Brake and gear upgrades

veganrun

I have a hybrid bike that I recently bought and it seems to be going well but I'm starting to think of a few upgrades for it. Specifically I am thinking about changing to disc brakes and to a internal gear hub.

I don't know much about bikes but would switching to disc brakes require new wheels?

Also would an internal gear hub fit to my rear wheel as is or would I need a new rear wheel?

magicbastarder

new wheels, and new forks as well if you wanted to move to discs. far too much cost for the gain you'd get.

smacl

New wheels and new chain ring if you're going hub gears and disc brakes. Unless it is a very good frame on your current bike, you might find it cheaper to buy a new bike and sell the old one.

magicbastarder

actually, unless the frame also has disc mounts on the rear triangle, you'd need a new frame too.

Cee-Jay-Cee

magicbastarder wrote: »

actually, unless the frame also has disc mounts on the rear triangle, you'd need a new frame too.

So basically you need a new bike as itshifhly unlikely a rim brake bike will have disc mounts.

smacl

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

So basically you need a new bike as it is highly unlikely a rim brake bike will have disc mounts.

You'd think, but I just checked my old hybrid and it does. I'd guess if you've a number of bikes in a series which includes disc brake options if makes economic sense to have the same frame across the range. Basically allows the supplier to build them up to meet demand as needed.

Pinch Flat

You'll need new wheels as well for discs. Sounds like it's uneconomical IMO to do the upgrades without shelling out probably more than the bike is worth.

Have you thought about upgrading the brakes themselves? is it just better stopping distance? New calipers and better brake shoes (the latter alone will make a huge difference) could be the way to go.

An internal hub is expensive and again likely to cost more than the bike is worth - is it just maintenance on the derailleur that's pushing you towards this?

veganrun

There's nothing really wrong with the bike, it's working fine. The brakes sound a bit noisy when they grip the wheel, not sure if that's just because they're pads? No big deal really, they work well.

I think I prefer the internal gear hub to the normal gears but again, they are working fine. Was just wondering about upgrades etc.

magicbastarder

noisy as in scraping or vibrating? might be worth checking the braking surface of the pads, make sure they're clean.

veganrun

Kind of like a scrapping noise

smacl

veganrun wrote: »

Kind of like a scrapping noise

Sounds like you need new pads, or have a bit of grit embedded in a pad. Easy enough to replace yourself, or a job your local bike shop will do quickly and cheaply.

In terms of upgrade, it depends what you want to get out of the bike that you reckon it is not already doing. More successful upgrades on my hybrid were comfier saddle (Brooks Flyer) and better tyres (Marathon Supremes). Never really had an issue with the brakes, though having full hydraulic disc brakes on the new bike, I notice the poorer braking on the old bike. For leisure cycling, the next biggie for me was drop bars, which are a lot more comfortable and efficient over long distances, though they take a bit of getting used to. If you don't already have bar ends on your bike these are a help.

Maybe post a couple of pics of your current bike, and people can suggest what upgrades would be worthwhile.