Over the weekend we successfully upgraded two race hardtails and one trail hardtail to disc brakes. The conversion takes roughly 2 - 3 hours. Much cutting and grinding and fitting and welding is necessary for this conversion. A big thanks to Kintore for getting this off the ground and doing his homework on this awesome upgrade and doing the lion's share of the work on my conversion. I do believe Monk Cox is to thank as well as he showed Kintore the ropes. We used TRX400EX rear brake calipers and mounting plates, and left hand master cylinders / brake lever, deleting the foot pedal all together. These pictures are not great, but will give you an idea of what is needed and how we did it.
I'll take some pictures of it on the bike this evening and get them uploaded in the morning for a better look. We did test run one and the upgrade proves to be very effective over the old worn out drum brakes.
Reasons for upgrade: better performance, weight savings by ditching the heavy drum,shoes, cover, pedal, and pedal mount. I can't say exactly how much weight was lost, but I am guessing in the 1 - 3 pound range. When the build is complete, we will have it weighed to see final weight savings, but our SAS bikes dropped almost 30 pounds fom stock, and these will prove to be even lighter. I am shooting for a 250 pound final weight. Another good reason is safety. The drums wear out on these machines, and go out of spec. to the point where even with new shoes and cables, the shoes can not open far enough to give you the braking power needed. This is a wonderful project for the backyard mechanic and shadetree hacks.
RIP - Yamahondaman!! You will never be forgotten!
RIP - Sam Brehm!! Gone but NEVER forgotten!
RIP - Sandpuppi101 - You will live on in my mind - I miss you friend!