Brakes Disc Brakes for a Beach Cruiser?

[FurryOnTheInside]

I've had issues with disk brakes in wet conditions on my mountain bike more than V brakes. My disk brakes on my mountain bike make a loud squeeling sound when I apply the brakes when they get wet. Happened a few times on my way to or from work on rainy days. It could be that my pads need replacement or it could be my rotors need replacement. Been a while since I last tuned it up. Never had such a loud sound come from wet V brakes even when the pads or rim was worn. Although the loud sound my disk brakes made did kind of save my life from a car accident because I was riding home in pedal mode one night & a car making a right turn on a red light almost didn't notice me untill I applied my brakes at the last second & it woud have seemed that he heard my loud brakes before he saw me.

That sounds like a maintenance issue, contaminated surfaces or something. It's certainly harder to go wrong with v brakes since there's not as much difference between them (as long as they're not pressed metal and the pads are set correctly (towed in for symmetric, parallel for asymmetric)). But with disc brakes there's just more designs, a bunch of crappy "fake brakes" around still, some single side mechanical discs are not better than a V brake, often people don't know how to maintain them, etc etc.
But there's better systems than cable operated V brakes if you really need to be braking on the rim, can keep the rim true and clean, and you also need a lot of power and modulation, and fast drag-free "feathering" which is why I brought up the Magura hydraulics.

I tried to not generalise too much but I guess I'll change that to "in theory the disc is a better system in wet or muddy conditions".

 

[Carl Walichnowski]

Last one has a tiny frame (low top tube) so the engine might not fit.
The mag wheeled one has a really scary bad fork. At that price point there's no sense in the telescopic fork. Itll flex like crazy and the suspension isn't really suspension anyway, its telescopic but NRS (not-really-suspension). Better the manufacturer spends the money elsewhere. Look for the urban MTB style, in my opinion.

Thx for that input. Is there a way to tighten the telescopic fork? I figured the bike is nice looking so it'd be great to simply tighten the suspension up, at least until I buy quality forks?

 

[FurryOnTheInside]

Thx for that input. Is there a way to tighten the telescopic fork? I figured the bike is nice looking so it'd be great to simply tighten the suspension up, at least until I buy quality forks?

Tighten? Well it'll always be a wet noodle (flexy) but it might be possible to reduce the unloaded length and/or length of travel, but I don't know if it is and I don't think that would make it less flexy.
I did try to tell you that you basically can't buy quality telescopic suspension forks in the (ancient standard) 1" steerer. There are probably a few better, stiffer forks but not what I would call quality suspension.
Flex can be less if you ditch the suspension entirely and use a rigid fork (of an appropriate length for your suspension corrected geometry frame) or find a Marzocchi MX Comp (but check the diameter because I think they made both 1" and 1&1/8") which will have a lot less flex than that fork you have now but isnt in my opinion a "quality suspension" fork.

Here try this link to a bike forum discussion and try goggling for good 1" suspension forks. (that's all I did to find this link)
http://forums.mtbr.com/vintage-retro-classic/need-suggestions-1-steerer-suspension-fork-775986.html
And a quick glance at that reminded me that there's the Retro Ryder, but you do have to measure carefully because there were two different frame head tube standards that took the 1" steerers, Japanese and old US Schwinn cruiser or something, and only one of them can be converted by the R.R. I think they said it just isn't possible to make it work with the other standard, and I'm not sure which is which.

 

[FurryOnTheInside]

That sounds like a maintenance issue, contaminated surfaces or something. It's certainly harder to go wrong with v brakes since there's not as much difference between them (as long as they're not pressed metal and the pads are set correctly (towed in for symmetric, parallel for asymmetric)). But with disc brakes there's just more designs, a bunch of crappy "fake brakes" around still, some single side mechanical discs are not better than a V brake, often people don't know how to maintain them, etc etc.
But there's better systems than cable operated V brakes if you really need to be braking on the rim, can keep the rim true and clean, and you also need a lot of power and modulation, and fast drag-free "feathering" which is why I brought up the Magura hydraulics.

