kevinabbot

So I have a Domane and I wanted a more race ready bike. I have been eying the Emonda SL6 pro. I really like the tires and the lighter weight. I won't get into how but I will be able to buy it for 60% off so while it retails for 3700 I can probably get it for 1500.

so I reallllllyyy like the color and wheels, but the one thing that concerns me is the rim breaks..

I am a lighter guy so I will try to race rides that have as much climbing and distance as possible. I weigh 114lbs so hills are easy and decents are slower for me. I don't plan on riding in the rain or wet and the fact that I already decent slightly slower then average because less weight carrying me down will having rim brakes be a big deal? Are they bad as they seem? I have always ridden with disc but some people make it out to be that you can't stop with rim breaks lol.

Just in my case will the additional weight and non aerodynamics of disc breaks be really worth it because the SL6 pro look reallllll nice

mattm

Look at the pro peloton, I think most riders are still on rim breaks.

Definitely in my pelotons, most riders are still on rim breaks.

I've only used them and lived to tell the tale!

You'll be fine - seems like a great deal too.

gsteinb

I saw a study where not only were rim brakes faster climbing, but descending as well. Everyone can justify any thing any way they want, but it’s hard to find a way that road discs don’t try to fix a problem that doesn’t really exist. In the process you lengthen wheel changes, add potential disc rub, as well as compatibility issues.

Doge

I only will buy rim for road. Any disc system is not to be considered. Mind you, I am not a racer. I buy for racers (plural).

UCI pros have a weight limit. So they add ballast to the bike, or disc breaks.
Discs are harder to do a wheel change for, chances of a rub are higher they are heavier and less aero. They require heavier forks, have heavier cable/fluid.
I knock 2# off a typical bike getting rid of discs because of the lighter hoods/levers, forks, cables, wheels...
In context of this forum, braking is a thing for strategy (old locked thread) and something that in general does not often help winning very much.
I would bet, most UCI riders given the choice [they do not have] - would ride a 13# bike, over ride a 15# bike with discs.

Again, pros have a weight limit, so discs are "free" and they swap bikes, not wheels. So the downside is much less, and they are paid to do it.

caloso

Unless you are riding long descents in the rain, discs don't have any great advantage over rim brakes as far as I can tell.

HTupolev

There's a lot of variability in rim brakes. For dry road riding, I haven't found discs to offer any tangible braking advantage over my best rim brakes.

If the rim braking is a bit spongey, make sure that you're using good compressionless housing, and that you're avoiding excessively tight bends in the routing. And if the pads are inappropriate for the rims and/or conditions, you can end up losing some braking force or experiencing grabby modulation.

Good rim brakes that are set up well can usually achieve power and modulation very close to what hydro discs can provide, at least until we start dealing with rain. Disc brakes tend to cut through water on the rotor better, less hesitation on the initial brake engagement.

caloso

I can lock up both wheels with a finger on each lever with Ultegra calipers and good pads like Kool-Stops.

TheKillerPenguin

Agree with all of the above. It is rare I feel disadvantaged by riding rim brakes (though there have been a couple of occasions), and if the stories my teammates have told me are to be believed the upkeep hydro requires seems really annoying.

Flatballer

I had hydraulic brakes on my XC bike. Constant rubbing, that I spent more time working on than riding.

Good pads make all the difference on rim brakes. If you have good pads you won't miss discs. The only possible time I wish I had discs is the rain, when that first second of braking isn't very effective.

topflightpro

I've locked up rim brakes on carbon rims on a flat course.

That said, if I were buying a new bike now, I'd go disc. The industry is going that direction, so you might as well go with it. I don't see road discs fading or going away any time soon. Yeah, there are a whole lot of compatibility issues with it, but if you end up doing cross or gravel, at least your wheels would be swappable with your road bike.