Brakes? Cable Disc vs Hydraulics vs Cantilever

irishbri

I've moved to the Peak District and have also signed up for Rat Race Coast to Coast Scotland in Sept so... N+1.

Looking at cyclocross bikes and having a limited budget (£350- £400) I want to make sure i make the right choice as there are a few to choose from on ebay/ gumtree etc.

The race is 65 miles road and 21 miles off road, the majority of my riding in the Peaks will be trails rather than the mtb end of the spectrum. If anyone has any suggestions of what to get please let me know, but in general:

For my budget is it best choosing and sticking with cantilever brakes? Getting cable discs and upgrading them to hydraulics later in the summer? From what I've seen on here I need to avoid cable discs.

Thanks in advance!

veronese68

I found cable discs better than the cantis I had, cheap cable discs may be worse. They weren't perfect and I upgraded to a Parabox hydraulic convertor which hs been fit and forget apart from changing pads.The cable discs, BB7 in my case, needed to be adjusted to allow for pad wear and I had a slight pulsing from the rear brake lever when braking gently. Hydraulic is self adjusting so it's actually quite easy to forget to check for pad wear. The cantis I had were ok when the rims were clean and they were set up just right, but if it was wet or the rims were very dirty sticking a foot on the ground was almost as effective.
I'd try to get a used bike with hydraulic discs if possible.

vimfuego

What he said

irishbri

Cheers Veronese (and vim) its along the lines of what I thought.

trek_dan

The only thing I'd say (background: I've always used cantis for cross and generally find them more than adequate) would be you could get a very decent light canti CX bike for £400, whereas a £400 disc bike is going to be a 12kg+ commuter behemoth that'll ride like crap.

norvernrob

I have TRP Spyre cable discs on my CX bike and they’re more than good enough on trails or road, including in soaking conditions.

veronese68

trek_dan wrote:

... a £400 disc bike is going to be a 12kg+ commuter behemoth that'll ride like crap.

That's why I said look for a used disc bike, also his use is not just for cross racing.

trek_dan

Veronese68 wrote:

trek_dan wrote:

... a £400 disc bike is going to be a 12kg+ commuter behemoth that'll ride like crap.

That's why I said look for a used disc bike, also his use is not just for cross racing.

£400 would barely get you an entry level Boardman used though. Or you could get a very decent canti bike like an older Mares or CADX.

irishbri

I have been offered a http://www.wiggle.co.uk/gt-grade-al-cla ... road-bike/ for £350. Which I can upgrade to full hydralics later in the year.

Worthwhile?

DeVlaeminck

I suspect upgrading a £650 bike to full hydro brakes isn't the most cost effective way if doing it. I don't know how much the upgrade costs though, I'm just guessing quite a lot.

irishbri

Thanks DeVlaeminck, either way I shall use this for the upcoming summer and challenges. If i end up using it loads compared to my other bikes I will put some serious money into my next cx! n+1...

tgotb

Brief warning about "fit and forget" hydraulic brakes if you;re new to them: If they're properly set up, they'll adjust perfectly for pad wear until they suddenly run out of pad, at which point the brake will be useless. So it should really be "Fit and don't forget to check for pad wear"...