Can you fit disc brakes to a Giant SCR 1.5

Westbrom

Hi

I am about to buy my first bike in ages. I went for a test run on the above bike today. Loved the speed and the hill climbing ability and once got over the slightly twitchy ride ( been ages since on bike ) I totally thought this is bike for me. Howver the brakes are rubbish. Slightly (only very slightly) damp day and stopping this was a nightmare particularly down an incline.

I like the bike just worried about braking ability with the dual pivot calipers in traffic. I dont want to die!!!!

Thr bike definitely cant take V brakes apparently. Any idea about fitting disc brakes to it. I forgot to ask in bike shop but they didnt mention that as a possibility so imagine not but here's hoping.

Also can this bike take 28 tyres?

Cheers

dazzawazza

Koolstop Salmon!!

BentMikey

Road brakes generally take more finger pressure than either v-brakes or disc brakes, but you should still be able to lock up the rear wheel easily, and skid/endo the front. I'd second the Koolstop recommendations, bit squeeky, but amazingly good pads.

I wouldn't bother buying the bike if the brakes issue matters that much to you that you want to alter it. Better to get a bike that's more suited to your needs from the start.

tardington

The brakes are what put me off getting one of the Giant SCRs myself. The Tricross Sport has V-brakes on - but one of the display ones in my LBS had canti's retrofitted... although I thought you couldn't. :?

DavidTQ

tardie wrote:

The brakes are what put me off getting one of the Giant SCRs myself. The Tricross Sport has V-brakes on - but one of the display ones in my LBS had canti's retrofitted... although I thought you couldn't. :?

Thats odd Ive got the SCR 1.0 and I find the brakes far better than the V-brakes were on my hybrid even in the wet... Ive never yet wished for more braking power out of it...

Bassjunkieuk

dazzawazza wrote:

Koolstop Salmon!!

I'll third that! I have an SCR 3.0 and recently swapped the factory fit pads for some salmons, £6.99 a pair over at Wiggle, and they've been excellent. Braking in the wet is much better and in the dry I've had no problems with stopping! As BM said it's fairly easy to lock up the rear and skid/endo to a halt. I had to do some evasive braking this morning after a black taxi cut me up on way to work and I didn't even hit him (unfortunately, bloody late indicate to turn - might have taught him a lesson!!).

You might also find it takes you a while to get used to operating the brakes on the hoods, especially if you haven't ridden in a while, I know when I started on my first road bike it took a good few rides to get used to operating the brakes effectively!!

Westbrom

Cheers guys.

yeah I really liked the bike. I test rode a Specialized Sirrus Comp hybrid straight after it to see what difference flat bars and bigger tyres make. It also had Vs brakes which were a massive improvement on the calipers. It was more stable, more comfortable but its definitely a slower bike.

May well be that I need to get used to using drop handlebars and brakes again after such a long layoff but the Kool stops sound a great idea. I might see if the scr can take 28 tyres as an intro until get more confident and switch back to the 26s.

ill also test the Boardman hydrid pro re its speed etc(it has Avid Juicys) just in case. I really wanted a road bike though and was pretty much set on the Giant . Ill test away.

Cheers again

nwallace

Put new front calliper pads on my Dawes Giro after wrecking the originals on PfS. First time out on it on Friday.

The only brake effective on the hill from the house was the back, by the time I got home the front ones were working great. 1 hour 30 mins and a puncture later...

Annoyingly the rear tyre still has loads of tread, except for the bit where the stone went clean through. Does mean I get to put the spare tyre that I bought 3 years ago on


After riding the Sardar (Tektro Cantis with Wet and Dry blocks) and Zaskar (Deore Discs) over the winter Calipers take a while to get use to the brakes.

John Stevenson

Just to actually answer the original questions, no you can't fit disks. There are no mounts on the frame for them.

There looks to be room for 28mm tyres, though the only way to be sure is to try it. But if there's more than a couple millimetres clearance all round a 26, a 28 will fit.

Westbrom

Cheers for that John.

In your opinion will that make the bike a bit more steady and comfortable? Certainly the bigger tyres on the Sirrus were very comfortable over rougher roads..Any recommendations on tyre make and model?

Plan would be to possibly fit those 28s (operate as a sort of racing hybrid with drops, short term I suppose) and refit the 26s when up and running after a few months.
Probably fit some cane creek cross top brake leavers and not forgetting the Koolstops. That should give me the stability and the safety to get right back into cycling in town.