Mechanical or Hydraulic disc brakes?

Today, were taking a look at if it's worth upgrading to hydraulic brakes. We're also going to see if metallic pads stop better, do better rotos help, and how big can you go with rotors!
Affiliate links
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Shimano SLX Rotors: amzn.to/3lo1KSB
Metallic Pads for Axum brakes: amzn.to/3hAaFOE
Shimano MT200 Hydraulic brakes: amzn.to/3jiMe8P
Helpful links
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Organic Vs Metal pads: www.worldwidecyclery.com/blog...
How to replace disk pads: • How to Replace Bicycle...
How to install brake rotors: • How to Replace a Bicyc...
How to install hydraulic brakes: • How to install hydraul...
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#Budgetbikes #Schwinn #MTBupgrades

[@TrailFeatures]

It's so awesome this video took off the way it did! I got a lot of great questions and points out of the comment section. So, let me address them: *"Did you bed in the brakes?"* Yes. As I noted on screen at 1:23, I did it off camera to keep the video shorter. I did three laps down the hill off camera to bed things in. Some may feel this isn't enough, some may feel it's plenty. I felt this was enough to get the pads bedded in without having the testing take a week to complete. *"Did you use fresh rotors each time you changed the pads/brakes?"* No. Due to COVID cleaning out supply of bike parts, and just the cost of having to buy three (or more) sets of rotors, I decided to reuse the same SLX rotors. Could this have affected the outcome? Maybe. Would it have been a meaningful change? Likely not. I couldn't find anything on the web that said it would matter after the pads bedded in. If someone wants to make a video testing this out, I'd encourage them to do so! It would be way more educational to everyone than a speculative comment thread. *"Hey! Higher-end rotors cool better!"* Yes! Very much so! But that's difficult to test in a quantitative way in the real world. I would have had to find a massive hill and used the same braking force the whole way without locking the tires, hard to do reliably and would have greatly increased the time to do all the tests. I just decided to focus on what I could measure with the resources and time I had available. Also, this was aimed at people on a budget so $90-$120 (USD) for a set of rotors is pricey compared to the MT201 brake system. Unless you commute in a very hilly area or are really pushing the limits of what your bike can take on, you won't really see the benefits of more expensive rotors. If someone wants to make a video testing this out, I'd encourage them to do so! *"Why didn't you do more runs?"* I would have loved to do more runs, but there is only so much time in the day after working a full-time job. Three runs were enough to get a good idea of if there was any noticeable change. As I said in the video, there's a ton of variables that go into this and it's impossible to control for them all. Human error doubly so. *"You used the wrong tires!"* Yes, I would have gotten better traction with road tires. However, we weren't testing the grip of the tires. This test was only to test the brake system. *"I would have done the tests differently..."* I fully encourage people to make their own videos doing similar brake tests! I'd be very interested to see what results other people get, and it would also help people appreciate how much work went into this video behind the scenes. At the end of the day, this was mostly some fun backyard science just to get a good guess on what would be the best bang for buck. I leave the real science to the people with lab coats and a Phd.

[@tyrellchibvongodze3566]

Awesome man, you did a great job on the video and in your responses. I think it was more that adequate for general analysis and making a reasonable conclusion.

[@kevinvandeventer8690]

On the first run it sounds like they are contaminated. I've only ever heard pads sound like that when they've been contaminated with brake fluid.

[@trulsdirio]

According to the documentation we have in shop, Shimano reccomends 30 full stops from 30 km/h per brake. I can share the information, but it's in german, so probably won't offer much here. So this was probably way too little according to the manufacturer and also explains why the result got better with every try almost each time.

[@TrailFeatures]

@@trulsdirio I’d love to see your video testing if there is a major change in how much you bed in the breaks. 👍

[@wujekcientariposta]

""You used the wrong tires!" Yes, I would have gotten better traction with road tires. However, we weren't testing the grip of the tires. This test was only to test the brake system." I have a thing about that. Once the braking power exceeds the grip of the tires you are effectively limiting your testing to precisely grip only. It could be that the mt200 would stop you in 5 ft but your tires wouldn't so it didn't. The results could vary much more if you had tires made specifically for grip and say weighted the back of your bike so you could really pull them. That said I point it out just theoretically because it annoys me when people brag about their bling brakes without considering or realizing that the much cheaper ones braking power exceeds their tires grip anyway so they do nothing.

[@dougie730]

I just cut my brakes off, all they do is slow you down.

[@TrailFeatures]

Life hack.

[@ankush_tesla]

V brake or mechanical disc?

