Mountain Bike V Brakes - Mountain Bike Zen
Why choose V brakes / caliper / cantilever brakes?
Everyone wants a disc brake right? Nope!
V brakes is the commonly used term, although this is actually a trademark of the Shimano brand, the more technical term is cantilever brakes or caliper brakes. (We prefer just calling them v brakes.)
Disc brakes however have a serious disadvantage to v brakes which is not commonly cited. With the majority of disc brakes the braking pressure is applied to one disc on one side of the wheel. This inevitably causes a disproportionate pull on one side of the wheel compared to the other, although this is minor it can cause additional stress on the wheel nuts and also affect the steer of the bike. A properly set up v brake will not have this sort of issue and even pressure is a distinct advantage.
Ultimately a good quality set of v brakes is much better than choosing budget disc brakes. Although disc brakes have greater stopping power it is unlikely that you will want to slam on your rear or front brake when going at any speed, too much on the front and you're over the handlebars, to much on the rear and the wheel will skid and you loose control. Some pros will choose to mix v brakes and disc brakes on the front and rear for that reason.
Using v brakes does increase the likelihood of getting mud, grass, sticks etc. stuck between the brakes and your tyre, so if you much or your riding is going to be offroad in forests and mud you should be aware of these issues.
V brakes will have a lower maintenance/replacement cost and are generally easier to set up and adjust.
You can get mechanical brakes - where pulled the brake lever will pull a cable to tighten the brake mechanism against the wheel rim, and hydraulic brakes where pulling the brake cable will increase the pressure within the hydraulic system and push the brake pads against the wheel rim. Hydraulic brakes are way more expensive and have a siginificantly higher maintenance cost in terms of time and money but if properly maintained they are more reliable and are not prone to cable stretching as with mechanical systems.
Generally speaking for leisurely flat rides you will not need disc brakes so don't become obsessed by them, if you are going to be doing any lump and bump off roading and if you can get a bike with a good set of disc brakes for your budget then by all means go for it!