# Can 990's be as powerful as V's???



## Tag1 (Mar 17, 2006)

I'm narrowing down my choices for a new 24" specific frame - and I'm wondering if 990 (bmx) brakes can be dialed as well as V's. Reason for asking is the bike will be half for street, half for trials, and I want a brake powerful enough for both applications...

What do you guys think?


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## afterbangin (Oct 18, 2006)

*yes...*

you gotta dial em in really good. plus if you use chrome rims it helps out a bunch. get soft pads too.

revenge industries make a sealed bearing rear brake i have on my bmx and its way stronger than v's

http://www.ridetwenty.com/search.php?search=man&value=247&Dr-PHP=42991215a51d788517e2c19dd6588eee

ridetwenty.com is just ride-this.com's bmx site.

get the revenge brakes. last ones you'll ever buy.


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## Evil4bc (Apr 13, 2004)

Tag1 said:


> I'm narrowing down my choices for a new 24" specific frame - and I'm wondering if 990 (bmx) brakes can be dialed as well as V's. Reason for asking is the bike will be half for street, half for trials, and I want a brake powerful enough for both applications...
> 
> What do you guys think?


990's can be as powerful as V's but you dont get modulation , and they suck for the wet , also not that easy to set up if you havent grown up with them on your bikes .


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

USB uses them I think on the molly frame. What about the DeathMobile Brad?


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## Evil4bc (Apr 13, 2004)

snaky69 said:


> USB uses them I think on the molly frame. What about the DeathMobile Brad?


We use V's for a reason they work and even a moneky could set them up .

I love my 990's on my 20in but for MTB you dont get the same amount of tire clearence as V's so no running the big 24" Holy Roller 2.4 in the back . Your stuck running a 2.2 or smaller 

990's also require a 90mm spread from center of the post, to make your seatstays 90mm wide x 110mm in the rear you can end up with a very flexy rear triangle as the tubes are soo narrow . Not to mention the tire clearence issue again 

On the Deathmobile frame we use Paragon machine works V bosses with replaceable post and pin plate , NO ONE uses a brake boss of this quaility on a urban bike !


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

Thanks for the little explanation Brad.


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## Evil4bc (Apr 13, 2004)

snaky69 said:


> Thanks for the little explanation Brad.


Not that this matters for MTB much , FYI "U" brakes or 990 style were orignally designed to be run on the underside of your chainstay. 
When run on the top side of the chainstay your technally running the brake upside down , so this take away from the overall braking power .


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

Not too effective to have them under the chainstay if they'll be seeing any kind of mud.


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

underside of seatstays. better clearance for micro drive as well, unless you get one of those new low-pro cnc designs, which I've never tried...

yeah, I agree with afterbangin, with proper set-up, and chrome rims, they are SOLID! but, Brad is right, not much modulation IMO.

but with V's and some hack setting them up, they can stick out from the frame and get caught on stuff, including your leg.


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## Tag1 (Mar 17, 2006)

Sweet, thanks for the feedback fellas, pretty much exactly what I need to know. I'm not too concerned with modulation so it looks like either choice is viable at this point...


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## Ojai Bicyclist (Nov 4, 2005)

Honestly I've NEVER ridden a good set of 990s. Chrome rims, good pads, good lever, profesionally set up=crap. 

I much prefer Vs. I'm assumming you're considering the Union Molly. The 990s are what turned me off of that bike. 

If you want to do trials the Molly, Fall Guy, Deathmobile etc. will kinda suck. They're really like BMX bikes, not at all like standard trials bikes. I'd get a cheap trials bike and a BMX bike if you want to ride both street and trials. A "real" trials bike makes trials moves so much easier compared to on a DJ bike.


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## Tag1 (Mar 17, 2006)

Ojai Bicyclist said:


> The 990s are what turned me off of that bike.


Hm, same here...I've never really ridden a bmx bike so far (which granted hasn't been many) with brakes that felt as good as V's. I should clarify that the bike is more like 80% street, 20% trials. But you might be on the money suggesting two bikes...more food for thought...


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

Ojai Bicyclist said:


> Honestly I've NEVER ridden a good set of 990s. Chrome rims, good pads, good lever, profesionally set up=crap.


too bad for you. Mine are dialed. an exaggeration to say they were almost as good as the XTR v's on my trials bike, but that thing has a ceramic 521.... but I do really like the solid and quick engagement feeling of the 990 I have with a dirt harry lever, maybe I just got a cherry.
don't know how the one's you rode were set-up....
but that said, I don't know how they would fare on wheels larger than the 20"... V's are proven in that area.