[@nekojcovek8466]

@@ankush_tesla mechanical

[@ankush_tesla]

@@nekojcovek8466 thank you

[@rolandoinductivo8013]

#premiumrash 🤣

[@veishmenchrish3427]

I stop by putting my face on the ground. Never had a problem.

[@TrailFeatures]

I hear that brake system has a good bite.

[@jed-henrywitkowski6470]

Lol.

[@boowiebear]

Just did it yesterday. Stopped real fast

[@aidenmtb5784]

Trail Features ya bite your tung off.

[@DinnerForkTongue]

@@TrailFeatures That depends on how many teeth you still have after coming to a stop. Normally not much.

[@louisday]

hidraulic brakes also just feel very good to use, you only really need one finger on the brake levers to use its 100% capability, allowing for the rest of the fingers to be holding on the bar, something very useful for mountain biking.

[@DickRichie510]

I remember not having brakes.. just always wedging my shoe in back tire..

[@zandercraghead5355]

Shit yeah bro those weren’t the days 🤣

[@rubrencastrodumaual3077]

Philippines lol

[@randomthoughts8346]

good old days ughhhh miss that so much 😭😭

[@randomthoughts8346]

@@rubrencastrodumaual3077 kaya nga haha

[@Slycarlo]

LoL. I remember doing that when i was a kid when i cant afford to buy new brakes for my bike and its one of the most fun memories I had specially when i ride with my cousins and friends who also do the same

[@wintergreene795]

The amount of effort put into this video is just amazing.

[@TrailFeatures]

Thanks!

[@vt500ft]

I concur, and it is appreciated. Nice job! :)

[@FrankySilverFace]

Tremendous editing!

[@HuntsyCleadman]

Watch this KZbin video at 1.75X speed and it becomes bearable.

[@micdoors1425]

Excellent systematic approach. Thank you

[@JeffWagen]

I never had problems with stopping power with mechanical brakes, the main issue is they tire your hands way faster than good hydros.

[@gedrot2486]

This has been very much different for me but it probably also heavily depends on the model of caliper that you have and your specific use case. I always had to actively heat manage my brakes after about 30 seconds of braking so I could extend the descend up to 3 minutes, wich is basically all you get around here and adjusting the brakes was terribly tedious (Shimano BR-M415 calipers). I than moved over to hydraulic 4 pots and fell in love, everything bicycle-brake has to measure up to my adored BR-MT520 set now.

[@JeffWagen]

@@gedrot2486 I had Sram bb5s, and I used metal pads, but I had those shimano mechanical before then and they were crap just like you said, pads eat away easily, the biggest difference was when I changed the housings to compressionless, it made a night and day difference.

[@Cdaley50]

And also u can one finger brake hydros and get way more stopping power. That leaves more fingers on the bars for grip. If u've never had a good set of 4 piston hydros ur missing out. 🤙. Also depends on what kind of trails u ride.

[@TrailFeatures]

They can definitely make a huge difference on arm fatigue. Especially since you have to use two fingers with mech to really get a lot of power out of them. Means it’s harder to hold onto the bar and could really make you feel sketched out.

[@JeffWagen]

@@Cdaley50 that's true, I ride mostly xc courses and the likes of it, for my use I had enough stopping power, probably I wouldn't if I rode more steep and gnarly stuff...

[@miltonwilliamcooper1711]

"Brakes aren't for stopping, they are for controlling your speed" - heard this 20 years ago and still makes me laugh. Great video

[@tetrapro2010]

and is true;to regulate speed.

[@diegoeleazar9154]

I think most people dont look up ahead. Im pretty sure the next innovation will be an ABS system for bikes 🤣

[@Ferrari255GTO]

@@diegoeleazar9154 Learning both yourself and your bike is the best ABS you can have, learn to control yourself in tense situations and keep your cool, it's not easy but if you can do it you will avoid more crashes than ABS could. With my old Lapierre Froggy 318 i can have some insanely short braking distances because the fork is not ment for my weight and the rebound doesnt work anymore, wich makes it a hazard on the trails but it also means that it retains most of the weight shift and lets me pull off some insane saves on the road. My rear brake is often quite useless because it locks the rear wheel with near minimum pressure. It's also funny because i would have never thought that i would have more wear in the front wheel than the rear, but the crazy fast braking does mean my tyres suffer quite a bit under such a heavy load, i'm no skinny guy landing just under 100kg. I have 203mm AliExpress floating disks and Formula RX brakes

[@S-O-T]

@@diegoeleazar9154 Electric scooters have front electric abs lol

[@foihi]

So true, cause of this I cycle a fixie 😍

[@giuseppepennisi8699]

What an awesome video. My girlfriend started mountain biking and I was battling to convince her to use more front brake on the descents. She would chow the rear pads and descend really slow and dangerously. After showing her how safe it is to use your front brake from this video when you only using front brake and the results of you not locking up or going over the bars really helped convince her to try out the correct way of using her brakes. She’s finally starting to improve and her confidence is gaining to too. Thanks for this.

