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I'm probably going to be getting my disc brakes soon and need some advice.

Coming from the land of hydraulic rim brakes I know nothing. I appreciate all help.

Firstly, do all rotors fit all wheels? I have 6 bolt holes on my hubs.

Do all callipers fit the mounts on the fork and frame? I believe I have IS mounts on both.

What size rotors should I be looking at getting for my hardtail bike used for light to medium freeride, fast 4X, and some dirt jumping. I'm 18st fully kitted.

Why do some people have larger front rotors when you (or at least I) use the brakes fairly equally, but with a rear bias?

What features should I definitely get- such as reach adjust, etc?

What brakes should i stay away from and what are quality? I've got a budget of around £200 all in.

A million thank you's to you who reply

Hey mate

Personally hope v2, shimano saint, or formula the one brakes are the brakes to get if you want them for aggressive trail riding, FR or DH. Can pick up a set of good condition SC brakes for around the £200 Mark with rotors

The benefits of larger rotors are they don't get as hot when stopping as they have a larger surface area an can make your brakes seem more powerfull.

Reach adjustments is great and I feel all brakes should have it because it just gives you so much more control when riding.

Personally for your hardtail I would go 203mm front and 183mm rear. You tend to use your front brake slightly more when riding, even if you think you don't

Agree with what Brad said. The front brake always works harder, whenever you brake your weight shifts forwards on the front wheel - if you used equal braking force on both wheels you'd be forever locking your rear wheel up.

As far as I know any six bolt disc will fit any six bolt hub. You might need to buy adaptors to fit your cailper to the frame or fork depending on whether the caliper is designed to fit IS or post mount and what rotor size. Superstar sell them for less than a tenner each I think.

If you're not sure whether your mounts are IS or post mount then look at how the bolts to attach the caliper line up compared to the top tube. If the bolts are in line with the top tube (looking down as if you're sitting on the bike) then it's post mount, if they're at 90 degrees then it's IS.

I hope that helps a bit, and happy shopping!

Oh yes and shimano rotors are centrelock if I'm correct? So you would need an adaptor for them, but most other rotors are 6 bolt.

Discs like many things in mountain biking can be a real pain with various different sizes/standards.

As far as I know all rotors will fit all wheels with the 6 bolt pattern, thje obvious exception being the Shimano splined ones.

Generally there are IS mount or post mounts, you can get adapters from one to the other though, also when getting a dapter they will xcome in different sizes depending on the size of your rotor, personally I cant think of any reason NOT to go for the biggest (203mm) rotor but many prefer the smaller sizes.

Andf as far as I know all calipers are a standard size (hole fitting) be it IS or PM.

Ive just changed from a Manito to a Boxxer fork and had to go digging arounmd my bits for a post to IS 203mm size adapter but even then it needed a few washers here n there to get the caliper in exactly the right position.

So after establishing that i need a 200 something front and 180 something rear, with reach adjust, does anyone else have any feedback on brake choices?

Glad that i can buy some brakes (except shim) and stick em on pretty much.

Thanks to all the help so far.

I bought saints on a whim and absolutely can't fault them, much prefer the feel compared to my hopes.

Merlincycles usualy has some pretty good deals on brake sets, so take a look on there

Shimano discs are available for centre lock and 6 bolt types. XT brakes are good too and very similar to Saints albeit apart.from being 2pots rather than the saints 4 and being cheaper.

I love Saint stuff especially the older derailuer that attaches directly to the rear axle..super strong. I broke various hangers and derailuers in Morzine once but my current saint seems indestructible, the same goes for their brakes..BUT they are very pricey.

In the last DIRT mag top 100 products they gave rave reviews for Shimano Deore (its the M595 or M596 series), they are great value for money and I bought some and love 'em.

I got some of the metal braided hydraulic cable from CRC and 203mm rotors from somewhere i cant remember, they are very light and 'holey'.

Well I was expecting a torrent of hope or juicy type brakes...a lil surprised.

Buying brakes is really Dependant on how deep your pockets are, I've heard that Formula Oro's are good.. as well.

I have Juicy 3's on my HT and they have worked faultlessly, changed to some superstar sintered pads and they are even better now. Also have Hayes Stroker Ryder Comp on my FS, they are OK.. but when funds are available they will be changed

The problem for me is that after getting mounting adaptors and rotors, shimano aren't cheap for their ranges. Others like formula and avid have offerings for my £200 in total budget.

Go second hand, as it's the only way to get the top range gear in budget

Shimano saints have excellent power