I tried to not generalise too much but I guess I'll change that to "in theory the disc is a better system in wet or muddy conditions".

Tighten? Well it'll always be a wet noodle (flexy) but it might be possible to reduce the unloaded length and/or length of travel, but I don't know if it is and I don't think that would make it less flexy.
I did try to tell you that you basically can't buy quality telescopic suspension forks in the (ancient standard) 1" steerer. There are probably a few better, stiffer forks but not what I would call quality suspension.
Flex can be less if you ditch the suspension entirely and use a rigid fork (of an appropriate length for your suspension corrected geometry frame) or find a Marzocchi MX Comp (but check the diameter because I think they made both 1" and 1&1/8") which will have a lot less flex than that fork you have now but isnt in my opinion a "quality suspension" fork.

Here try this link to a bike forum discussion and try goggling for good 1" suspension forks. (that's all I did to find this link)
http://forums.mtbr.com/vintage-retro-classic/need-suggestions-1-steerer-suspension-fork-775986.html
And a quick glance at that reminded me that there's the Retro Ryder, but you do have to measure carefully because there were two different frame head tube standards that took the 1" steerers, Japanese and old US Schwinn cruiser or something, and only one of them can be converted by the R.R. I think they said it just isn't possible to make it work with the other standard, and I'm not sure which is which.

Carl's post and the subject of flexy forks reminds me, a rim brake's power limited by the flex in the seat stays of the frame, and the Magura hydraulics have a back plate that is a partial or complete solution to this. I tried a brake booster (arch that goes over the outside of a v brake), Brooklyn Machine Works one that cost a bloody fortune, and that didn't even solve the problem on a too-light too-flexy 24" BMX race frame I had.
A flexy fork, like the Rockshox Indy on my big bro's XC bike could cause one brake pad to rub when turning corners too.
So a disc brake will put up with a more flexy frame and fork than a rim brake with no loss of power, unless you can actually successfully increase the rigidity of the frame and fork. I would like to try the Maguras but I have narrow tyres on my rear rim brake bike so that traction is too limited to need the power. The absence of cable drag would every nice though.

 

[Carl Walichnowski]

I appreciate the input. Being a newbie I wasn't sure if the front fork could be adjusted some how so there wouldn't be so much movement. You did give me fair warning though.

 

[FurryOnTheInside]

I appreciate the input. Being a newbie I wasn't sure if the front fork could be adjusted some how so there wouldn't be so much movement. You did give me fair warning though.

Movement through its travel, possibly. You'll have to open them up to see and experiment yourself, there isn't a guide. If it can be done by somehow rearranging the spacers and elastomers inside then it will affect the feel of the fork. I did it with a crappy old elastomer sprung fork about 20 years ago. I only vaguely remember that far back, but it made the top-out very clunky.

 

[Carl Walichnowski]

Movement through its travel, possibly. You'll have to open them up to see and experiment yourself, there isn't a guide. If it can be done by somehow rearranging the spacers and elastomers inside then it will affect the feel of the fork. I did it with a crappy old elastomer sprung fork about 20 years ago. I only vaguely remember that far back, but it made the top-out very clunky.

Ok. I'll wait to have everything installed and take the bike on a couple of rides to see just how bad it is before I go further. You provided solid feedback on another thread of mine "Head Advice Please", I just posted yet another question on that thread, when you have time can you check that out?

 

[KCvale]

Thx for that input. Is there a way to tighten the telescopic fork? I figured the bike is nice looking so it'd be great to simply tighten the suspension up, at least until I buy quality forks?

Yes, most of the budget forks have a single spring on one side, at the top you can adjust the firmness of shock.

 

[Carl Walichnowski]

Yes, most of the budget forks have a single spring on one side, at the top you can adjust the firmness of shock.

Ok great. Figured tightening it up some will help with so much movement. Are you referring to making the adjustments by taking off one of the plastic "caps" at the top of the shock and adjusting the spring from in there?

 

[KCvale]

I don't have one in front me right now so I can''t help.