Is it simple to convert cantilever brakes to disc brakes?

Chalo said:

To install discs on a bike that has rim brakes, you need three things: disc brake mounts on the frame and/or fork, wheels with rotor mounts on the hubs, and the brake kits themselves. Good brake kits cost $70 and up, retail, per wheel. Disc compatible wheels start at about $150 per pair, and it's usually not worth the trouble and expense to add disc mounts to a frame or fork that isn't already equipped with them. Once you have all the necessary components, installation is relatively easy.

Decent hydraulic brakes work well, until they don't. Then they are a titanic pain in the butt to fix, compared to cable brakes. My advice is just stay away from hydraulics; they are a solution looking for a nonexistent problem, while bringing along new problems of their own. Use Avid BB7 cable brakes instead, and enjoy powerful, positive braking along with the relative simplicity and user serviceability of cable brakes.

If all you want is good strong brakes, please understand that cantilever and V-brakes are both capable of very strong braking if they are set up correctly and fitted with high quality pads (like Kool Stop). Rim brakes are configurable to a degree that "you get what you get" disc brakes are not. They are also cheaper to keep in top shape and much easier to service.

Disc compatible wheels are inherently weaker than equivalent rim brake only wheels, and must be built heavier to do the same job. That's not a big deal for a lightweight rider at modest speeds and assuming good riding technique, but it can make the difference between a trouble free bike and one that needs more frequent service when conditions are less favorable.

Since the need for powerful braking of the rear wheel is less than on the front wheel, and the need for sensitive braking is greater, I sometimes use a large rotor disc brake up front and a rim brake in the rear. That gives me the sharp response of a disc in front along with the more progressive feel of a rim brake in back, reducing the tendency of the rear tire to skid and making the bike safer to ride in slippery conditions.

I have owned bikes with cable and hydraulic discs, V-brakes, cantilevers, calipers, drums, coaster brakes, and roller brakes. I think all these brakes have their place and can be thoroughly satisfactory when used in an appropriate context. I believe it's a fallacy to consider any kind of brake, especially discs, to be categorically better for all applications. For a modestly priced, mechanically simple cruiser bike especially, I think it's hard to make a credible case that a $300+ braking system is appropriate or desirable when other less expensive and lower maintenance alternatives can offer plenty of stopping power.

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