MTB Brakes

The MTB brake, a specific brake

The MTB brake is a special type of bicycle brake, it meets the different requirements of mountain bike practices. There are mainly two braking systems: disc brakes and caliper brakes.
On Alltricks.com, the MTB brake designates all technologies, spare parts and brake accessories.

The caliper brake, the classic:

The caliper brake, also called rim brake, offers the advantage of being inexpensive, lightweight and very easy to maintain. However, it will lose its efficiency on wet or greasy ground, since the braking is done directly on the rim, it's exposed to water and impurities that alter the performance of the system.
Moreover, the proximity between the caliper and the wheel will tend to generate "bundles" of sludge under extreme conditions, which may go as far as blocking the wheel. There is also a more frequent maintenance than on the disc brakes because of the quick wear of the brake shoes.
This type of bicycle brake is the oldest, there are now many brake systems with skates: V-brake, U-brake, hydrolic, cantilever, caliper...

The disc brake, the power:

Linked to the emergence of mountain disciplines in the 1980s, the disc brake has many advantages: powerful braking, no risk of filling, less frequent maintenance.
Unlike caliper brakes, the performance of the system will be little affected by wet conditions, as water tends to cool the system.
However, their use in dry conditions requires some control, because the heat released by the system tends to dilate the brake fluid and modify the properties of the brake pads as well as those of the brake discs. Too much braking, especially when descending, will block the system.

Each braking system has different technical characteristics to meet the specific constraints of each discipline:

Cross-country brake

For the practice of the XC, disc brakes with small diameter discs are used to maintain a contained weight or V-brake type brakes.

DH, and Enduro brakes

For these practices, users are looking for maximum performance, the shoe system is no longer used in favour of disc brakes with 4-piston calipers and large diameter discs. On the other hand, there are emerging technologies of ventilated pads to better dissipate heat and maintain excellent braking performance.

Cyclo-cross brake

This discipline implements cantilever-type skate brakes. Because of their "cantilevered" design, these brakes allow for a large displacement between the wheel and the caliper, thus limiting the risk of jamming. They also offer greater braking power than the V-brake. Nevertheless, they're sadly complex to regulate. For cyclo-cross, specififc disc brakes are therefore avaialble.

Trial brake

Trialists don't care much about the endurance of their brakes but look for maximum bite, they use hydraulic brakes. This type of system allows to block the wheel instantly.