Tesla Posted October 25, 2013 Share Hi guys. A friend recently convinced me to join him in the MTB scene, so saying I'm new to all this is an understatement. Long story short, I bought this merida tfs 500 and I want to upgrade the V brakes to disc brakes. I have no idea what my options are here. Obviously I would like to spend as little as possible, without sacrificing safety or buying something that breaks within a couple of uses.I'm also scared that if I approach a bike shop they would just try and take advantage of my ignorance.I have included some pictures, so if any of you seasoned MTB pros out there can point me in the right direction that would be great. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePubSA Posted October 25, 2013 Share http://www.jensonusa.com/images/Default-Image/Zoom/118/BR247C01.jpghttp://www.buycycle.co.za/components/mtb-en/brake-sets/shimano-en-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20-21-22-23-24-25-26-27-28-29-30-31-32-33-34-35-36-37-38-39-40-41-42-43/shimano-deore-bl-m596-disc-brake-set-front.htmlseems out of stock but thats what you want DR ◣◢ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePubSA Posted October 25, 2013 Share http://www.cwcycles.co.za/product/shimano-deore-m596-hydraulic-disc-brakeset Cant see if your hubs can take a rotor,you have mounting on your fork and rear stays (pic 2 & 3) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kosmonooit Posted October 25, 2013 Share Going to need new hubs possibly spokes as well ... plus rotors of course. Is it worth it vs a good used later model bike? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePubSA Posted October 25, 2013 Share Going to need new hubs possibly spokes as well ... plus rotors of course. Is it worth it vs a good used later model bike?Thought so.. seen some ok'ish wheelsets on here for R950.00 +Ya 2 grand later.. Just rock the V's till new bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madbradd Posted October 25, 2013 Share Hey Tesla. So first off you need to check if your equipment can accommodate discs. Your frame can... I can see the mounting holes for the rear calliper. Can't see if the shock can from the pics but it needs to have mounting holes on the left side of the fork to mount the calliper. Then you need to check your hubs. From the photos they are definitely not a 6bolt mount but I can't see if they are centrelock hubs or not. If your fork and hubs are not disc compatible it could be an expensive upgrade. Your best bet then would be to buy a second hand set of wheels and maybe a second hand fork. But you're still in for about 1k on wheels, 1.5k for a fork, 1.5k for the brakes, 500ish for rotors and then any adapters to mount the calliper to the frame/fork. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 25, 2013 Share As mentioned I had a merida 500 as well. You are going to need to either replace your hubs or buy new wheelset as they dont have the rotor bolts i.e. where the disk brake rotor bolts to the hub with 6 bolts. add to this the cost of the brakeset will be expensive. At the end of the day though for me the biggest single improvement to my ride has been disk brakes. I still ride a SS with v-brake but there is simply no comparison to the stopping ability. Dont get the wire type brake, it must be hydraulic. Deore SLX/XT cant go wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tesla Posted October 25, 2013 Share Thanks for all the replies guys http://www.cwcycles....c-disc-brakeset Cant see if your hubs can take a rotor,you have mounting on your fork and rear stays (pic 2 & 3) Hi 2Nutz, I've included links to what my equipment looks like below. Going to need new hubs possibly spokes as well ... plus rotors of course. Is it worth it vs a good used later model bike? Yip, something I need to consider Thought so.. seen some ok'ish wheelsets on here for R950.00 +Ya 2 grand later.. Just rock the V's till new bike. Will be the route I will have to go if this is going to work out to be more money than it's worth. Kinda hoped I could keep it max 2k. Hey Tesla. So first off you need to check if your equipment can accommodate discs. Your frame can... I can see the mounting holes for the rear calliper. Can't see if the shock can from the pics but it needs to have mounting holes on the left side of the fork to mount the calliper. Then you need to check your hubs. From the photos they are definitely not a 6bolt mount but I can't see if they are centrelock hubs or not. If your fork and hubs are not disc compatible it could be an expensive upgrade. Your best bet then would be to buy a second hand set of wheels and maybe a second hand fork. But you're still in for about 1k on wheels, 1.5k for a fork, 1.5k for the brakes, 500ish for rotors and then any adapters to mount the calliper to the frame/fork. My front hub is this one: http://www.ebay.com/...vectorid=229466and my shock is this one and has those 2 black protrusions as well: http://thumbs1.ebays...WRVup_Ybjuw.jpg As mentioned I had a merida 500 as well. You are going to need to either replace your hubs or buy new wheelset as they dont have the rotor bolts i.e. where the disk brake rotor bolts to the hub with 6 bolts. add to this the cost of the brakeset will be expensive. At the end of the day though for me the biggest single improvement to my ride has been disk brakes. I still ride a SS with v-brake but there is simply no comparison to the stopping ability. Dont get the wire type brake, it must be hydraulic. Deore SLX/XT cant go wrong. Yeah, from what I somewhat gather from all the posts is that the replacement of my hubs/wheelset is almost a given.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tesla Posted October 26, 2013 Share Are these for front and back? And are they worth it?http://www.evobikes.co.za/components/brakes/complete-disc-brakesets/shimano-deore-br-m615-disc-brakeset.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy Posted October 27, 2013 Share Are these for front and back? And are they worth it?http://www.evobikes.co.za/components/brakes/complete-disc-brakesets/shimano-deore-br-m615-disc-brakeset.html They would have been worth it IF your wheels could have accepted them. Honestly, you will spend more on a new set of wheels and conversion than you should have paid for the bike in the first instance. Ride it like it is, in dry weather the Vs will be absolutely fine, improve your skills, save your money and in time, sell the Merida and buy a bike with disks. niterider 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caerus Posted October 27, 2013 Share You could buy these, https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/66631-26-mtb-mavic-tubeless-wheels/ and then these http://www.evobikes.co.za/components/brakes/complete-disc-brakesets/shimano-deore-br-m615-disc-brakeset.html And then you in for just under R3K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King_Crispy Posted October 27, 2013 Share You could buy these, https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/66631-26-mtb-mavic-tubeless-wheels/ and then these http://www.evobikes.co.za/components/brakes/complete-disc-brakesets/shimano-deore-br-m615-disc-brakeset.html And then you in for just under R3KProblem is, when he sells his bike he won't get his cash back. Better to ride as is and save up for a newer bike imo. eddy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caerus Posted October 27, 2013 Share Problem is, when he sells his bike he won't get his cash back.Better to ride as is and save up for a newer bike imo. I hear you , but then he can always move the parts over to a newer bike if need be. At R3k, he gets a better wheelset & brakes, he will spend a lot more for a complete better bike & components, even in the 26" range. Edited October 27, 2013 by Caerus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tesla Posted October 27, 2013 Share Great advice thanks. Both those points you guys made is exactly where my head is at. Either ride it as is for now and learn the ropes while upgrading to a better bike at a later stage, or upgrade the parts now and transfer it later when building up a better bike. Will give it some thought. Cheers and thanks again for the help everyone! Edited October 27, 2013 by Tesla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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