| When choosing a mountain bike, there are many | | | | potentially dangerous blowout. |
| options to consider. Probably one of the most | | | | Disc Brakes: |
| important is the choice of Disc Brakes or Rim Brakes. | | | | Overall, these are the more consistent and reliable |
| So, which one is better? The truth is that it depends | | | | option. Quality disc brakes will stand up in even the |
| on what kind of riding you're going to be doing. So | | | | toughest conditions, and can stop faster, even in wet |
| let's take a look at both options and weigh the Pros | | | | or muddy conditions (an important consideration in |
| and Cons. | | | | off-road biking). They come in both cable and |
| Rim Brakes: | | | | hydraulic varieties, both of which work reliably well. |
| The major pro for these brakes is their weight. If | | | | They require less force and work even if the rim is |
| you're trying to rig up the lightest possible bike, rim | | | | bent or wet. They'll stop your bike even if the rim or |
| brakes are a must-have. In basic conditions (road or | | | | wheel is thickly coated in mud or dirt. |
| very light trail riding) they are fine. They'll stop you | | | | There are certain drawbacks to disc brakes, |
| when you need to and shouldn't cause problems. | | | | however. The biggest issue is that they're simply |
| Also, they're considerably cheaper than their disc | | | | heavy. A mountain bike can be a pretty hefty piece |
| cousins. Rim brakes are especially good for cheap or | | | | of equipment no matter what, so the additional |
| beginner rigs. | | | | weight of discs is something you'll notice. Depending |
| However, they simply don't have the durability of | | | | on the bike and brakes, they often add anywhere |
| disc brakes. Should your rim get bent or damaged, | | | | from 100 to 400 grams - not huge, but enough to |
| even slightly, you'll notice a drop-off in rim brake | | | | make a difference. |
| performance. Similarly, wet or muddy rims can | | | | Additionally, disc brakes are more expensive than rim |
| severely hamper their effect. Even worse, if you're | | | | brakes. As with all things, you pay for quality and |
| doing a lot of riding, rim brakes slowly wear the rim | | | | reliability. |
| down and can even puncture it completely, causing a | | | | |