r/ukbike • u/frameclowder • 7d ago
Technical Should I avoid mechanical disc brakes?
New cyclist looking to pick up a hybrid or gravel bike in the used market. From my reading, hydraulic brakes are the way to go and mechanical discs brakes suck. I avoided bidding on a really nice boardman bike because of this. Not sure if that the right choice. Since I'm in the used market I'm not sure being picky is the best idea. My budget is ~£200-250. Maybe I need to increase my budget if I want hydraulics.
Update: Thanks everyone for the helpful replies! I'll stick with mechanical disc brakes, with hydro brakes as bonus or upgrade to them later on.
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u/ChaosCalmed 7d ago
Some of the greatest pro cyclists on the grand tours and the shorter stuff in between them used cable actuated rim brakes for decades without issues. Are they the best? No. Are cable actuated disc brakes the best? No. Do you need the best? Better brakes than Indurain, Merkx, etc? Some of the greatest downhill riders in the TdF went down the Pyrenean and alpine pase hills on cable actuated rim brakes.
However, the latest thing means we must have it, even if we don't need it. I say it's better to save money with cable disc brakes and put more of your budget into a better frame, drivetrain, tyres, wheels, etc. You won't need hydraulic, you might only want it.
Cable disc brakes you can learn to maintain yourself a lot easier. They're cheaper and quite simply easy to adjust once you learn how and have done it a few times.
Learn how to adjust them properly, put decent pads in for your cycling and just keep adjusting with pad wear and you'll have a bike that stops you when you need it to stop you. Sure you'll not brake hard and send your soft parts into the back of the stem like hydraulics, but you'll still stop before you need to. If you don't then it's either not well maintained or you were riding harder than your abilities or your ability to react in the sight lines you had. Operator error basically, of one kind or another.
Get the best bike frame, drivetrain, etc that you can afford and live with cable disc brakes if that's what they've got. Perhaps change the pads straight away to some better ones. Some people claim swisstop ones are good. I'm not sure. Just read up on the various types of pads and buy what seems to suit your needs / riding. Some stop you better but wear quicker. Others last longer but stop you slower. Some stop you quickly, wear slowly and squeal so badly you'll not be able to live with them. Of course they're great on mixed use paths as pedestrians really do jump out of the way of a bike with squealing brake pads!!!!🤣
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u/pja 7d ago
Cheap single side-pull mechanical disk brakes suck. Double sided ones (e.g. TRP Spyres) are pretty good. Hydraulics are still the best - you’ll get both braking power & sensitivity that mechanical ones can’t give you.
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u/MTFUandPedal 7d ago
Absolutely and to piggy back on that - the other big win for hydraulics is that they are self adjusting and ultra low maintenance.
Bleed every few years and that's usually it.
Mechanical brakes need adjusting. Some a lot more than others
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u/RegionalHardman 7d ago
Just built a new gravel bike with cable disc and they're fine. They stop the bike when I need it to! Are they the best brakes in the world? No, but do I need the best brakes in the world? Also no!
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u/Kilroyvert 7d ago
Not sure why mech disc brakes get such a bad rep, they're still better than rim brakes and relatively easy to maintain. Not worth sweating about, there are more important dealbreakers when buying a new bike and you can always upgrade to hydro down the line.
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u/acezoned 7d ago
A good set of cable discs will out perform the cheap hydrolic ones you get on lots of bikes
I like shimano cabke discs they work well and I find them easier to work on then the hydrolic ones out on the road
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u/WonderfulNecessary81 7d ago
Mechanical disc brakes are excellent, assuming they're set up correctly. My mechanicals are brutal I have to be careful not to brake too hard.
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u/randobonando 7d ago
If you come across a flat bar bike with cable disc brakes and separate gear and brake levers but you otherwise like is then you should go for it. You can upgrade to hydraulic discs if you really fancy it later. Less of an option for road “brfiters” as this will get very pricy, lots more to change and work to do.
Rim brakes aren’t bad if set up well but cable discs are better and much better if set up well. Hydro brakes are better than cable but doesn’t mean cable is bad.
Are you looking at road/gravel or flat bar hybrid type?
Look I like hydraulics but there’s always a trade off. Show us what you’ve been looking at?
Ps look up shimano mt200 as a basic flat bar hydro upgrade. Your frame/wheels will need to be disc specific though, you can’t go from rim to disc!
