Whats the difference between Hydraulic disk brakes and mechanical ones ? I'm talking mountain bikes here.?

Question

I dont know why people like hydraulic ones

Answer 1

machancial brakes work simply by pulling the wire. the othe kind relesing a oil that causes pressure to stop the brake.

Answer 2

Hydraulic brakes force a fluid from the master cylinder at the lever through a braided hose to the caliper. The fluid pushes against the back of the caliper's piston, which forces the brake pads into contact with the rotor.

Pretty much all disc brakes today are open systems, which means that there is an extra reservoir to allow the fluid to expand when heated. Older "closed" systems didn't have this feature, and when the fluid expanded it would force the brakes on without touching the lever. Quite dangerous.

Mechanical or cable operated disc brakes simply use the tried & true cable pull to actuate the caliper. Usually, there is a leadscrew type mechanism that "screws" the brake pads into the rotor as the cable is pulled.

Despite what people may say, hydraulics are not necessarily more powerful than mechanical disc brakes. It comes down to how well the product was designed, and a good mechanical will be cheaper, easier to maintain, and lighter than a hydraulic one. Avid makes the best mechanical disc brakes so far.

Though there are a bunch of very good hydraulics from Formula, Magura, Hayes, and Shimano, the consensus is that the Avid Juicys are also the best hydraulics available.

Answer 3

A disc brake uses two pads, either side of the disc, that are forced together when pulling a lever. This causes friction and heat, which will stop the bike. The force can be applied by two methods, mechanical and hydraulic. The mechanical system uses a cable, conected from the lever on your handle bar, to a similar lever on your brake. Pulling this lever forces the two pads together onto the disc. The second method uses hydraulic fluid and is the same system used by cars. Fluid is forced down a pipe, which will move a piston, at the brake calliper to move, pushing the pads into contact with the disc. Of the two systems, although slightly heavier, I would say that the hydraulic system is better, since more force can be applied to the disc. Both systems may be get a little dirt in them etc. but regular maintenance will take care of this. However, as a breaking system, it leaves v brakes for dead in winter riding, since you are less likely to clog up in muddy conditions. Luck

Answer 4

Hydraulic use either mineral oil or hydraulic fluid.They must be bled just like a car's. They have more stop power than a mechanical and cost more and are more time consuming to work on. The mechanical disc brake uses a standard brake cable just like all the other brake systems. They don't have quite the power like the hydraulic but are cheaper to purchase & easier to work on.

Answer 5

I think they have pretty well covered your question...i have both,
and don't let anyone tell you that Hydraulic disk brakes won't heat up, if they do there full of sh** cause they will.

I run a set of Hope Hydraulics on my Greenspeed and I live in Central Florida, and if the outside temperature exceeds 95 to 98 degrees the fluid expands to lock up the front wheels without warning. I had this happen on several occasions.

On the other hand I run Avid 7's on my Catrike Speed and have put them through He** and never had a failure, so my advice is to stay with mechanical their alot less hassle.

Answer 6

the main difference between mechanical and hydraulic brakes are how they are actuated. you are already familiar with mechanical (aka, cable actuated). you sqeeze the brake lever and a cable pulls the caliper into contact with the disc rotor (or rim). hydros on the other hand are mini replicas of an automotive braking system. intead of a cable pulling the caliper, there is a hose leading from the brake lever to the caliper wich is filled with fluid. the brake lever has a small reservoir for the fluid. when you sqeeze the lever, hydraulic fluid is pumped into the caliper and forces it into contact with the rotor. hydros are uses mainly by downhillers and freeriders becuase they provide an abundance of braking power and they are completely sealed off from elements. the hoses have to be bled every once in awile. ive heard that they dont provide as much modulation as mechanicals though- meaning hydros are more on/off. mechanicals provide a range of motion so u can slow down gently or apply full force in an emergency. hydros are very expensive too, most cost twice as much as their mechanical counterparts. but for most of us, mechanicals work just fine, and they're lighter and less complicated than hydros.

Answer 7

I didn't see this mentioned, but one benefit to the hydraulics is that the braking surface is a disk near the center of the wheel hub. it doesn't get as jammed up with mud and water as conventional rim style mechanical brakes and when that do get wet or dirty are powerful enough to still brake well.

Answer 8

Well, the mechanicals (mech) are actuated via cable pull, and hydraulic (hydros) are by pushing oil to the calipers.

Hydros offer better modulation and power than mechs, but some old schoolers think that hydro's are more prone to cable leaks at the trails. What they are is harder to set up, they have to be set up properly. But after that, they run perfectly. I have used hydros for 2 years and had no problem since.

Some mechs can be better than some hydros. Usually, mechs are cheaper than hydros. If you want mechs, go for Avid Ball Bearing 7, they're the best, as far as I've heard.

I have ridden only hydros, and here is my list:
-Hayes HFX-9 (okay brakes, not the best, not the worst),
-Magura Julie (not good when you're heavyweight like me, at 230lbs), and
-Shimano XT (awesome).

I think hydros really are very good brakes, but they're more expensive than mechs.

Answer 9

they have covered your question...i have had both, and yea it takes a lot to really heat up a hydraulic brake and once i got used to mine i loved them and wont go back. they really arent much harder to maintain than regular v-brakes or mech.'s or whatever. i have Hayes, they have rocked for two years now and i punish them regularly, never a broken line or leak or anything.

Answer 10

down hill the old ones heated up and were unrealiable the hydralic ones are better all around stop faster and work better in all weather.