[@christopherwall1130]

Better rotors dissipate heat much better. They end up being able to withstand longer periods of stopping without the brakes “fading”.

[@TrailFeatures]

Indeed, and that’s what I was referring to with the hundred dollar rotors. Most people looking to upgrade the brakes on A budget haven’t really pushed the limits of heat dissipation on value rotors. If you get into the point where you need ice tech rotors, then you’re probably way past what a $600 Hardtail was made for. 👍

[@alen-commentnazi8774]

yeah but lets be real, most people aren't heating up their rotors enough to get to that point, even at the park

[@juanyh]

@@alen-commentnazi8774 I guess I do. We have a lot of trails that are 4 hours of climb with almost a thousand meters of elevation change, then 1 ~ 1.5 hours of straight downhill. It's not just my rear brake over heating. My thigh, palm, forearm and fingers all put to test.

[@alex_4cj64]

@@TrailFeatures thx for roasting the 600$ ht gang

[@Hunter_Bidens_Crackpipe_]

Better rotor? It's called a bigger one. Just get 203mm, $7 from aliexpress. You're not gonna beat physics getting $100 160mm 180mm marketeer wank rotors. Pads are $2 on ali for a pair, available in organic, metal, ceramic, performs just as good... Wtf are you guys doing buying this overpiced crap...

[@boston7704]

Best line ever "Just because you think you have enough reaction time, doesn't mean you do" True words never spoken!

[@Cal94]

Tip for colder climate cyclists: Mechanical brake lines can get water in them, which can freeze in the winter. my commuter CX bike has mechanical discs, and the rear brake line curves upwards to the caliper, meaning water travels down into the cable housing whenever it rains, and it never fully gets out. I tried greasing up the cable before putting it into the housing, and dropping oil based lube at the end of the brake housing, to try and dissuade water ingress, to no avail. if the line freezes, i usually have front brake only, but lock up your front wheel on a patch of ice and you're gonna have a bad time. if you need the stopping power, you can usually clamp hard enough to engage the rear brake, despite the ice, but then your back brake is frozen AND engaged. 30 seconds and some sore fingers, and you can sometimes yank the caliper open enough to carry on, or step into a building and it'll melt in a few mins, but it'll be frozen again after a few km. and Both shimano mineral oil and sram DOT fluid in hydraulic systems i believe are good down to -20, so if you have winter commuting on your list of to-dos, give mechanical groupsets a pass.

[@hematogen50g]

My hydraulic brakes become sluggish when it`s below zero. Maybe I need some other type of oil.

[@flatheadfletch]

Mechanical disc is better for bike trekking, bike packing. In Logan Utah it’s cold, hydrolics freeze up

[@troyadams19]

Thank you for that info. Do you know if there are any hydraulic systems that are meant for below -20? I use an e bike with mechanical discs for commuting during the winter and it regularly drops below -20. They mostly work well if I adjust them every other ride but it's a constant headache.

[@SeaCowsBeatLobsters]

There are housing ends that seal with an o-ring. They increase friction, but help to keep dirt out. Might help. Better option is to run full length compressionless housing

[@OldTaima]

some grease will make the cable sluggish

[@joelfurlong9984]

Hey mate, I loved how to tested your theories out in a repeatable way. I think you created some real world information right there. I was surprised how much difference hydro brakes created.

[@boracay12]

Thanks for going through all that to show real results. It is very helpful and informative .

[@Cheap.Adventures]

"But the baseline is baseline" then showed Davie504's face 🤣 hilarious 😂

[@TrailFeatures]

*SLAP LIKE NOW*

[@dennishp]

At 10:23 yeah *slap like*

[@SilVer-hu2ps]

@@TrailFeatures you automatically gained a sub

[@jensohlund1091]

Also slapped like at 10:20

[@franta5832]

I think this is a very well made test. I particularly appreciate how you highlitght the limitations and don't generalize or claim to have found the absolute truth.

[@davidguzzardo6327]

Wonderful video I’ve been on the fence about hydraulic and mechanical brakes and no video has ever really help me with my decision, until yours! Thank you for making a video

[@perryvath7617]

my MT200 upgrade has been the best upgrade, by far, on my ‘cheap’ bike. Totally changes the feel of the bike and my confidence going into turns or down unfamiliar terrain.

