Mountain Bike Disc Brakes: Are Hydraulic or Mechanical Better?

Mountain bike disc brakes and rim brakes are the 2 major types of mountain bike brakes seen today. Disc brakes may be hydraulic or mechanical. Which type of brake is best depends on your riding needs and finances. Below are strengths and weaknesses of each type of brake to help you decide which type is best for you.

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Are Mechanical or Hydraulic Disc Brakes Better? Got tips on which brakes are best and which ones to avoid? Tell us about it here...

Rim Brakes vs. Disc Brakes

All mountain bike brakes operate by the same general principal. A lever is pulled on the handlebar which causes a cable or fluid to compress brake pads against either the wheel rim or a rotor to slow down or stop the wheel. The left brake lever always operates the front wheel brake and the right lever operates the rear wheel.

Rim Brakes

With rim brakes, the brake lever is pulled and brake pads are compressed against the rim of the wheel. There are several different types of rim brakes, including v-brakes, u-brakes, cantilever brakes, or direct pull brakes, but you mostly see v-brakes today.

V-brakes are often found on entry-level mountain bikes, but sometimes advanced riders prefer them over disc brakes.

Advantages of Rim Brakes:

• Lighter than disc brakes
• Less expensive than disc brakes
• Mechanically very simple to maintain

Disadvantages of Rim Brakes:

• Do not work well when the rim gets muddy or wet
• Less stopping power than disc brakes
• Braking performance is affected by bent, damaged, or dirty rim

Disc Brakes

Disc brakes have become the standard on most mountain bikes today. With disc brakes, the brake lever is pulled and brake pads press against a rotor that is attached to the wheel hub. The brake pads are located inside a caliper that is attached to the frame or fork.

Advantages of disc brakes:

• Respond consistently in all riding conditions
• Braking effectiveness is not impacted by mud, rain, and snow because the pads and rotors are near the center of the wheel
• Better stopping power than rim brakes
• Require less force to be effective so easier on the hands

Disadvantages of disc brakes:

• Heavier than v-brakes
• More expensive than v-brakes
• More complicated to set up and maintain than v-brakes

Mechanical vs. Hydraulic Disc Brakes:

If you have decided that you want disc brakes, the next step is determining whether you want mechanical or hydraulic mountain bike disc brakes. There is a lot of controversy on which type is better. There are very good brands of both types.

Mechanical Disc Brakes

With mechanical mountain bike disc brakes, a tensioned steel cable activates pistons that cause the brake pads to compress against the rotor when the brake lever is pulled.

Advantages:

• Easier to set up and maintain mechanically
• Less expensive than hydraulic disc brakes

Disadvantages:

• Can not modulate amount of brake force as easily as hydraulics
• Have to apply more pressure to brake than hydraulic brakes

Hydraulic Disc Brakes

With hydraulic mountain bike disc brakes, instead of a steel cable, hydraulic fluid pushes pistons inside the caliper, which compress the brake pads.

Advantages:

• More precise control and sensitivity, which is good for technical riding
• Don't have to use as much pressure to brake
• Have a crisper feel than mechanical brakes

Disadvantages:

• More complicated mechanically to set up and maintain
• Can not fix on the trail if they fail because of the special equipment that is needed

PopShops™ affiliate stores There are some really great brands of mechanical and hydraulic disc brakes on the market today. Avid, Shimano, Formula, and Hayes are all great companies that make mountain bike disc brakes.


Avid makes fantastic brakes in both mechanical and hydraulic types. I currently have Formula R1 brakes on my bike. I love the way these brakes perform, especially for more aggressive riding. the only complaint I have about them is that they can be noisy. I had Hayes disc brakes on my old mountain bike and never had mechanical issues with them. They had great modulation and stopping power. Shimano is always a good bet. I personally liked the XTR Race version that I demoed, but the XT performed well also. I have not tried the XTR Trail version.

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