Clarks CMD-8 Mechanical Disc Brake Review

Clarks CMD-8 Mechanical Disc Brake Review - Why?

I wore through a rear rim a few months back, and had a rim blow out  when tire pops out from cracked rim where the beading becomes disengaged.

Now when I apply the brakes and hear the grinding noises, I cycle on country lanes mostly and can not avoid getting muddy rims, I wonder how long before it happens again.

By using a disk brake I am transferring  the wear to the disk, rather than the rim. £10 replacement vs £60 replacement.

So why, long term costs. It does not stop the bike any quicker.

Clarks CMD-8 Mechanical Disc Brake Review - Fitting

I have a lot going on on the rear stay of my bike. Mudguards, Pannier Rack and now a disk brake caliper. As you can see from the above picture I have bent the mudguard stay to fit around the caliper. A trickier problem was fitting the pannier rack. . . . .

I used a piece of builders banding strap doubled over, any piece of bent metal would surface so long as it has holes in the right place. Obviously this is not as secure as a direct attachment to the rear stays, but it not too bad. I carried 10 kg in the pannier on the bracketed side since fitting with no dramas.

The disk brakes are fairly easy to set up. I have never fitted a disk brake before it took me 3 goes, loosening a readjusting until they were just right.

Clarks CMD-8 Mechanical Disc Brake Review - Money Money Money

Prices range from around £15 to £25. I bought mine off eBay with no packaging for £10. I have read good reviews of this product.

 Clarks CMD-8 Mechanical Disc Brake Review - Performance

 The performance of these disk brakes is about the same as a v brake. They are no better, but they a so silent. No rubbing noises even when braking. So if you are thinking of changing for the sake of performance then don't bother.

 Clarks CMD-8 Mechanical Disc Brake Review - Conclusion

I want to prolong the life of my rims, and I didn't want to have to buy new levers. These Clarks CMD-8 Mechanical Disc Brakes have proved to meet these requirement at low cost. I will update in a few months or when the pads wear out.

Update: 22/12/12

Be VERY careful when lubricating you chain, and rear mech etc. If you have used spray lubes in the past I would recommneded switching to bottled lubs, to avoid getting lube on the disk rotor or pads. Otherwise your disk brakes will lose power when braking.

Note to Clarks: The return spring on the brake arm could do with being a bit stronger.


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Clarks CMD-8 Mechanical Disc Brake
Reviewed by Kermit Green on Nov 27 2012
Rating: 2.5