[@tvmasterprobutts4246]

did the same 2 my kids hardtail...threw on mt200's from avid mech's....he was super stoked at improvement!

[@robertmcfadyen9156]

Great value for money option..

[@r10000mips]

Yes 65.00 for both complete set.. UK. Sep 23. Just put a set on my oldest Yukon 3 2008. Now as good as my new bikes.

[@shaylennaidoo5834]

Excellent video! It basically validated my purchase of the MT200 and my desire to oversize the front rotor to 180mm. Thanks a million!

[@rgeraldalexander4278]

Thanks for taking the time to do these tests. I have hydraulic brakes on my heavy EV, and mechanical on my road bike, which seems to work well for each.

[@jjgalletta66]

Excellent video, dude. Thanks so much for all the time and effort you put into making it. Kudos!!!

[@gr8videofun]

That big oak tree at the bottom of the trail stopped me faster than any break setup I ever used.

[@mannyjimenez3738]

Been there, done that.

[@monicaausnit]

I’m not replacing brakes at the moment but this was still fun to watch 😂

[@TrailFeatures]

Glad it was entertaining!

[@vishwanathmallela2926]

My g this video is absolutely rad! So much detail. Thanks mate.

[@aliciaantoniadis9100]

Thank you, I liked it a lot. Good pacing, good and clear voice and the editing. A special thank you for the AT-AT walker in the background. Sincerely, Alicia from Sweden.

[@ChrisCXK]

This was pretty timely. With the pandemic, I've found it really tough to get service done so I started working on my own bike. I upgraded my rear rotor from 160mm to 180mm. I'm about to replace the rotor up front (same size), I've had the same rotor for all 1,950 miles on the bike lol! Great job as always. I just realized I missed your last four videos before this, I'm okay with that since there's nothing on TV, now I have something to watch!

[@JohnSmith-uu3gg]

What pandemic?

[@kaspervestergaard2383]

1518 France. @@JohnSmith-uu3gg

[@Acceleronics]

Braking is as much about feel and confidence as it is about absolute stopping power. I'm currently making the transition from beginner to intermediate on steep, long downhills that I share with hikers. I've upgraded (IMO) to Magura MT7s with their 220 mm e-bike rotors front and rear. This setup never fades and it provides excellent modulation and amazing stopping power even after a long descent interrupted by hikers and unleashed dogs. This is all good for my current level of confidence. My riding is not skilled or aggressive enough to notice the added weight of the 4-pot calipers and big rotors.

[@MrNonDescript01]

This was the Project Farm - Bike Version. Well done. The numbers were great to see, the real value is @15:11.

[@thra5herxb12s]

That sounds like something Todd could review.

[@hiigara2085]

Love the chalk work. Effective presentation for the vid!

[@johnbryniarski1601]

one last sugguestion for your mechanical setup would be compressionless housing. I find that the slop and drag in housing on a lot of mechanical disc brake setups can make a big difference in lever feel. Great Video!

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks for doing all this work, Joseph. Nice to see some old school field tests. And that chart!

[@TrailFeatures]

r/dataisbeautiful

[@Bom_Tutcher]

Thanks so much very informative! Keep up the good work!

[@thecalmingexperience2970]

Thx for taking the time to experiment and show the information

[@rabakmata]

I like it when you put that bassist's pic!

[@dawsonfradin9071]

I saw a flash and went back frame by frame... this video slaps

[@H00kieD00kie]

I finally experienced brake fading bombing a descent on my used $400 diamondback hook line. 180 up front, 160 in the rear, same shimano mt201. The mountain was steeper and longer than anything I had done before, ended in a big crash coming up to a turn I couldn't slow down enough before. Also made the mistake of touching my rotars and gave my finger a 3rd degree burn in a split second! Thanks for this great video, answered a lot of questions!

[@-tr0n]

This is a pretty damn comprehensive test, appreciate all the effort you put into it!

[@Zomby_Woof]

That, and just because you _can_ dial in mechanicals yo be as effective as disc, doesn't mean you will.

[@grrrgrrr4805]

'just be haopy that you have a bike' first time i heard somebody say that.. not being overly concerned about new tech, price or whats cool... salute to you.. be glad coz not everybody id as gonzo as the next guy and a lot are just happy being able to ride..

[@mountainbikingfortherestofus]

Such a good video. Useful test, very well made video and you personally are really a likable and professional presenter. Thank you. Robert

[@TheJones_AZ]

Great Video - Thanks for taking all the time and sharing.

[@scotboy1297]

Thanks for all the time and effort put into this video, it might have saved more lives and bike damage than you realize.

[@energ8t]

Type of brakes you use depend heavily on your type of bike, riding style, terrain and body weight. Good hydros reduce fatigue greatly and improve accurate actuation and control.

