Mechanical brakes vs Hydraulic brakes
- Thread starter Jmggc
- Start date
ebikemadtown
Member
Could be interesting to list some attributes to compare:
Cost
Stopping power
User experience / feel / braking feedback
Maintenance / up keep
I've only used mechanical myself.....
Cost
Stopping power
User experience / feel / braking feedback
Maintenance / up keep
I've only used mechanical myself.....
D
Deleted member 18083
Guest
- Disc brakes can be operated either hydraulically or mechanically.
- Rim brakes can be operated either hydraulically or mechanically.
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ebikemadtown
Member
Stopping power -
I can easily apply enough force to lock up my wheels. If hydraulic adds more force, is it usable??
Maintenance -
After 1,200 miles I needed to adjust my brake cable barrels. The levers had too much play. I assume this was both pad ware and cable stretch. Are any adjustments needed for hydraulic?
I can easily apply enough force to lock up my wheels. If hydraulic adds more force, is it usable??
Maintenance -
After 1,200 miles I needed to adjust my brake cable barrels. The levers had too much play. I assume this was both pad ware and cable stretch. Are any adjustments needed for hydraulic?
ebikemadtown
Member
Good catch, maybe edit title...mechanical vs hydraulic disc brakes
Art Deco
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Selinsgrove Pennsylvania
To me the big difference between hydraulic and mechanical brakes isn't about absolute 'lock them up' stopping power. It is about comfort during normal stops. Arthritic hands are pretty common on this forum and among people of a certain age.
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
you should not be adjusting them from the barrels you should use the adjustment knob on the caliper to move the pad in.
J.R.
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Piedmont Highlands
There have been many posts dealing with cable actuated mechanical disc brakes, and many report having to adjust them more frequently than 1000+ miles to keep the brakes stopping the same, with the same lever force every time. When I last had a bike with cable brakes, I made minor adjustments every 2 to 3 hundred miles. It's a minor adjustment. On some hub drive bikes there isn't room to adjust the rear caliper with the required hex key (allen) wrench. I have seen some creative workarounds for that.
Hydraulic systems never need adjustment. That's what the reservoir is for. Cable systems need cable adjustment and pad adjustment, hydraulic system just allows more fluid from the reservoir to take up the slack.
Hydraulic systems allow the rider to modulate the brakes. This fine tuning doesn't work on cable systems because the spring tension doesn't allow minor adjustment in pressure. Full lockup on hydraulic systems takes less time and distance. Once in a great while I've needed that quick lockup, but when you need it you're glad it's there. Finally one and two finger full braking is really nice to have, especially as we age and our hand strength is less. It's often required to cover the lever with a finger or two. You have full brake and handlebar control. This is especially important riding trails with large roots and rocks. You need to be able to modulate the brakes and keep a tight grasp of the bars because hitting those roots and rocks can wrench the bars right out of your hands. I have a few scars from that
Hydraulic systems never need adjustment. That's what the reservoir is for. Cable systems need cable adjustment and pad adjustment, hydraulic system just allows more fluid from the reservoir to take up the slack.
Hydraulic systems allow the rider to modulate the brakes. This fine tuning doesn't work on cable systems because the spring tension doesn't allow minor adjustment in pressure. Full lockup on hydraulic systems takes less time and distance. Once in a great while I've needed that quick lockup, but when you need it you're glad it's there. Finally one and two finger full braking is really nice to have, especially as we age and our hand strength is less. It's often required to cover the lever with a finger or two. You have full brake and handlebar control. This is especially important riding trails with large roots and rocks. You need to be able to modulate the brakes and keep a tight grasp of the bars because hitting those roots and rocks can wrench the bars right out of your hands. I have a few scars from that
indianajo
Well-Known Member
Two things that help cable pull brakes are 1 handles long enough, 5" 2 cables that don't stretch & bind. The cheap cables sold on most bikes do stretch since they are grey metal instead of steel, and regular metal binds in the housing. Clark's or Jaguar slick stainless cables don't bind and don't stretch. The original cables on my yubabike didn't stretch, came adjusted perfectly and stayed that way. I don't adjust the cable on my cable pull disk brakes, I adjust the pad to make up for lost material. About every 1000 miles. Takes 2 minutes on the front and 10 on the back because I have to take the pannier bag off. @ ~4000 miles I needed new pads on the front.
I can stop fast enough with 80 lb cargo on the back to throw myself off the seat. Tektro 160 mm cable pull disks with knobby tires.
I can stop fast enough with 80 lb cargo on the back to throw myself off the seat. Tektro 160 mm cable pull disks with knobby tires.
Gionnirocket
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Y. O.
I have Hydraulic calipers actuated by cable pull. Excellent smooth stopping power with nothing to bleed and easy to maintain.
As the pads wear, a 1/4 turn of the piston travel screw and I'm back to 100%
As the pads wear, a 1/4 turn of the piston travel screw and I'm back to 100%
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
don't count on not having to maintain them the fluid gets contaminated over time it absorbs moisture there is a reason they are not common. you miss out on all of the modulation you get with a full setup plus I doubt they ahve the longevity either.
Gionnirocket
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Y. O.
You know this how? The unit is fully sealed, otherwise it would leak under the pressure it operates under. And the stopping smoothness is more than adequate and I can feather it in as softly or abruptly as needed....from a less than noticeable slow to a full lock up with very good control.
So I doubt you have any experience or knowledge other than what you just Googled
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
my brakes are sealed too but they still get contaminated. the pistons moving in and out can do it. Plus the fluid absorbs moisture. even a bottle of fluid that is kept sealed once opened starts absorbing moisture. the mecanical effort it takes to operate any cable actuated brake its a lot more effort then any decent Hydraulic brake system.
I use both full hydraulic and also hydraulic actuated by cable pull, multiple sets of each, and the modulation is equally good in both (hydraulic) types. Longevity seems the same in each too, but nothing's worn out on either type (except pad wear) over 5 years I've had them. Hand force required at the lever is about the same--the full hydro may require slightly less but I can never decide if that's true since the feel is so similar.
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Gionnirocket
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Y. O.
So then your brakes are just as bad if not worse as the points of entry for moisture are far greater.. Not to mention leaks.
And I've got some very bad arthritis /carpal tunnel and at times have a hard time shifting... but never breaking. So I'll take the extra nannogram of lever force needed if any at all not to have to deal with bleeding, leaks and much higher cost of replacement.
So until you have some real experience with something... Let people Google their own conclusions.
What the heck is grey metal?
It's what they make muffler bearings and knibbler pins out of.
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
if you need light braking my shimano 4 pistion brakes are the way to go. I can use all of the braking action with one finger on each lever. but I have used a ton of cable actuated brakes and know how much work they are. if you want smoothness and the least amount of effort then you want some shimano 4 piston. my xt's take so little effort it took some getting used to not to overbrake as a light touch was all thats needed. never had any leaks and I went over 8000 miles before I changed the fluid.
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