs and I run old school XT 4 piston hydros on 6 inch rotors. I wouldn't buy the big rotors unless you're really cooking on a 30-40 lb downhill bike. 6" is plenty for XC.

Magura:
My finance has the Magura Louise and they work great. With all hydros you have to take your time on the install. IMHO it seems like all of the systems have their pros and cons, but a bad setup will make anything ride poorly.

Whatever setup you choose, go to their website and read up on how they want you to intall them. Follow instructions carefully (or make sure your lbs does).

Those things are the best. They have an issue with pad rub due to tight tolerances, but I've been using one set of mine for 4+ years and all I've had to do is replace pads.

Dave

[pirate]

I'm 200 lbs and I run old school XT 4 piston hydros on 6 inch rotors. I wouldn't buy the big rotors unless you're really cooking on a 30-40 lb downhill bike. 6" is plenty for XC.


So what does it take to upgrade to a larger rotor? Some sort of a different adaptor? Or would one need to get an entire new brake?

[Brizn]

Just an adaptor @ about 10 or 15 bux, plus the bigger rotor.

[pirate]

Just an adaptor @ about 10 or 15 bux, plus the bigger rotor.

Hmmm... Looks like I'm going to have to do that then, if it's that easy. I'm guessing I should probably have a larger rotor; seeing as to how I'm 240lbs and ride about a 35lb bike! :eek:

[brian_brox]

Hmmm... Looks like I'm going to have to do that then, if it's that easy. I'm guessing I should probably have a larger rotor; seeing as to how I'm 240lbs and ride about a 35lb bike!

...that's not entirely unreasonable

[Jim D]

on the hoops, you might consider '06 Mavic CrossMax Enduros. I think they're close to the SLs for weight, you can find them for a much lower price.

[pirate]

Hmmm... Looks like I'm going to have to do that then, if it's that easy. I'm guessing I should probably have a larger rotor; seeing as to how I'm 240lbs and ride about a 35lb bike! :eek:

Just placed an order through Speedgoat.... Those guys kick ass. I just told the guy what fork I had, and he figured everything out for me. He also suggested some new fancy Swissstop brake pads, which sounded like a good idea, so I picked some of them up too. All said and done, it cost me $78 bucks for the adaptor, rotor, and pads.

[punga]

Just placed an order through Speedgoat.... Those guys kick ass. I just told the guy what fork I had, and he figured everything out for me. He also suggested some new fancy Swissstop brake pads, which sounded like a good idea, so I picked some of them up too. All said and done, it cost me $78 bucks for the adaptor, rotor, and pads.
A bigger rotor made a huge difference for me. I went from 6" to 7" and immediately noticed a difference. I weigh about 215-220 in my gear and ride a 27lb Stumpy. You made a wise move.

punga!

[trvet]

Tell me about Hope's? I see the Minis and the other verions of the Monos. They look very sturdy but they seem a bit $$$. Is the extra $$$$ worth it?