Was wondering: is anyone is a clydesdale with mechanical brake experience? I've been running hydraulic brakes for years but I'm tired of dealing with the maintenance.
Hydros, to me, have better modulation/feel and power compared to mechs. Mechs, to me, always feel like they're either on or off. As for power for a clyde, what kind of trails do you ride? Smooth XC, not a lot of sustained DH? Mechs are probably fine. If you have a lot of climbing with a lot of descending or do a lot of shuttling, you'd probably want a more powerful hydro, since you can get more power to the brakes without using a lot of energy pulling on the lever.
I've ridden Juicy 7s for 3 years now with no problems at all. Pad changes are easy and bleeding's not too bad once you get the hang of it. Hope this helps.
I have hydro now and it is a no contest for me. On technical trails or zoomin' down a hill I just feel in ccontrol and know they are there for me. When I had the mechs it was a squeeze and pray feel.
Thanks for the responses. I've run Juicy 7s as well, had good luck with them. In my downhill days in Alaska I ran 8" Saints. Now, on my Moots, I have the Hayes Stroker Carbons, and I like them. I do agree that modulation is key, but I've never had mechs to compare.
It just seemed to me that maybe there was something to all this business with the Avid BB7 being "just like" hydros, without the wet system. Dudes on MTBR rave about them. I'm an XC adventure racer/24hr guy, I rarely need the stopping power anymore that I needed back in my "sick" days.
You guys tried Avid BB7s?
Posted by Hugh_Johnson on Aug. 13, 2009 at 07:27AM
Ive heard if you spend up to £30 on cables the mech discs can feel really nice. Shimano and some others do the full system (inner and outer cables) at that price and its meant to be excellent.