[@justindemoude520]

Great video...still informative after all these years! Your efforts in putting this together nothing less than Herculean and it shows...you deserve a sponsor, or two!

[@yekoreaper]

It's been 2 years

[@qwr4ut]

Great video! Answered a lot of questions! Thanks

[@98sixxer]

Super useful information dude! Cant wait for more!

[@caresiri]

It would be awesome to test the performance with wet brakes. Great video by the way!

[@daakmaar]

The only bike I’ve had with mech brakes is my gravel bike (which I ride on some more mellow MTB trails). I would have gone up to the next level with hyd’s, but the mechs allow levers on the flats, as well as the drops. For more leisurely rides, that’s a huge bonus to me.

[@davidharris453]

Excellent, clear delivery with real world testing and well thought out advice....am i still on youtube?!! Congratulations on surpassing the standards set by the other 80 percent of you tubers!

[@Calirangr]

I thought this was really well thought out. The simple tests w/ data taking really made sense to me and the cost/benefit analysis really hit on all cylinders with me. (Mechanical engineer by education, but business person by trade). I'll be looking at other content from this guy. Again...great job!!

[@WOLFTICKVIDEOS]

Great job on this video! We were going to do something similar, but you just did such a good job, I don't think that we could do nearly as well haha. Thank you for putting in all of that time for this video. It must have been a heck of a lot of work.

[@TrailFeatures]

I’d say do it! Peer review is an awesome tool. It helps build a better picture.

[@nishanthreghunath8845]

I dont own a bicycle, and know absolutely nothing about bicycles. But find your videos very fascinating

[@recyclespinning9839]

You should try one. Just get a decent one and get the blinker lights front and rear and side reflectors..

[@dario957]

Excellent video! I like your approach. I am new in the hobby, thank you!

[@gibboj]

nice vid man ,keep up the good work

[@themiddleagemasher8108]

Great vid Joseph. I Recently had struggles with breaks howling and ended up going with the Shimano day or four piston hydraulics with a 203 mm rotors front and a 180 mm rotors rear with ceramic pads no more howling and they stop somewhere between metallic and resin

[@mrvwbug4423]

howling brakes = wet, dusty, or very hot, outside of those conditions the brakes should be quiet, regardless of pad material.

[@darrenhilton9402]

Well done, sir. Well done! Thank you, for your hard work.

[@TrailFeatures]

Thank you!

[@jaydenedmand3514]

Great video simple and practical testing methods and very well explained thanks for all the effort you put in to making this video sir gained a sub

[@jakub_qba]

Great video! I had couple of brakes and have similar conclusions. Nevertheless appreciate effort for all the changes of equipment done!

[@orlov_alex]

The best upgrade for this test would be street tires, since after installing hydraulic brakes you started to drift a lot more and the lack of grip did not let you to show all the potential braking power increase.

[@ApeWatchingTV]

Upgrading from SRAM Guide T to Shimano XTR was the best upgrade I‘ve ever made. My hands hurt so much trying to use the cheaper brakes that it made longer rides incredibly uncomfortable. My hands no longer hurt after using XTR

[@michaelmichaelagnew8503]

Would have loved to see him do this in the video since Shimano 4 piston breaks SLX/XT/XTR make a huge difference. I have SLX 4 piston breaks and switching out my rotors to XTR rotors and upping the size this week. Just waiting for them to come in.

[@kenjuicekrajewski9577]

Awesome video. Everything I needed to know for my build

[@ooPROTOTYPE1oo]

The last thing you said in the video was the most significant for me, thanks.

[@jed-henrywitkowski6470]

When I was a teen, I zipped through a red light on my bike. That is when I found out, that my state considers a mounted bicycle, a vehicle, and all traffic laws apply to us.

[@TrailFeatures]

A lot of states actually require bicycles to adhere to the same laws as cars when on public roads. This is where a lot of the road rage happens that gets aimed at cyclists. They jump all over the place and can be unpredictable. All it takes is one bad experience to give non-cyclists a bad impression.

[@christocr]

Yep. I'm actually shocked at what I see some road cyclists do around here. It's like they don't think any traffic law applies to them. Then when there is an accident, they get all emotional about motorists not adhering to traffic laws when it was likely THEM who wasn't following the rules. Well... that glass house is pretty fragile. I bike mostly in the mountains on mountain bikes. When I do ride on the roads, I don't assume I am something special. I stick to the rules, especially when there is a lot of traffic. Luckily, there are tons of mountain and desert trails around here, so I don't ride the roads very much at all. Distracted motorists make me just as nervous and paranoid as cyclists who won't follow the traffic laws.