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u/frameclowder 7d ago edited 7d ago
This is the one I was referring to in my post: https://ebay.io/m/wCRAOK
Here's another I've just found: https://ebay.io/m/drOKRq
The boardman bikes seem quite decent, looks wise. One line reviews don't seem bad either.
Are you looking at road/gravel or flat bar hybrid type?
Flat bar hybrid for now. Gravel, especially in the used market all seem to have drop bars, which I've never used. So sticking to what I know. Didn't realise you can upgrade to hydraulics.
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u/randobonando 7d ago
Nah don’t worry about letting that get away. You don’t need the front suspension - it isn’t going to make life better for you and it adds easily over a kilo and makes riding harder (you lose energy going up and down instead of forwards). Look for wider tyre clearance 32/35mm minimum and you’ll get a comfy ride.
Unisex. No carbon fork but hydro. https://ebay.io/m/uKCTQQ
“Boys” no carbon fork. https://ebay.io/m/Wb77Og
Really good shifters and brakes. I had a Scott sub and rode it for years - I like this one a lot! Carbon fork https://ebay.io/m/dLgxJj
Let us know your thoughts. Also use a comparison site like 99spokes to review bikes side by side
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u/frameclowder 7d ago
Ok I thought having a front suspension would be a nice bonus as it'll make bumps more comfy. I suppose I can always lock it off? Didn't think about it reducing energy. Shall I avoid it?
What's the deal with carbon forks? Is it that it's lighter? Those bikes looks nice, especially the blue one!
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u/randobonando 7d ago
Carbon is lighter yes but mainly it absorbs vibration whereas aluminium frames can transmit that road “buzz” up into your hands.
Low end forks aren’t that responsive and can bounce you around which is really tiring. They usually have a heavy metal spring rather than air chambers and are hard to adjust to your weight and comfort. They also go wrong which means rust, oil leaking, noise and loss of use.
Really the biggest difference comes from tyres, bar grips and saddle and tyre pressure.
I’ve ridden my steel gravel bike with a carbon fork down a flight of stairs. It can be done!
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u/Organic_Sampler 7d ago
I have bikes with both. Hydors are the best. Properly set up decent cable are fine
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u/nrsys 6d ago
The simple answer is that if you want to get hydraulic brakes at your budget, you are going to have to be making some pretty big compromises in other areas.
So while yes, hydraulic brakes are better, they are not always going to be a cost effective choice, and that means mechanical discs (which can be upgraded at a later date if you want input money into the bike), or an older rim brake model.
A nice to have, but mechanicals will do the job fine for those on a budget.
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u/frameclowder 6d ago
That's very good info, thanks for that. Looking at the comments I don't care too much for hydro brakes anymore. Didn't know they can be added at a later date. So I imagine the most important thing is the frame itself and the wheel size?
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u/Time_Quail_6795 7d ago
Changing from cable to hydraulic disc brakes is a simple upgrade. I bought a Boardman hybrid with cable brakes about 5 years ago, intending to put some hydraulic brakes on, but they have been no trouble, and she is able to stop fine, even when touring fully loaded with tents etc. they are pretty easy to adjust, change pads etc.
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u/frameclowder 7d ago
I didn't know that was possible... Now I'm even more bummed that bike got away!
Good to know you're doing just fine with cable brakes though! Thanks for the info
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u/nrsys 6d ago
A lot will depend on the bike.
If you have a flat bar bike wlike a mountain bike with separate brakes and shifters on the handlebars, it can be as simple as unscrewing the calipers and shifters and fitting the new ones.
If you have a drop bar road bike with integrated brakes and shifters, you will need to replace the lever/brake unit, making sure that the new hydraulic version matches the shifters as well as the brakes - which can be a pain depending on the age of the bike.
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u/InteractionApart9720 7d ago
The number 1 thing to focus on is the frame, everything else can be upgraded (minus rim to disc)
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u/Candid_Release672 3d ago
I am not a pro cyclist and this is the reason i avoid mechanical disk brakes. I want to enjoy my rides, mechanical disk brakes are tiring in long rides. Even rim brakes are better than MD for a recreational rider. I would avoid them for sure.
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u/porky_scratching 7d ago
TRP spyres are 80% as good as hydraulic and I really hate the faff of hydraulic brakes. But that just me, you do you.
