Disc Brakes | Caliper brakes | Cantilever brakes | V-Brakes

A disc brake consists of a rotor attached to the wheel hub that rotates with the wheel and a caliper with pads that squeeze the rotor to provide stopping power. Disc brakes may be actuated mechanically by cable, or hydraulically. Disc brake are most popular (and most commonly used) with mountain bikers due to the immense stopping power however they are now transitioning to road bikes thanks to advancements in materials and steerer fork designs. During long road descents a disc brake with good heat shedding offers road riders better breaking without cooking the brakes so you can rely on your brakes and hit very high speeds. Couple a disc brake with a tapered steerer and fork judder is a thing of the past. Mechanical disc brakes are actuated with a cable and hydraulic disc brakes are actuated via hydraulic lines.

Caliper brakes are commonly used on road bikes and consist of two curved arms that cross above the wheel and hold the brake pads on opposite sides of the rim. These arms are attached to a cable on one side. When the brake lever is squeezed, the arms move together and the brake pads squeeze the rim to provide stopping power. These are also known as "Single-pivot side-pull caliper brakes". "Dual-pivot side-pull caliper brakes" are the more common type used on modern road bicycles. One arm pivots at the centre, like a side-pull; and the other pivots at the side, like a centre-pull. The cable housing attaches like that of a side-pull brake. These brakes offer a higher mechanical advantage, and result in better braking. "Centre-pull caliper brakes" have symmetrical arms and therefore centre more effectively. We have a fantastic selection of Caliper brake on sale from top manufacturers including Shimano, Campagnolo, TRP, SRAM, Tektro, Miche and more available to buy online

Cantilever brakes or Canti's are commonly used on mountain bikes, touring bikes and cyclo cross bikes. They consist of two arms that are mounted on each side of the fork and are connected via a straddle cable that is actuated buy vertically pulling on the straddle cable, pulling the pads onto the rim to provide stopping power. Typically canti brakes are used on bikes without suspension.

V-Brakes are a side-pull version of cantilever brakes and mount on the same frame bosses as your canti brakes would. The arms of a V Brake are longer than that found on canti's and the cable is pulled horizontally along the top of the brake pulling the two arms together. Thanks to the greater lever action and shorter lateral pull action V-Brakes offer much greater stopping power than their cantilever counterparts.Mini V-brakes simply have shorter arms, typically between 8 and 9 centimeters.