[@BigPhilBigBike]

I really appreciate the amount of work you put into this

[@smoothitalianleathereater6045]

I'm building a gravel bike from an old Mountain bike, and I'm welding on disk brake mounts to be able to put some on. Really perfect video to see where to put my money

[@user-do5hd7zb4x]

Really good test! Consumer reports would be proud of you! Thanks for doing this test.

[@liamtahaney713]

Idk ive got a bike with hydrologic disks and it's incredible. Feels so good. So much more responsive than any other break system I've used

[@hematogen50g]

True. Even the cheapest hydraulics feels so much better than mechanics

[@MimeTrix]

This was a really awesome video to show the actual representation of riding with the different scenarios. I am a bike technician of three/four years now training new people and this is a fantastic video to help that training process and will enable us to better assist our riders. With that being said, I currently own a baseline GT bike that came with a standard shimano mechanical breaking systems and I swapped it over to hydraulics. The difference it made in the stopping power and the overall feel when riding. I feel like I have better control over the bike for what I am doing.

[@gentasepriandi999]

tks for the effort, its just what i need, my brake pad just chew my rear rotor and i need a replacement, but with your explanation i dont need expensive rotor...

[@thomaskeenan2208]

Safety a high priority for most like me. Thanks for the comparison. Vid attracted some useful comments too.

[@Norcalflat]

Awesome test, I've been running Avid BB-7s for years with no issues. I currently have the BB-7 MTN S calipers with Avid 185mm centerlock rotors, and high quality cables/housing, the lever feel is comparable to hydraulic and the front brake can lift the back wheel with one finger. Super reliable, decent on weight and price, easy to set up/maintain/repair. The only other mechanical brakes I would consider running are Paul Klampers, but they come at a premium price. The only reason I would ever consider hydraulic again would be if I started riding in very wet/muddy conditions frequently. Both systems have their benefits, mechanical just meets my needs better.

[@adambrickley1119]

I had BB7's on my old cc bike and could not fault them. Currently got xt hydraulics on an old Blur LT, but thinking about building up a lightweight 29er full suss cc bike, and would prob put BB7's on it. Really simple to set up, work fine and no bleeding works for me too.

[@niceguyrides]

Ditto

[@adammacer]

Thanks, that's really interesting to hear - I'm just wondering whether to go BB7 on an All-Packa build or Juin hybrids - the latter are WAY cheaper but are they reliable? Have had Hope hydro's for 20 years and am loath to leave hydro but a recent switch to Shimano M-6100 on my Fargo has not impressed me - performance is ok but the bleeding is a bs PITA and I hear that they're not too reliable with leaking seals..

[@iddn]

Good luck getting replacement 185mm rotors these days

[@mrvwbug4423]

The main benefits to brake upgrades aside from better stopping is also better heat resistance and better performance in wet and dusty conditions. Resin pads on cheap 2 piston brakes will fade rapidly when they get hot, and have little stopping power when wet. Metallic pads on cheap 2 pots will have better fade resistance and MUCH better stopping in the wet, but will still lose modulation when they get hot and feel like a on/off switch. Metallic pads on good 4 pistons like Shimano SLX or better or SRAM Codes will basically never fade, and never lose modulation no matter how hot they get. 4 pots also require a lot less lever effort than 2 pots and are easier to modulate. But I wouldn't recommend 4 pots on a cheap hardtail, but they are worth every penny on a trail or enduro bike that will see big and steep descents, and especially park days. Also E01S is the metallic pads for your MT-200 shimanos.

[@TrailFeatures]

Epic! Just ordered a pair of those E01S to try out!

[@lukiotemmi]

How did you know that we have mt200s😲

[@MrAlexander137]

Heat dissipation is most important when upgrading rotors.

[@MattExzy]

I'll put a word in for resin - they're quiet and don't wear rotors as much. But that's for what I call my casual 'pottering around' riding style where they're fine, and if it's raining, I'll take the car lol

[@michaellinnett7786]

