Steel frame with V brakes, or Alum frame with Disc brakes >?

[lowquality]

Learn to weight shift and to stoppie when braking. It will do more to your stopping distance than any basic design or frame material combo.

Also depends on your breaking, I say go with whatever, I'm at 275lbs person and I'm able to do a endo and stoppie with both V's and Disc's, tho I feel that i need almost XTR V's to match Zee rotors.

First and foremost, learn to maximize the brakes u have, weight-shift then use the back brake to its limit then supply with front brake to stop as fast as possible.

Maybe you know all this already, and if so I am sorry if I seem like an ass to point it out.

Well, Luckily the motor works as a break, pretty much stops me from 45 km/h down to like 10 km/h basically instantly, the rest of 100% on the brakes, but they seemed to do pretty well. Also- I am not familiar with endo/stoppies, i assume its turn the bike sideways - not sure If id be comfortable doing that

 

[rider95]

Just find a nice used local MT Bike with Hyd Disc one that has a frame that will be easy to mount your battery on too , steel or alum frame will work it just,s needs to have replaceable steel drop outs . Don,t listen to anyone that tells you that V bakes are fine there not ,you need hyd discs for the speed n weight of a e bike so just get a used modern MT bike

 

[Chalo]

The above is hogwash.

Hydraulics don't make disc brakes stronger, and you can't stop any harder with discs than you can with rim brakes.

Once you can make the bike tip up with a seated rider, you have all the gross braking power you can possibly use.

Discs, especially hydraulic discs, can reduce the amount of lever effort it takes to produce a given amount of braking torque. This can be of value for heavy people with weak hands. But mostly they are made to appeal to the vanity of people who will pay more for them.

 

[2old]

Don't know about others, but up to 22mph on my ebike and 30mph on my pedal bike "V" brakes are all that is needed to skid the wheels which is all the braking power possible (I KNOW, also unkind to trails and impairs braking quality; that's why I modulate my brakes). Perhaps hydraulic rim brakes would be valuable for bicycle trials riders, hydraulic discs for downhill racing where they may cool faster, or some other exigency, but not "normal" riding IMHO.

 

[bowlofsalad]

The main down side to rim brakes is that they wear away the rim itself. Another, perhaps debatable, down side to rim brakes is they may not perform as well as disc brakes when wet.

 

[Chalo]

The main down side to rim brakes is that they wear away the rim itself.

That's true, but highly variable depending on which pads are used and the character of the local soil. It's rare to see badly worn rim sidewalls where I live in Austin. When I lived in Seattle, it was common for year-round commuters to replace their rims every year or two due to brake track wear.

In any case, is less of a factor with heavy duty rims such as most of us prefer than it is with the sub-400 gram race bike rims that many cycle enthusiasts use. It takes a lot of grinding to get down to the wear indicator of an Alex DM24. A Velocity A23 is much thinner.

Another, perhaps debatable, down side to rim brakes is they may not perform as well as disc brakes when wet.

Disc brakes don't perform as well as disc brakes when they are wet, either. All of mine exhibit decreased lever sensitivity, variable stopping power, and noise. The only brakes that work the same wet or dry are enclosed brakes, like drums or coaster brakes.

The advantages of discs as I see them are independence from rim width/shape/condition, tolerance of mud, ability to change wheel size, and usually snappier lever feel. Oh, and they make for a somewhat cleaner bike when ridden in the rain.

Their disadvantages include increased weight, increased cost, susceptibility to oil and grease contamination, intrinsically weaker wheels, and easily damaged rotors.

They have their place. "All e-bikes" is not it, though.

 

[rider95]

At the speeds Chalo rides and with his skill v breaks would be better then what he used to use which was his shoe but for those who , well are looking for more modern performance just get a nice used Mt bike with Hyd brakes to start with . Chalo when was the last you rode a E bike???

 

[Chalo]

I manufacture e-trikes. Big heavy ones. And yes, I put disc brakes on them, but that's because they use a wheel format that requires them. Discs are not required for performance, and I guarantee you that an e-pedicab rolling 1000 pounds gross needs better brakes than you do, kid. Many of the other trikes in our fleet use V-brakes, so they get the benefit of stronger front wheels-- which they do need.

My own current e-bike uses a caliper front brake and a V-brake in the rear. I could only stop harder on that bike if I really wanted to bend my fork.

 

[rider95]

There's a lot I could tell you about brake performance and how to ride using them but I know I would be wasting my time you always make things way over complicated as you auguring about spoke tension with another member , yet you use disc brakes on your builds why? because they offer better performance and (feel feed back maybe )what you don't know or understand has never stopped you from trying to Dazzle us with Bullshit .

 

[Chalo]

yet you use disc brakes on your builds why? because they offer better performance and (feel feed back maybe )

My fully disc equipped bike was built for 26x3" tires, which is why it doesn't have rim brakes. Another one has a disc only fork, so it has disc in front and a V-brake in the back. My fat tire Worksman trike also has a disc only fork, with a coaster brake in back.

The strongest and most sensitive brake among all my bikes is a linear pull brake I machined myself, before Shimano even offered V-brakes.

I've been servicing, building, and manufacturing bikes for going on three decades now, so I don't think your insights can trump what I have been able to observe directly. I've worked on hundreds of bikes with hydraulic discs, plus many thousands of bikes with other kinds of brakes. I don't have illusions about what they are and aren't good for.

I'm 6'8" tall and over 330 pounds, so I can assess nicely for myself whether a brake works well. My guess is that most of the folks who insist that hydro discs are strongest simply don't have a demanding job for them to do, so they can only judge according to lever feel.

