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Disc brakes are now the default on road bikes – and no one cares

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Disc brakes are now the default on road bikes – and no one cares

Old 02-21-20, 08:15 PM
  #76  
HTupolev
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Originally Posted by Psimet2001
I'd have to disagree on that one. As a shop I can tell you that without a doubt I can't remember a single situation where any regular rider/enthusiast ever actually came to me to adjust their brakes. All seemed comfortable with turning a barrel adjuster and opening them up if you had a problem.

Since the switch to disc I see every single one of those guys. "I'm sure its easy but I don't have the tools and I don't know the first thing about bleeding brakes. I don't want to mess with it". Its one of the things I mentioned I like about disc. It has absolutely put more money into my pocket.
I'm wasn't saying that people aren't comfortable working on rim brakes. Quite the opposite: my point is that people are comfortable working on rim brakes despite often doing it poorly, because they have an easy and intuitive time making them "work", and that this results in people thinking that rim brakes are less capable than they are.

(And while this definitely affects how much business shops get, I'm not making a point about whether people should take something to a shop versus DIY. Many shops are also capable of producing poor results with rim brakes, sometimes through low-quality materials and sometimes through poor adjustment.)

Last edited by HTupolev; 02-21-20 at 08:25 PM.
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Old 02-21-20, 08:23 PM
  #77  
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I watch a lot of UCI bicycle racing because I have a subscription to Flobikes and a VPN. There are still riders on rim brakes. The early season might not be the best indication of who has adopted what. Last year, Sagan rode the TDU on a disc bike, but rode at least Paris Roubaix on rims. The fear that the top UCI riders had last year was about wheel changes from neutral support. They were worried about being in a situation where they needed a wheel an it not working.
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Old 02-21-20, 10:30 PM
  #78  
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Yup, all of the new bikes now have disc brakes.

So that isn't the question anymore.

Now the question is "mechanical or hydraulic"?
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Old 02-21-20, 10:33 PM
  #79  
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Originally Posted by brandonjclark
Now the question is "mechanical or hydraulic"?
That's not a question.
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Old 02-21-20, 10:54 PM
  #80  
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Originally Posted by WhyFi
That's not a question.
For the budget-minded it might be
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Old 02-21-20, 11:48 PM
  #81  
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Originally Posted by brandonjclark
For the budget-minded it might be
No, it's not.

If you can't afford it, then it's not a question. If you can afford it, then it's not a question.
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Old 02-22-20, 02:08 AM
  #82  
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Originally Posted by WhyFi
That's not a question.
It sure is. The supposed faff of hydraulic vanishes with mechanical and so does the price hike. Id rather have TRP discs than rim brakes, even if hydros blows any competitor to kingdom come, performance wise.

The weight "issue" is way overblown. Even if you can do 2000 ft an hour, a one lbs disc penalty equates to less than one watt.
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Old 02-22-20, 05:37 AM
  #83  
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I’ve had both and I prefer disc for every type of riding. It’s the new standard so people are going to have to get over it. I know there’s a little bit of a weight penalty, but I’m .5-1 mph faster at all times on my new disc bike compared to my rim brake bike. I don’t feel like anyone will notice a drop in speed due to disc, if they do there’s probably more factors involved than just the disc brakes.

From talking to people on rides and listening to the debates on forums, it seems that most of the people that are against disc brake bikes are those that spent a lot of money on their bikes and they don’t want to hear/think that they have an inferior bike. Yes rim brakes have worked for years and will continue to work for years, but there is in my opinion a better option.
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Old 02-22-20, 06:25 AM
  #84  
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Originally Posted by Racing Dan
It sure is. The supposed faff of hydraulic...
Well, how can I argue with that? I bow to the supposed strength of your supposed reasoning.
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Old 02-22-20, 07:36 AM
  #85  
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Originally Posted by noodle soup
There's a member of the forum that always states that discs add 1-2lbs. to the weight of the bike. At one time that was a slight exaggeration, but now it's total BS.

I'm surprised he hasn't made a comment here yet.
I just watched a video this morning of the Scott Foil Premium Disc when it came out back in 2017-2018, and the Scott rep stated that the disc brake version was 40g heavier than the rim brake one. Of course, this is a 10k$+ bike, but it gives a good idea on how heavier it actually his.
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Old 02-22-20, 07:40 AM
  #86  
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Originally Posted by brandonjclark
Yup, all of the new bikes now have disc brakes.

So that isn't the question anymore.

Now the question is "mechanical or hydraulic"?
That's not a question IMO. Wires have been eliminated on modern drive-trains (DI2 / RED eTap, etc.). The industry did the same thing with our brakes.
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Old 02-22-20, 07:49 AM
  #87  
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The real reason non boutique bikes are getting heavier is the fact that they are made for fat ppl, not because they have disc brakes. Even a size 50 emonda sl is rated for 275 lbs total weight.

How do you imagine that affecting weight and riding characteristics .. ?
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Old 02-22-20, 09:03 AM
  #88  
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I must be the only one here who dislikes switching disc brake wheels. For example, my gravel bike has wheels with all-around tires and another set with pavement tires. Switching wheels requires fiddling with the caliper adjustments.
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Old 02-22-20, 09:14 AM
  #89  
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Originally Posted by Trsnrtr
I must be the only one here who dislikes switching disc brake wheels. For example, my gravel bike has wheels with all-around tires and another set with pavement tires. Switching wheels requires fiddling with the caliper adjustments.
That can be bothersome, but it's pretty easily fixed. Figure out which of the rotors is further inwards and get some shims to move it out to match the other. Once you take care of this, wheel swaps should be easy peasy.
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Old 02-22-20, 09:17 AM
  #90  
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Originally Posted by Racing Dan
The real reason non boutique bikes are getting heavier is the fact that they are made for fat ppl, not because they have disc brakes. Even a size 50 emonda sl is rated for 275 lbs total weight.