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## pavement_hurts (May 13, 2006)

What you need is a set of Magura HS33's. These babies will crush a cheap rim when set up properly. You can abubaca to your heart's content.


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## Tag1 (Mar 17, 2006)

pavement_hurts said:


> What you need is a set of Magura HS33's. These babies will crush a cheap rim when set up properly. You can abubaca to your heart's content.


Hm, fairly certain the Magura's can't be mounted on U-brake mounts... :skep:


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

There are probably mod plates that can bolt on to your brake bosses for that. There seems to be a small part for every combination possible out there. Don't quote me on that of course, but I think they may exist.


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## defconfour (Sep 30, 2004)

Like BikeSatori said, my 990's on my Molly Maguire are pretty dialed. But it's taken me a bit to get them like that. Current setup:

Odyssey Monolever
Odyssey Linear Cable
Fly brake
Kool Stop pads

I agree w/ what Brad was saying about tire clearance and 990s. I'm running a Kenda Kiniption 2.3 and there is enough room but it is kinda tight. But anything smaller there is a ton of room. Revenge's 990 looks to have even more clearance. I do like how the 990's are tucked in and for park moves that I can do like small abubacas and fuf's I like the engagement.

And yeah, those Paragon brake mounts are sick - I have a pair waiting to get welded to a 26"er frame Brew built me.


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## pavement_hurts (May 13, 2006)

Tag1 said:


> Hm, fairly certain the Magura's can't be mounted on U-brake mounts... :skep:


they sell adaptors


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## Leethal (Feb 5, 2004)

990's offer plenty of power for trials moves; likewise, I am sure Don can attest to the stiffness of our rear triangle.


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## Evil4bc (Apr 13, 2004)

defconfour said:


> I agree w/ what Brad was saying about tire clearance and 990s. I'm running a Kenda Kiniption 2.3 and there is enough room but it is kinda tight. But anything smaller there is a ton of room. Revenge's 990 looks to have even more clearance. I do like how the 990's are tucked in and for park moves that I can do like small abubacas and fuf's I like the engagement.
> 
> And yeah, those Paragon brake mounts are sick - I have a pair waiting to get welded to a 26"er frame Brew built me.


Yup I could weld 990's on the DM's , but tire clearence was our biggest issue with 990's

I have been very pleased with my V brakes on my personal DM , if you swap the inner spacer out for the thinner one the outer brake profile and be slimmer than 990's

( most people forget that V brakes come with sapcers for front and rear set up , it really bugs me when I go into a bike shop and all the rear V brakes are set up bat wing style .. IE: read the instructions shimano give you  )


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## dirtyharry (Jun 27, 2006)

I've never used a 990 that I liked. Of course, I've only used cheap 990s. I've used cheap v brakes, but I liked them well enough.

In fact, I'll even go on to say out of all cheap brakes, v-brakes are the best. Cheap disk brakes aren't affected by wet ground, but they don't stop anyway.


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## Leethal (Feb 5, 2004)

Dirty Harry,

I'll put a set of $19 Diacompe 990's verses your Tektro V's anytime.. Your brakes win and I'll lower your fork!


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## .WestCoastHucker. (Jan 14, 2004)

everybody knows the 990's suck, that's why the bmx'rs just go brakeless and save the weight....


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## defconfour (Sep 30, 2004)

Leethal said:


> 990's offer plenty of power for trials moves; likewise, I am sure Don can attest to the stiffness of our rear triangle.


Well, I'm 225lbs and don't feel any flex on the abubacas I do on the ramp in my yard on a semi-daily basis. I've also been doing and messing up bunnyhop 180's on it as frequently. No problems there either. The size of the seatstay is pretty thick and the rear triangle isn't that much bigger than a 20" setup so it makes sense that it's as stiff as it is.


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## turrick (Aug 21, 2006)

990's are the single reason I quit riding my 20" and went to my 26" only. The brake power is that much different that it was so hard going back and forth between the two bikes. Now that I've stayed on the 26 only, I am progressing better at street, park, and trials.


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## dirtyharry (Jun 27, 2006)

eh, that'd be rather complicated, as it's my friend's bike that has the tektro v's, not mine, and he'd get really pissed if I tried to let you stick those on it. 

But if I had his bike, I'd take your bet!


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## Tag1 (Mar 17, 2006)

dirtyharry said:


> eh, that'd be rather complicated, as it's my friend's bike that has the tektro v's, not mine, and he'd get really pissed if I tried to let you stick those on it.
> 
> But if I had his bike, I'd take your bet!


Well you need two different bikes anyway, as 990 mounts won't work for V's...


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