Duncan Smith wrote:
Feeling somewhat unsatisfied with the V-brake setup on my cyclocross
forks I'm contemplating disc brakes as a solution and am wondering
what the relative merits of hydraulic vs mechanical are?

So far I can think that the mechanical variety are probably cheaper
and easier to fix/adjust at the road-side whereas the hydraulic sort
have more bling and stopping power (maybe - don't know why?)

My mech/hydraulic comparison is rim brakes rather than discs, but I've
found that...

Absolute power isn't actually much of an issue. If you bother fettling
mech brakes you can lock the wheels up anyway, and if you can do that
then any extra power is moot. What the hydraulics give is a simple
in/out pad motion that means that fettling is (a) far less necessary to
start with and (b) *much* easier to do, and much easier control with
fingertip pressure rather than a monster squeeze of the hand.

Hydraulic rim brakes will fit on existing V-bosses, but you'll be lucky
to find levers that work on drops since Magura discontinued the HS 66 :-(

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/