Hydraulic Vs mechanical brakes
 

Hi all
we have a 2014 Trek 3700 it has mechanical disc brake
A friend suggested hydraulic brake upgrade
But my bike has shifter and brake lever in on combined unit so probably fairly expensive.
His bike was simpler then mine!

Is the gain Worth the price?

Just to clarify, there are cable-actuated hydraulic brakes, like the TRP HY/RD, so you could go that route with less cost expenditure than going fully hydraulic.

Whether it’s worth it depends on a lot of stuff you make no mention of at all, so it’s probably not.

Looks like all cables. Altus level shifters. I’d just get new brake pads. Going hydraulics will only if I’d have to start replacing drive train parts. Like converting to a1X.

Good advice
 

ok ya thank you for that...I'm just rehabbing a bad knee,but I have to keep riding long term.
Dr wants this over walking for strength.

Thank you that's great information
probably best to use what I have

Do your present brakes stop the bike adequately?

there not bad ,I tried my friends and his hydraulic brake you seem to use less force.
I'm not sure there better?just different snd very little experience for measuring rhe two different types

So, you don't really have a complaint with your brakes, but you are considering replacing them - which, as you seem to understand, will be costly.

Does this seem sensible to you?

I wouldn't bother. I'm quick to upgrade to hydraulic for actual MTBing or for more rigorous riding, for general riding at moderate speeds, there's plenty of other things to spend the money on that will make for a more fun bike and the discs aren't them.

The triple play of downgrades. LOL.
Hydro, 1x and tubeless.

Slapping a pair of Juin Tech M1s would be quick and inexpensive; the caliper pair (and 2x 6-bolt rotors) is like $170 off Amazon. The OP would use their existing levers, cables, and rotors, and probably wouldn’t even need new cable housing, so it’s a super simple R&R job.

Ive had both Hydro and mechanical. The nice hydros were just awesome and my mechs do get the job done but they are different bikes and different uses.

IT sounds like in your case with the combined shfters it might be more expensive depending on what group set you have, but I just picked up a left and right shifter for my fatbike ( I wanted rapidfires vs the ones that came on it) for under $40. These were more entry level Altus shifters but they are Shimano but I never had issues in the past. Better ones are still under $100.

Perfect 😍

I thought he gave sensible advice.

Hydraulics are better - there is less slop in the system when compared to wires and wire housings. You have to decide if it's worth the money to upgrade.

It's a fair amount of money. I wouldn't - I'd just get bigger rotors if you want more braking power.

It wouldn't be worth it to me.

If you are like I was when I finally got hydraulic brakes, for quite a while I had a learning experience to overcome. 50 years of habits had me using too much braking force and several times the front wheel would delivering the maximum possible braking and the rear wheel would be locked up trying to swap ends with the front wheel. One of those times I wound up taking a tumble. Probably wouldn't have been a good thing if I was rehabbing a knee.

Still I like the hydraulic brakes now that I've learned how much force to put into the brake levers. But I'd probably never think swapping from any other to hydraulic worth the price.

If you were considering a entire new bike, then I go for the hydraulics just for the ease of maintenance over other types. But if the bike I wanted didn't come with them, then it'd not be a big deal.

Don't read condescension in posts from others. It likely wasn't intended. When you read a reply, it's you you are hearing the voice of in your head. Not the person that wrote it, so you really don't know how they said it and in what tone they meant it.

If you learn how to adjust them properly there's really no need to 'upgrade' to hydraulic. Most people including many shop mechanics don't have any idea how to do this.

EXACTLY!
No reason to change anything unless what you have isn't working for how you use it. Even then you need to know if what you are changing will solve the problem first, if it's an expensive change.
Otherwise, you are just trying to impress someone else or feel less inadequate for your choices.

Geez…$170 for a hydro brake upgrade does not really seem like a lot of money to me…not given how important they are, and not given it’s 2022. I’m pretty sure I paid more upgrading to XTR V-brakes when those came out in 1996; if memory serves, those were $125/pr retail.

$500+ for something like Paul Klampers or Yokozuna Ultimos would be expensive…

$280 for me to upgrade to Deore 4 piston brakes.
Was it worth it?
Yes, stopping fast without fade is a good thing.

Ride what works for you and what you feel is worth your money, but you'll rarely hear of people trading in their hydros for cable brakes. Just sayin'.

I wouldn't put a bunch of money into that bike, ride it into the ground and save your money for something that comes with everything you want and overall better parts. Your brakes with some adjustment and some better pads could work a bit better.

I would try new pads and rotors before changing everything out.

Plus one finger braking thats alone was worth it. I upgrade my commuter just because our tandem got the 4 piston Deore and I loved the feel. my maguras were Fien but one finger braking with gloves in winter are great.

The move to hydraulic disc brakes made cable routing far less of a problem and easier to have it inside the frame for a better cosmetic appearance. Originally the disc brakes were considered important only for tandem bikes where the rider weigh was doubled. It would be advantageous with sewup tires where it is possible to have a problem with heating up the rims and softening the rim cement on a long steep descent. Now it is a good way to get people to spend more for a new bicycle.

My 2001 Trek 5200 has caliper brakes and they work perfectly well at slowing and stopping the bike.

wrong thread. please delete