Adding disk brakes..???

[My Alien LIfe]

I have a 19” Specialized 26x1.5 wheels and am making a diy eBike with a rear wheel motor.

I want disk brakes.

I’m looking for a kit and cannot figure out which kit to offer. 160 cm ?? What do I look for?

Thabks

C

 

[fooferdoggie]

I have a 19” Specialized 26x1.5 wheels and am making a diy eBike with a rear wheel motor.

I want disk brakes.

I’m looking for a kit and cannot figure out which kit to offer. 160 cm ?? What do I look for?

Thabks

C

Does the bike have disc brake mounts?

 

[harryS]

My experience with installing disk brakes is that the calipers are the same, and I use different size mounting bracket for the different rotors. For exanple I started with 180mm on one bike and later went to 203mm.

A lot of bikes are 180mm in front and 160mm in back,

Does your Specialized already have caliper mounts front and rear? If your bike doesn't have mounts on the fork, most people, unless they have access to welding. will change the fork. It is better to weld the rear frame too, but thare are bolt on adapters that can work.

I've upgraded two bikes to disk brakes by (a) buying disk compatible forks, and (b) installing brackets on the rear. Would have been better off getting a frame that was disk compatible. A new fork costs as much as a salvage bike frame.

 

[harryS]

By the way, when I added the disk brakes, I started by buying no name calipers (real cheap), which worked, but I upgraded to Avid BBS-7 calipers, which are good. One winter, I changed one bike over to Shimano MT200 hydrualic brakes.

If you are starting from scratch, go with the Shimano hydraulics. Not that expensive, I think it was $75, and it eliminates all of the mechanical cables. You will lose the electrical cutoffs though. If you buy Shimano cutoffs, first they aren't available and second they are like a hundred bucks.

I made my own with a magnet kit and switch that they sell.

You can also get Zoom hydraulics for $50., I git a set of those too.

 

[tomjasz]

Avid BBS-7 calipers, which are good.

Very happy with them too. I don't ride at speeds needing 4 piston eBike kit Magura. I sold a bunch and IMO they're needed on class 3 and faster eBike. But Mechanical BBS-7 performs very well at <25MPH. Best quality Tektro Rim Brakes with KoolStop eBike pads are very close in performance.