As with any upgrade, when shopping for new disc brakes you first need to work out what you need or want from them, compared with what you have now. If it’s simply more power, for instance, you might be able to get that by upgrading to a larger rotor.
If your brakes used to be fine but have become unreliable, the levers or pistons are sticking, or they’ve lost power, don’t assume you need new stoppers. A thorough service/bleed/pad change might get them back to full working order for a fraction of the price. Even if your brakes have never felt great, it’s worth reading the relevant brake reviews here on BikeRadar . It’s a great way to see if your set is performing like it should or whether you’ve got a warranty case.
If you definitely need fresh brakes but your rotors and brackets are the right size, choose a brake that comes just as the lever/body, hose and caliper rather than buying extra rotors and mounts you don’t need.
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When it comes to buying your new brakes, make sure they solve the problems you have with the old ones. Try as many different models on the trail (pester your mates) before buying to see how different they can feel and narrow down what you like. If you don’t like the lever feel or positioning of your current brakes, it might be worth investing in a set with bite point adjustment or cam style leverage changes. Read our reviews to check that these features live up to their promise though, because some are more ornamental than useful.
If your current stoppers feel wooden or lack fine control, look for brakes that get praised for excellent modulation. If you want more power, check out our dynometer readings. If you want to shed grams, have a look at the weights on our scales – you might be surprised at how these compare with the manufacturer’s figure. (NB: All brakes have been weighed, priced and tested with 180mm rotors and full post mount kit.) Remember that using a 160mm rather than 180mm front rotor can save up to 50g in bracket and rotor weight, though you will lose a little power.
If you want a brake that’s easy to look after at home, then check our long-term reliability reports, how easy they are to set up in the first place or bleed and service later down the line. Think about pads too – thankfully, many budget brake manufacturers are now smart enough to make their stoppers work with widely available Shimano or Avid pads. It’s still something that’s worth checking if you travel a lot with your bike though.
Key components of a disc brake
Best mountain bike disc brakes
- Price: £100 / US$130 / AU$240
- Weight: 485g
- Power: 111m/s2
- Price: £22.50 / US$61 / AU$N/A
- Weight: 448g
- Power: 77 m/s2
- Price: £130 / US$220 / AU$240
- Weight: 461g
- Power: 147 m/s2
- Price: £227.50 / US$273 / AU$450
- Weight: 529g
- Power: 135m/s2
- Price: £229 / US$275 / AU$505
- Weight: 397g
- Power: 115m/s2
- Price: £139 / US305 / AU$TBC
- Weight: 405g
- Power: 102ms2
- Price: £210 / US$275 / AU$355
- Weight: 474g
- Power: 146m/s2
- Price: £202.50 / US$250 / AU$420
- Weight: 469g
- Power: 109 m/s2
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