HRM or Disk Brakes

[DJ84]

I recently got lucky and won a voucher to a bike store and i am a bit torn between upgrading to disk brakes or buying a heart rate monitor at the moment.

 

Anyone have any advise that could sway my decision at all?

 

I would also have to upgrade my wheelset, but would not be able to get anything really nice due to the budget.

[DomJBo]

Personally i'd get disc brakes as need them to keep my heart beating, no use of HRM monitor if your heart no longer beating due to lack of stopping power

[Moab]

Nice HRM - save up and get wheels and disk brakes slowly

[Taps]

Would go with discs, will up your fun factor: good brakes allow you to go faster

[DJ84]

My bike stops pretty quick with v-brakes. Im a light weight so there aren't really any stopping issues.

[Brighter-Lights]

A good HRM will be of much better value than swopping out brakes. (if you use it correctly in your training)  

 

Properly set up V's brake just as well as disk brakes anyway. 

 

I still raced with KCNC v-brakes this year and they have even less stopping power than ie. Avid SD 7's...

[harry1]

hrm- will help train more accurate

 

 

[Climate]

If you're hoping to make a decision based on the average opinion DJ84, the guys haven't been much help.  All I can offer is that until you start monitoring your heart-rate, you don't know what you don't know?!!  You know that you can stop!  So I'd definitely go with as good a HRM as you can get for the voucher (even add a little cash to it if need be, to get one that can upload exercises to your PC if possible).  Then start scratching the pennies together so you can do the wheels and disks at the same time.  Good luck.

[droo]

The question is this - are you a race snake or are you just out to rip up trails? Once you work this out the answer's easy.

[Bos]

The question is this - are you a race snake or are you just out to rip up trails? Once you work this out the answer's easy.

 

Im with drew on this one.

[cat-i]

disk brakes.

my v-brakes was fine and provided all the stopping power i needed.

until one day at sabie extperience, boy those downhills were fun - but the guardian angels had to put in lots of overtime to keep me out of hospital.

 

what do you want to use the hrm for? the pretty pictures? training on an indoor trainer or according to some or other program?

whre do you ride your bike? in wet or mud? will you be doing sani2c or sabieX?

 

[DJ84]

Thanks for all the suggestions. You confused me some more, but Brighter Lights and climate made up my mind. Thanks guys. Gonna get a HRM.

[scotty]

Would have been my choice, having disk and v brake bikes i find the only time disk's trump v's is when its particulary muddy and wet, for anything else if you clamp your brake hard you will come to dead stop whether you have v's or disk.

[geoffro]

Scotty you hit the nail on the head!! At the risk of starting a arguement with many disc brake owners: V brakes worked fine for downhill 10-15 years ago.There are advantages to discs BUT few people are even using their v's to its full potential.Most people are not braking that late into corners to justify "extra stopping power".Besides your wheels only have so much traction on dirt anyway.In mud yes discs are better.Many people want to justify their discs because they are so cool and look "trick".Dont worry about justifying it guys, spend the money, you worked for it.

[backup rider]

HRM never...the wife bought one with my garmin forerunner and i never use it.. I reckon that while the heart is pumping its working ok.seen too many people using the HRM as the gospel in their training, whiel I reckon it can benefit you it should be used as one of the indicators in your training and not the sole source.

 

On the dirt roads we ride the V brakes have jammed up with mud causing the bikes to stop dead in the middle of the bog  but then I just love my disc brakes..its the only thing that actually works properly on the bike  

[scotty]

Yup, anther reason why some could choose disk over v is the buckled wheel factor, but then if you buckle your wheel regulary you either need new wheels or better MTB skills.