Great video ! Just mentioning that changing rotor size generally requires an adapter bracket to shift the calliper to the correct place on the larger rotor....not wanting others to purchase bigger rotors to discover they won't fit 😢 I've just replaced pads and rotors on my ebike - the rotors lasted 4 pad changes from new, so 5 pads from new to needing a rotor change. Shimano 160mm rotors and resin pads - here in Oz I recently paid AUD $23 for resin pads and AUD $60 for rotors. I choose to stay with resin pads to get more life from my rotors - as you point out in your video - metallic pads chew through rotors. I do the same with my cars - I choose softer pads so my rotors last longer and accept more brake dust on the wheels and shorter intervals between pad changes. Disc brakes even with resin pads work way better in the wet than the rim brakes on my road bike ! Bedding in new pads/rotors is important - the video flashed up the message that bedding in had been done !👍 Plenty of good videos from Park Tools etc on how to bed new pads/rotors in - essentially the process lays a thin layer of pad material on the rotor. It's the interaction between the rotor with the thin layer of brake material with the brake pads clamping onto the rotor that generates the best stopping power. Easy to bed bike pads and rotors in - much harder to find safe/controlled environments to bed in new pads/rotors on cars 😢 Once again - great video - clearly lots of effort went into its creation - well done! Cheers Mike

[@joshportelli]

Thank you for using the scientific method. It is interesting how each trial of same setup you got slightly better. But because you did them all this way each dataset is very much a great apples to apples comparison to the next.

[@b2do241]

thumps up for being so honest at the start, watched your video any way. VBRAKES FOR THE WIN

[@akiraung]

I’m just happy my brakes aren’t rim ones

[@dav7431]

You should be my rim brakes are close to useless in the rain

[@froggy0162]

Go and say that on a roadie video and watch the hilarious amount of roadies defend rim brakes. Very entertaining.

[@pausecyclisme2366]

@@froggy0162 It's lighter ! Also, good rim brakes are equal to the hydraulics one on the roads bikes on the dry.

[@froggy0162]

Pause : Cyclisme ! Lol, here we go!

[@audetnicolas]

@@pausecyclisme2366 Rim brakes apply much more torque because of the longer distance to the wheel center, so thay compensates for the lower friction coefficient. In a sense it's a bit as if the whell rim is like a very large disk...

[@AngelGarcia-xn1uu]

Keep in mind, every time you lock the wheels you increase the stopping distance due to static friction loss. That's why cars use ABS (anti-lock brake system) and now bicycle companies and vendors are developing ABS for bicycles. During a hard stop an experienced bicyclist shifts his weight to the back wheel and applies enough braking power at the levers without locking the wheels. Class 3 E-Bikes will probably be the first to get ABS due to high speed safety concerns. A physics professor once told me, "the job of a breaking system is to stop the wheels only." Once the breaks stop the wheels it's the tires job to stop the bike car or whatever.

[@TrailFeatures]

This is true! I was trying my best to threshold break to prevent skidding. Was a lot more challenging than I anticipated. Maybe with softer rubber on the tires I would’ve been able to finesse it a little better.

[@chiadutstuffs7091]

Its intriguing.. By the year 2075 MTB like this wud have launch control, wheelie control, electronic suspension, adaptive cruise control, traction control, cornering control, hill start assist, airbags, parking sensors, and the most important.. Autonomous mode, then u wud hv no worries bout ridin ur lovely bike :V

[@ZenoxDemin]

@@chiadutstuffs7091 I remember seeing a YT video of a guy who controlled his rear break with an angle-meter of some sort to do wheelies without being able to fall backwards.

[@chiadutstuffs7091]

@@ZenoxDemin seee thats what i'm talkin bout 😆

[@E150GT]

Yes in the car world a good brake upgrade is new tires

[@takagienterprises]

Very informative. Thanks!

[@barriemunns5809]

Great video, very informative, thanks for sharing.

[@marekvanatka2426]

We just upgraded my gf's bike from MT400 to SLX M7100 and the difference is HUGE... Much more control in every situation. And in the end of the day it was not sooo much money.

[@TrailFeatures]

SLX brakes are a great bang for buck!

[@bakai450]

Thx for all of this !

[@theretrobikeshed3392]

Just subbed in i must say im well impressed with this video really well explained 👍👌

[@Sbeatsophrenia]

Davie's cameo appearance got me hahahahaah good job, bruv! This has heen really helpful!

[@seanwilliams9129]

Not going to question Davie504's face at 10:22 where you say "but a baseline is a bassline"

[@john_john_john]

I can't speak good enough about bigger rotors in my experience. I've upgraded from 180-160mm to 203-180mm when I bought a set of Magura MT5. I've had to RMA the lever from the front brake so I was left with using the old 2 piston budget Shimanos that came with the bike (M315). The bump from 180mm to 203mm rotors was extremely noticeable, the older Shimano brakes were obviously not as powerful as the MT5 but I was able to lift my back wheel without shifting my weight, something I couldn't do with the older 180mm rotor.

[@ajohn1929]

Appreciated this video SO MUCH!!! I am getting a basic bike to ride with small kids but the info is very useful. I have decided on Mech Disc Brakes just because will not go that fast to the fruit market :) Great job, I subscribed just because you are so STRAIGHT FORWARD!!!!