It's sort of like asking a five foot, 100 pound person what she thinks about coach class airline seats. She'll probably talk about the upholstery.

 

[Drunkskunk]

Just find a nice used local MT Bike(.) [strike]with Hyd Disc[/strike] (O)ne that has a frame that will be easy to mount your battery on too, steel or alum frame will work [strike]it just,s needs to have replaceable steel drop outs[/strike] . Don't listen to [strike]anyone[/strike] rider95. [strike]that tells you that[/strike] V bakes are fine(.) [strike]there not ,[/strike] (Y)ou (never) need hyd discs for the speed n weight of a e bike(.) [strike]so[/strike] (J)ust get a used modern MT bike

There, Fixed it for you.


For anyone else who might read this now, or find it in search years from now, Listen to Chalo.

 

[speedmd]

I went to the local Mtb MFG demo ride a few weeks back and rode a few of the latest 8" Hydro brake equipped 27.5" bikes. Could not get used to the brake power. Way too much brake. Scary as it easily lost all traction on the front or quickly pitched the rear into the air. Even after 30 minutes of some aggressive single track I still could not get used to them. LBS owner that is a good rider suggested I only use a single finger on the lever. He was spot on, and it was very easy to control that way. Then he told me the price of the bike. $5500. Ouch!

Unless your racing, either brake set up will be just fine IMO. Pick the frame that works best for the build and your size.

 

[lowquality]

Well I'm close to just junking the whole idea and sellin lg my bike for parts.

 

[rider95]

You should get used to riding with your index finger on the brake liver in fact you should adjust your levers so your index finger when stuck out will fall on top of the brake lever one or two fingers is all you need . Also the pinch bolt that hold bracket to your handle bar should be kept a snug tight just tight enough so that if you smack the brake lever it will move do this and you will never brake a another lever . Both Chalo and Drunkenskunk use Hyd brakes (unless Drunkskunk is just using a pic of a bike he wishes to have someday) I have over 50yrs of off rd riding 35 of it has a semipro motorcross racer AMA 395 dist 15 state champ I have won more races then Drunken Skunk has watched cartoons. I am a avid MT biker been riding MT bikes since the 80s I ride Moab often as I can I have raced the Down Hill @ Durango Co on my proflex I have ridden Snowshoe WV on my MT bike and I continue to ride FL, Mich, IN, KY, every weekend finds me on the trail somewhere with my intense xc bike converted to Elec DrunknSkunk now IdiotSkunk their I fixed it for you .

 

[Chalo]

I do NOT use hydraulic anything on my bikes-- though I've used hydraulic disc and rim brakes in the past. That was before I learned they offer nothing in return for increased cost, complicated maintenance, and an unforgiving failure mode.

 

[lowquality]

So it looks like my local shop either can't do it or just won't do it. Where can i mail this dang thing to. to get it working.

 

[nutnspecial]

The problem is still the freewheel? It seems to be some huge debate about hydro vs v I can't figure what's going on.

You got the trek 820? And the freewheel doesn't spin on the hub motor when tightened into dropouts? You had it at a shop and they couldn't fix it? Did they leave you with a verdict or word of advice?
Where u at, maybe there's some e-peeps nearby? If not- pictures/ more detail?

 

[rider95]

Sorry for the High jack post take the freewheel off if the wheel fits then your free wheel is too big less gears , you won't use all the gears anyway the hub motor your using is pretty big , a geared hub motor would have been a better choice and less trouble to mate to your frame . The set up should run over 40mph on a old frame with skinny tires perfect for rim brakes !!!

 

[lowquality]

I'm going to the shop tommorow to just get the bike. Monday he supposed to put the 7 speed freewheel on to see if it spins, tuesday he said he was too busy and couldn't do it, Wednesday he said he still didnt have time, but had the wheel off and would do it that day. TOday he never called so I can only assume he didnt do it. I dropped it off on the 24th of sept, I actually went in looking for spacers for the free wheel + the correct tool to install/remove one. He said he could do it but he was busy and it would prob be the following friday before it was done.

Basically he put the motor on. Then called and asked about the gear shifter as the brakes were built into it, but the kit came with brakes that turn the motor off. It took him over a week to even attempt to play with the shifter, which is when he realize the freewheel did not spin. So last friday I brought him the 7 speed wheel that came off the factory tire. He hasn't really touched it since. I simply asked him to see if the 7 speed was small enough, if not I'd just order a 6 speed or 3 speed or single speed but we never got to that point yet.

Thought this was going to be pretty simple, but I don't know much about bikes - my plan was, if the 7 speeder works, to just install the shifter upside down, with the brakes not hooked up pointing downward. Ghetto but oh well - I do not plan on being out of the highest gear much anyways.


So I'll know more tomorrow.


Once I get the bike, ill update. I'll do my best to put it together.

Oh, I'm in Ruston Louisiana

 

[speedmd]

Sounds like you have a bad mechanic, or one that hates e-bikes. Either way, find another shop that will help you or learn how to do it all.

 

[docw009]

Ow, your new Trek 820 has an integrated shifter and brake lever. If it were me, I'd take them off and put on a more compatible shifter set so you could use the ebrake levers. If you had a decent bike shop guy, he would probably have some parts in his spares bin that would work. Should be easy.

Otherwise you ride with no electrical cut out on your brakes, which probably won't work too well for low speed maneuvering if you use pedal assist.

Sounds the freewheel is hitting something in the frame. Guess you need a bike doctor who isn't so busy. Either that, or he rode your bike with the rear axle loose and he spun it and tore the wires out. Maybe he is trying to fix it and not tell you what he broke.