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V-brakes
A clever, evolutionary leap from the dreadful old ‘short arm cantilever’ designs. V-brakes were first seen on mountain bikes as early as 1992 with the Cheap Trick design from Ben Capron. Their longer levers require more cable to be pulled and a close spacing between pads and rims to perform properly. This meant a change of lever for most people, but the extra power was well worth it. Shimano designed the pads quite thin, this was to avoid the ‘spongy’ feeling of thicker pads and also to help stop ‘squealing’ which is more common with a thicker and therefore more flexible pad. 
The advantages of V-brakes are:
*Low weight.
*Easy installation.
*Good modulation and power when properly adjusted and with fresh pads.
*Cheap.
V-Brake Disadvantages:
*Rims wear out.
*Not powerful enough in the wet for full on riding.
*Rims are always in the mud/water.
*Buckled rims affect braking.
*Cables subject to rust and sticking if not regularly greased (after every wet ride).
*Need frequent balancing.
*Need frequent adjustment to keep pads close to the rim as pads wear.The Top V-Brake Tips are:
1. The end of the noodle should only just stretch in to the cradle to give best performance. LINK
2. The brakes can be balanced and more spring tension added quickly by: un-hooking the spring and bending it outwards. The brake will move over towards that side.
3. The thin pads wear out quickly, take a spare pair on long wet rides.
4. Cartridge pad holders are a neat upgrade (for V-brakes without them), they make changing pads easier and the brake shoes never need adjusting again.
Magura Hydraulic Rim Brakes
These get rid of the dreaded wire cables which is a good thing. After a difficult set-up they are very powerful and suffer only from the usual problems with buckled rims and rim wear. In common with all rim brakes performance suffers in the wet, get the green pads for the winter even though these wear much faster. Magura rim brakes are the only way to go if you want more power than V’s and haven’t got the fixing points for disks. Most have less modulation than V’s, try before you buy. Some people think this is an advantage (especially trials riders) but you might just hate it… 
Cable Disk Brakes
The main reason for the existence of cable disk brakes is that they don’t need a special lever. Manufacturers have designed them to work with the cable pull found on V-brake levers so they’re cheaper. They’re not simpler or more reliable though. Most require meticulous set-up and frequent cable maintenance in wet weather to equal an average hydraulic disk.
Cable Disk Advantages:
*Half the price and much of the performance of hydraulic disks.
*You can keep your existing V-brake lever (hence the lower price).
*No fiddly bleeding.
Cable Disk Disadvantages
*Suffer from cable contamination and drag resulting in poor performance.
*Rear disk has the worst cable problem due to longer cable length, but rear brake doesn’t need super high power anyway.
*Heavy.
*Oil/grease/brake fluid contamination can cause a drastic loss of power after which the pads must be replaced.
The front runners are:
Avid Ball Bearing Disk MTN
The original cable disk that actually works. Very few problems with these, take care not to lose the pads when you remove your wheels. Being held in by small magnets they can easily fall out. To keep them in place install a spacer e.g. a piece of rubber car mat, then hold this with an elastic band whilst transporting. Some squealing when wet, as with other disks keep oil off the rotors.
Hayes Mechanical Disk
This disk calliper is the one to get if you have Hayes post type mounts and can’t afford hydraulics. They can be difficult to set-up and are more prone to the dreaded squeal than some, but once working properly they’re pretty good.
Hydraulic Disks
The daddy of them all. The only real reasons for not having these are you’re a weight obsessive or you can’t afford them.
Hydraulic Disk Advantages :
*No cable drag.
*Almost unaffected by mud and water.
*Almost unaffected by bent wheels.
*Unrivalled power and modulation (Hope for modulation).
*Pads last longer in wet weather (if you get the sintered type).
*Open systems don’t suffer from heat build up but lever reach is usually not adjustable.
Hydraulic Disk Disadvantages:
*High Price.
*Weight.
*Complex installation.
*Expensive pads. (But this can be cancelled out as the right pads out-last V-brake pads by a very long time).
*Heat build up with closed systems.
*Disks can warp if over-heated.
*Oil/grease/brake fluid contamination can cause a drastic loss of power after which the pads must be replaced.
*Closed systems allow the point at which the lever ‘bites’ to be adjusted but can ‘pump up’ if run very hot, this can cause the brakes to drag and even lock up altogether. An adjustment at the lever compensates but you’ll have to stop to make it.
Hope Minis
The Hope Mini is the brake most people have been waiting for. A fantastic combination of reasonable price, excellent power, modulation and low weight make them almost irresistible. Being an open system the Minis don’t suffer from heat ‘pump up’ which occurs in closed systems, when the hot brake fluid expands and forces the pads against the rotor. Problems with the dreaded brake squeal from which all braking systems seem to suffer from time to time are alleviated with EBC Green pads. The levers on the minis (now also used on the new M4) have to be seen to be appreciated. They are almost works of art, check out the full screen picture to get the best look outside of a shop. As a direct comparison they have a little less power than Hayes but much better modulation.
Hope M4
The latest and best from Hope Technology. Combining the Enduro’s lightened calliper with the Mini lever, giving a lighter brake than the Enduro with more power than the Mini. With an all up weight of 460g these should be for all but the skinniest light-weight freaks. If a disk brake gets sales on looks alone then Hope are on to a winner here. The calliper is sculptural art and is exceeded in the techno-beauty stakes only by the lever which is the most comfortable and aesthetically pleasing ever designed. Out on the trail the M4s were powerful almost from the start. A short break-in period on a wet/snowy epic in the Peaks had them broken in and producing full power in no time. They do squeal with the stock organic pads from time to time in the wet, but not at a level approaching that of V brakes. Mud on the disks also can get you a gritty scraping sound as you ride along. The levers have a small brass cam which allows you to adjust lever reach with a 2mm Allen key. This is despite what it says about lack of lever adjustment on open systems in the March copy of MBR.
Formula B4
Light weight: front 375g rear 345g. Rotor front 112g rear 83g. These are disc brakes for light-weight freaks. If you are heavy and/or thrash long downhills they will heat up and fade. For mud-plugging around English woodland and anywhere without proper mountains they are an excellent purchase. It is possible to get the B4’s with a 185mm rotor rather than the stock 160mm front rotor. We would strongly advise this if you have any concerns about power, heat build or power fade on long descents.
General Disk Brake Tips
*Avoid pad/rotor contamination at all costs. If rotor is contaminated wash in dishwasher!
*Don’t touch the rotor disks with your fingers, keep all lubricants and brake fluids well away from the disks and callipers.
*Don’t pull the levers with the wheels removed, the pistons will get stuck in the on position.
*Clean the rotors with meths to remove minor contamination. Use a tooth brush and scrub both rotors and pads, if the pads are badly contaminated you could try baking them in a really hot oven to burn off the oil. Or just fit new pads.
*Finesse make a bike specific disk brake cleaner call 0800 2986616. Or buy online from wiggle.co.uk in the Cleaner section.
*EBC make better disk brake pads. You can buy online at Zoom Products