[@Wen6543]

You sure? I have the cheap Tektro M290 and i´m never going back to mechanical brakes, performance matters but also the sensations, they feel awesome, you can completely brake with just one finger and have total control on the power applied, smooth and pretty powerful at the same time even with 180 mm rotors. After 6 years i had zero problems with them and yes, maintenance is a little more trickier than with mechanical brakes but nothing extraordinary, can be done at home with few and cheap tools.

[@carstenweiland7896]

Maguras worked for me - the date was 1992! Bike is still in use.

[@youjarratt]

It would be interesting to repeat this test on dirt to see if the extra modulation of the hydraulic brakes makes a difference???

[@godfreya.1599]

Changed from a budget chinese cable disc brake to entry level shimano mt200 hydraulics feels like a day and night difference

[@Oroborus710]

It may not be as consistent or repeatable, but I think that you should perform a similar test in gravel/dirt conditions with various tire tread designs!

[@goodoz9942]

Fantastic review...Thanks!

[@aldrinsaliba5184]

good advice dude here in the Philippines since the epidemic almost everyone is buying bikes and getting fad crazy about the upgrades they are forgetting the most important thing in having a bike its having fun riding, learning how to fix it and finding new friends in the long way keep safe god bless and share the road "kapadyak".....

[@DoroTheExplorer]

Totoo ito. Display na lang sa bahay...

[@lowtech6764]

Same mistake as always: Promising to compare one system vs. another - ending up comparing cheap quality vs. decent quality.

[@Tony-dh]

I would not run slx.

[@roddas26]

I notice you didn't get a like or a comment from the op either. Hmmm.

[@corennet.6776]

I've only ever used the kind that has the breaks on the wheels and for most of my life before that, pedal power breaking, but recently upgraded to a bike with a disk break system. I cannot describe the world of difference it has been. Never ever going back. lol

[@GadgetsGearCoffee]

Finally, I have had non stop issues with my mechanical brakes despite all the adjusting, even brought it to a shop and made no diff. Haven't ridden it in a few weeks while waiting for the kit. Hoping it'll fix all my issues

[@argonaut6386]

Really enjoyed this. Thanks for putting in all the time and effort to conduct a really good comparison. I'm running Tektro Aeries mechanical disc brakes and compared to my old bike with rim brakes there's no comparison especially in the wet. Only just realised in the UK our front brake is the RH lever and not the LH like yours.

[@eljaibas16]

you should do a video testing different brake pads like ceramic, metallic, organic, and others

[@TM-we6eg]

Love this, thank you for the video very informative.

[@ferventheat]

Thanks for the great video. Worth considering for the future. My quick fix upgrade was a Full Metal Jacket kit from Sram/avid. Worth the cost and time, and looks neat too. This type of upgrade can be achieved by buying metal tubes yourself or getting brake cable with Kevlar sleeving ('non compressible brake cable'), but the kit was as cheap as the lengths of Kevlar cable.

[@janjacket]

By the way thanks for the meters ;) greetings from switzerland

[@TrailFeatures]

No problem 👍

[@myobboy9973]

I have a lovely Italian folding bike with drum brakes, they are very neat looking of course. After going over the handle bars once and finding a steep downhill where the brakes could not even stop the bike at all, all I can say is that disk brakes were invented for a reason.

[@oneselmo]

Yup! Same thing with cars. If you've never driven a big old sled from the 50s, you don't know just how much better disk brakes are.

[@FyoGuidesAndRides]

I'm not sure about the drum brakes these days, but back in the 80's drum brakes stops you gradually and we can't do an endo even with a lot of pushing. So we use caliper brakes on a bmx.

[@stevek8829]

Wow, I've never even seen a bicycle with drum brakes. Unless you meant a coaster brake, but they are only on the rear wheel so not "brakes."

[@stevek8829]

@@oneselmo for single stop use dual leading shoe drum brakes are more powerful than the tires. ABS are a much greater help. The main benefit of disks is heat dissipation which is a factor in racing and mountain descents. Drums are still dominant in trucks weighing 80,000 pounds.

[@myobboy9973]

@@stevek8829 My Di Basi (great Italian designer, now long gone) has neat little drum brakes on both wheels. I hardly ever use it these days because I never visit cities any more, but it was perfect for riding from the nearest free car parking into the centre on the pavements. It has built in lights and five speeds. It folds into a tiny suit case. It is also geat for yachting and small planes because it is so tiny when folded up. Luggage rack rated at 20ib, what a great piece of kit.

[@jeromecillo1682]

love this video and thank you for explaining the difference between brakes, I ended up going for the hydraulic.