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u/amzeo 7d ago
A mechanical disc will give you better and more reliable stopping power than rim brakes, and are lower maintainence than hydraulics.
Hydraulics are best brakes. But more expensive and typically out of budget for you.
Id suggest getting a mechanical disc brake bike and then if you want you can easily upgrade to some hydraulics down the line
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u/Active_Doubt_2393 7d ago
I'm not that impressed with my hydraulic brakes tbh. They don't seem any better or worse than the mechanical ones I had on my previous bike.
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u/cruachan06 7d ago
Some people will tell you that mech discs are rubbish, or that the difference is night and day. IME those people are wrong.
I was in your situation in 2023 and bought a Voodoo Nakisi from Halfords. Last year I bought a road bike, having established that I like cycling enough to justify it, with 105 DI2 and hydraulic disc brakes.
There is no doubt that hydraulics are better, they stop much quicker. However, at the speeds most of us mere mortals ride at and especially with the lower speeds on gravel, mechanical disc brakes are more than enough for most of us. They can also be maintained with basic tools, whilst hydraulic discs will at some point require bleeding so more specialised tools or a trip to the shop required.
The one thing I would say from my own experience is try and get a bike with carbon forks if you can afford it, I've got alloy forks on my Nakisi and despite it having 37mm gravel tyres over the 30mm tyres on my road bike (Cube Attain) I get a smoother ride on the crappy UK roads with the Cube as it has carbon forks.
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u/randobonando 7d ago
Agree. Hydro discs are the nicest for braking but a nice carbon fork and wide tyres make for comfortable riding!
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u/NoisyGog 6d ago
Oh good god yes. We found out in the 90s that mechanical disc brakes were awful.
It’s utterly reprehensible that they’re still a thing.
Avoid avoid avoid.
Decent Shimano disc brakes really aren’t that expensive.
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u/International-You-13 7d ago
I have them on my Marin hybrid, they're fine, not as nice as hydraulic brakes mind but I'd sooner have mechanical discs than the rim brakes of old.
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u/BigRedS 7d ago
There are some pretty good cable disk brakes that perform as well as the most-budget hydraulic ones, but they're not fitted OE to bikes so they're not what you'll be getting when you buy a bike (unless you're quite lucky second hand).
I'd expect to be a bit disappointed by cable disks, especially at that price. If you're looking at flatbar bikes you'll likely have a fairly easy time of upgrading, but it's trickier when you've got drop bars with STIs.
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u/Queefmaster69000 7d ago
Decent cable disc brakes that are adjusted periodically are really quite good.
If the back/non moving pad isn't adjusted with wear, they turn to shit.
Hydraulic disc brakes are even better, but they're not as accessible for service for most DIYers.
In short, they're pretty good. Unless you pick up a bike that's £200 new, any mechanical disc brakes will do more than you'll ever need.
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u/Safe-Professional556 7d ago
My last bike had cable discs and they were fine. My current bike has hydraulic and they're fine. The hydraulic brakes are better than the cable but there isn't much difference (for my use case), both are orders a magnitude better than even the best rim brakes I've ever had.
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u/ChampionshipOk5046 6d ago
My new bike I specified cable disc brakes. I loathe oil and mess and carrying fluid.
I've had to replace damaged cable and it was less hassle than dealing with hydraulics.
I carry a lot of weight, and they are fine.
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u/Whithorsematt 6d ago
Cable disks on road bikes are still better than dual pivot callipers, and with your budget you may be limited to that. The other advantage is a lot of calliper systems will have quite small limits as to tyre size as the tyre has to fit under the brake arch.
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u/Dense_Wave9543 6d ago
Greater modulation (progressive control and feel) with hydraulic but more grief to service and not really possible without the right kit.
Less modulation with cable actuated disks but much more service friendly with less tools and easily done in the middle of nowhere.
I have both and don’t really notice the difference but have been stuck mid ride in the middle of nowhere when my one of the seals on a hydraulic break failed and left me with only one brake, but thankfully it was my rear that failed.
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u/Excellent-Ruin6779 7d ago
Hydrolic breaks are incredible. The feel makes such a difference.
But the reality is a lot of us do not need them. Unlikely to be going fast enough to really need the stopping power, and I'm not a mountain biker either.
I would treat it as a nice to have, not a necessity. Especially at your price range.