How do you imagine that affecting weight and riding characteristics .. ?
CF has evolved a lot in the last 2 decades and materials are getting stronger and lighter. For instance, my TCR weights 7.6kg and is rated for up to 280lbs if I recall properly.

I don't believe there is a direct correlation between bike weight and max body weight it can withstand. In any case, a person weighting close to 300lbs should not be on the market for a race bike IMO. It's just not meant for that, and the experience will most likely be horrible.
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Old 02-22-20, 09:51 AM
  #91  
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The original article doesn't mention how much of the field was also on disc brakes. At some point, when eg. 80% of the field, including the key riders for each team, is riding discs, and therefore all similarly equipped or handicapped (however you look at), of course the winner will be on disc brakes. Also, are there any similar articles which claims a victory was enabled by disc brakes -- eg "...the final separation at the finish line due to the last high speed descent where XYX's use of disc brakes seemed to allow him to pull away from the rest of the field."
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Old 02-22-20, 09:54 AM
  #92  
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Originally Posted by WhyFi
That can be bothersome, but it's pretty easily fixed. Figure out which of the rotors is further inwards and get some shims to move it out to match the other. Once you take care of this, wheel swaps should be easy peasy.
Centerlock shims cost about 10x what they should, but they eliminate caliper alignment issues.
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Old 02-22-20, 10:23 AM
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Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
Disc brakes are now the default on road bikes – and no one cares
Pure climbers are winning on disc brake bikes and no one cares, so has the argument been settled?

Last weekend, Nairo Quintana blazed up the notorious 10km climb to Chalet Reynard on Mont Ventoux, to win stage three of the Tour de la Provence and take the overall race lead.

After the stage, chatter across the cycling media was focused almost entirely on the return to form of a rider whose star has waned slightly in recent years. What didn’t warrant a mention, however, was that Quintana rode a bike equipped with disc brakes.

Bike Radar

I would be very surprised if this is the first uphill finish win for a rider on a disc brake bike. I do remember media making a big deal about the 1st win with disc. It would nice to see Nairo up at the pointy end again. I feel like he was afraid to take risks. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
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Old 02-22-20, 10:31 AM
  #94  
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Originally Posted by WhyFi
That can be bothersome, but it's pretty easily fixed. Figure out which of the rotors is further inwards and get some shims to move it out to match the other. Once you take care of this, wheel swaps should be easy peasy.
Is this an issue if using the same brand and style of hubs? Switching wheels can be a pain with electronic shifting if not using the same brand hubs, so i use the brand and problem solved. Is it the same with rotor alignment?
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Old 02-22-20, 10:41 AM
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Originally Posted by Sy Reene
The original article doesn't mention how much of the field was also on disc brakes. At some point, when eg. 80% of the field, including the key riders for each team, is riding discs, and therefore all similarly equipped or handicapped (however you look at), of course the winner will be on disc brakes. Also, are there any similar articles which claims a victory was enabled by disc brakes -- eg "...the final separation at the finish line due to the last high speed descent where XYX's use of disc brakes seemed to allow him to pull away from the rest of the field."
UCI bikes are already subject to the 15 lbs weight limit. > There is nothing to be gained from rim brakes unless the bike supplier cannot meet the limit in a disc bike. > Soon everybody will be on discs except in non UCI events, not subject to the this limitation.
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Old 02-22-20, 11:18 AM
  #96  
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Originally Posted by colnago62
Is this an issue if using the same brand and style of hubs? Switching wheels can be a pain with electronic shifting if not using the same brand hubs, so i use the brand and problem solved. Is it the same with rotor alignment?
I would hope so.

So far, I haven't even had to shim any of my CenterLock hubs, even from different manufacturers, but I know that this isn't always the case (one wheelset has a 6-bolt attachment, and it doesn't quite line up with my CL hubs).
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Old 02-22-20, 11:24 AM
  #97  
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One solution might be to go down the road I'm going . . . . keep my old bike with my comfy rim brakes and let the new-fangled bikes with disc brakes sit on the merchant shelves. Will this "boycott" ever work, No, because so many folks just gotta have the latest and greatest bicycle cycle, and they're willing to put up with the maintenance complications. Call me a curmudgeon or whatever, but I enjoy riding my bikes the old fashioned way and I have no complaints.
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Old 02-22-20, 11:32 AM
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Originally Posted by Racing Dan
UCI bikes are already subject to the 15 lbs weight limit. > There is nothing to be gained from rim brakes unless the bike supplier cannot meet the limit in a disc bike. > Soon everybody will be on discs except in non UCI events, not subject to the this limitation.
I remember watching a video where a mechanic or coach was saying that some riders liked the lighter setups because it then allowed them to add the weight back in specific areas, like deeper section wheels or a power meter.
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Old 02-22-20, 11:35 AM
  #99  
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Originally Posted by colnago62
Is this an issue if using the same brand and style of hubs? Switching wheels can be a pain with electronic shifting if not using the same brand hubs, so i use the brand and problem solved. Is it the same with rotor alignment?
I haven't seen any alignment issues with the cassette when swapping wheels(disc or rim). I'm sure there are some hubs that aren't exactly identical, but the brakes wouldn't be the cause of the problem.
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Old 02-22-20, 11:59 AM
  #100  
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Originally Posted by Trsnrtr
I must be the only one here who dislikes switching disc brake wheels. For example, my gravel bike has wheels with all-around tires and another set with pavement tires. Switching wheels requires fiddling with the caliper adjustments.
Quick release or thru axle?
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