speakez

I'm still looking for my first bike purchase ( 90/10 road vs rail trails/packed dirt trails riding) ever and the local Performance Cycle as these two options within my $700 Budget (Stretched out from the original $500 Budget). So my options are:

Sportif 2.1 which has rim breaks with Shimano Sora
....performancebike.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10052_10551_1210834_-1_400309__400309]Fuji Sportif 2.1 Road Bike -- 2017....
or

Sportif 4.0 LE wich has Mechanical Disk brakes with Shimano Claris.
......performancebike.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10052_10551_1220983_-1_400309__400309]Fuji Sportif 4.0 LE Disc Road Bike - 2017 Performance Exclusive....

I really like the look color of the 2.1, but keep reading about disc brakes being really important, though I don't know how important. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Alternately I have been interested in the Merlin PR7 which only runs $568 shipped to my house, but I'm hesitant to buy my first bike online and think going the LBS would be more beneficial.

Sillyak

I would go with the better groupset and rim brakes. Lots of disc vs. Rim brake info out there. My vote is rim and Sora though.

WhyFi

I love disc brakes, but even I wouldn't call them "really important."

I'll replace my rim braked bike with something with discs, but only because I regularly ride in foul conditions and I want to be able to swap wheelsets between the two bikes (road and gravel). As a side note: one reason that I want the ability to swap wheelsets is because I could finally justify "nice" wheels to myself as the rims were no longer a wear surface.

If none of this strikes a chord with you, I wouldn't think twice about it - if you like the look of the 2.1 and it'll make you happy to get out and ride it more frequently, go with it.

speakez

Thanks for the quick feedback. I'll do some more research on the different brake setups, but I'm leaning towards the rim setup because of the bike color look, lol.

shafter

Get the one you WANT, LIKE and think LOOKS COOL. Don't worry about the rest.

redlude97

Low end rim brakes generally perform better than low end mechanical disk brakes IME.

kuroba

Another pro of discs is that they'll usually allow you to run slightly wider tyres as long as your frame allows it, where on rim brakes you're limited by the brake caliper.

This is particularly useful if you want to ride off road/gravel (https://www.bikeforums.net/recreation...clearance.html)

PepeM

Go with the nicer color. The brakes are a non-issue.

gsa103

For pure road and paved trails, rim brakes are a good choice. For on-road riding, rim brakes are lighter and have equal performance. If you're on pavement, save your money and get rim brakes.

You mentioned rail trails though. For crushed gravel and off-road, disc brakes offer the ability to run wider tires for improved traction and comfort. Additionally, discs typically have better modulation and aren't grabby when stuff gets on the rim.

If you're serious about wanting to regularly do gravel and trails get disc brakes.

Maelochs

I ended up buying a Sportif a few months back, and I looked through a lot of models and checked out a lot of mechanical disc systems.

What I learned is that Tektro TRP Spyre-C is the best mechanical disc system ... and all of the lower levels, Lyra and whatever, are simply not that good.

This is not a disc vs. rim brakes issue---it is a bad discs vs decent rim brakes issue. Also, New Sora is a really solid group (well, so is new Claris) but I would definitely take Sora with good rim brakes over Claris and weak discs.

speakez

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I decided on the Sportif 2.1 with the rim breaks, but funny enough I just came across a brand new 2014 Jamis Ventura Comp which I might go with given it would save me a little over $200 and seems like a great noob bike also. Need to research it a bit more though before making the purchase. If this works out then I'd have more $ left over to get some extras for the rides

tagaproject6

Aside from fit, this is probably one of the best ways to decide on a bike.

speakez

Lol, Agreed.

Wileyrat

Fwiw, after the fact, I ride both mtn and road. I love my hydro discs on my mtn bike, I wouldn't ride in the dirt with anything else.

Having said that, I have Sram Force rim brakes on my roadie, and they stop me so well, I think discs on a road bike are a solution looking for a problem.

If I were running carbon wheels and tubulars, I may think differently, but I'm on alloys and clinchers, so they're perfectly fine (and a poundish lighter).