I have a new project in the works. Looking for any pros, cons or opinions on either using roller cam or U-brakes. I have both on the shelf and a frame waiting.
I had a u brake on my first mtn bike and i remember nothing about it.. meaning it did what it had to do w/ no drama. I don´t even remember adjusting the brake.
Depends on the bike right? I mean a classic seat stay mount calls for a roller cam in my opinion; a gary fisher or old ritchey. A chainstay mount though is a different consideration, a ubrake is more apt to that location. Though I do recall a Miele fillet brazed beauty at my LBS in the day that had the ubrake on the seat stay and it was still a gorgeous bike, but would have even been better with a roller cam.
The Deore and XT U-brakes are excellent, simple brakes. I'd pick them over anything other than WTB. WTB are the only Rollercams worth the effort in my opinion and if you set them up right, are amongst the best brakes ever.
Hmm, I always preferred the U's, though I was never too thrilled with those either. My judgement may have been clouded by working on too many crappy roller cam brakes though.
Maybe some details will help. The frame is an 86 Stumpjumper with a SunTour rollercam on the chainstay. I have the original fork but picked up another with U-brake/rollercam mounts. I was thinking about some modern BMX U-brakes. Love the wild anodized colors. But I’m not sure whether I should keep it retro or not. Obviously Stumpjumper Sport models aren’t too valuable.
Hmmmm. Good question. If you’re not ocd and don’t mind mismatched brakes, you could do what makes your heart sing. Personally, that would drive me crazy and I would use roller and but you know yourself best.
Hmmmm. Good question. If you're not ocd and don't mind mismatched brakes, you could do what makes your heart sing. Personally, that would drive me crazy and I would use roller and but you know yourself best.
Sadly I am VERY OCD. I do like the idea of matched brakes front and rear. Personally I think U-brakes are a pain to set up correctly. But they look good especially the current generation of BMX brakes.
From the braking-power perspective, roller cam brakes produce better stopping power. But they have less clearance between the cam blade and tire for snow & mud, which can cause caking. The U-brake is entirely adequate and has more clearance between the arch and the tire, so caking isn’t so much of an issue.
On my Cannondale SM600 I compromised and mounted a U-brake on the back and the rollercam on the front where the clearance between the fork crown and tire was no bet than between the roller cam blade and the tire. Has worked great for 35 years.
Another thing to consider with brakes is using Shimano Servowave levers with cams. Some cam profiles (wtb) are designed for more brake movement at the start of pull and then less as the pull continues. That is the big hump on the cam. Some profiles don’t have that hump like the majority of the suntour ones. Servowave and wtb I have always felt were a horrible combination. Dia Comp Ss-5 or SS7s were fantastic. The important part is getting the brake pad to the rim and and then build the power in the correct part of the cam.
UBrakes don’t have that non linear pull other then the IRD rotarys. The Servowave works well with UBrakes because the Servowave pulls more cable at the first part of the pull and then less as the lever gets close to the bar.
So basically make sure to match the correct type of lever to the caliper. Not all combinations feel or work well together. And some work very poorly if you run the reach adjuster in.
Another thing to consider with brakes is using Shimano Servowave levers with cams. Some cam profiles (wtb) are designed for more brake movement at the start of pull and then less as the pull continues. That is the big hump on the cam. Some profiles don't have that hump like the majority of the suntour ones. Servowave and wtb I have always felt were a horrible combination. Dia Comp Ss-5 or SS7s were fantastic. The important part is getting the brake pad to the rim and and then build the power in the correct part of the cam.
UBrakes don't have that non linear pull other then the IRD rotarys. The Servowave works well with UBrakes because the Servowave pulls more cable at the first part of the pull and then less as the lever gets close to the bar.
So basically make sure to match the correct type of lever to the caliper. Not all combinations feel or work well together. And some work very poorly if you run the reach adjuster in.
Thanks for the heads up. I did not realize that. I thought cantilevers, u-brakes and roller cam all used the same lever.
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