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One Man’s View Of Disc Brakes

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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

One Man’s View Of Disc Brakes

Old 08-20-19, 10:26 AM
  #51  
seypat
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Originally Posted by MoAlpha
I just wish to say that I am totally cool with that video and how nice it is to be young, hot ****, and have enough bikes/bike turnover to “switch” back to rim brakes. Do you mother****ers realize I will probably never buy another pair of good shoes?
I'm with you there. That dude has more important things to worry about........Like making sure he gets his sponsor's maximum product placement exposure. Note to Lazer....better put a logo on the back of that cap. Otherwise, he is going to get a neck injury spinning his head around so you can see the logo. Another thing........ Are those cycling shades or swim goggles? He needs a snorkel to complete the look. Maybe he is a triathlete. He could wear those in both the water and on the bike. Save some time in transition. In all honesty, this is about all I see when I watch that video.


Last edited by seypat; 08-20-19 at 10:32 AM.
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Old 08-20-19, 10:31 AM
  #52  
FlashBazbo
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Originally Posted by rodey
And guess what: drum brakes will still stop your car!
So will dragging your feet.
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Old 08-20-19, 10:33 AM
  #53  
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I don't know. I can't even watch most vloggers to begin with.

One third of the video is introduction - who I am, how I became aware of this issue, why it is important to me and why it should be important to you and how they came up with the title of the video on and on and on.

Some can't seem to speak without using sentence enhancers such as yeah, um, like, sorta, ya know, oh or some combination thereof. There was a time when no self respecting public speaker would ever use such words but now we hear them during presidential debates.

There are a few very credible vloggers such as Raoul Luescher who talks about carbon fiber and is actually a materials engineer with experience in aircraft composite fabrication. Most vloggers are just some guy nobody ever heard of trying to monetize a bunch of long winded opinions.


-Tim-
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Old 08-20-19, 10:37 AM
  #54  
rodey
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Originally Posted by FlashBazbo
So will dragging your feet.
Yeah? Dragging your feet will stop your car? Good luck with that.

The argument that rim brakes are an antiquated tech is fine. Guess what else is antiquated tech? The gas engine. Why do most people still drive them? Either their driving conditions require it or they'd rather not pay a premium for an electric car.

The same is relevant to discs. Why would you pay a premium (in most cases) for something that isn't going to benefit you aside from in very specific use cases?
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Old 08-20-19, 10:42 AM
  #55  
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Originally Posted by rodey
Yeah? Dragging your feet will stop your car? Good luck with that.
Tell that to Fred Flintstone!
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Old 08-20-19, 10:42 AM
  #56  
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Originally Posted by seypat
Another thing........ Are those cycling shades or swim goggles? He needs a snorkel to complete the look. Maybe he is a triathlete. He could wear those in both the water and on the bike. Save some time in transition. In all honesty, this is about all I see when I watch that video.
You must be too young to remember Greg Lemond.
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Old 08-20-19, 10:49 AM
  #57  
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- My first bike had a backpedal actuated coaster brake and I thought no need for more as I could skid whenever I wanted
- Then I got a Raleigh 3 speed chopper with steel side pull brakes and thought now brakes on both front and back and levers just like a motorcycle and how could you want more
- Followed by a Peugeot with Mafac Racer center pulls on serrated steel rims amazing.
- Another Raleigh this time with Universal alloy sidepulls on alloy rims what a step up.
- A Marinoni with Campagnolo Nuevo Record Brakes another improvement.
- Roberts with Dura Ace dual pivot Brakes made The previous feel like you were dragging your shoes.
- Colnago C60 with Super Record on Mavic Exalith rims wow what a noticeable improvement.
- Now on Dura Ace Disc and I love them and what a improvement from previous.

I cant wait to what the future will bring!
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Old 08-20-19, 11:19 AM
  #58  
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Originally Posted by rodey
And guess what: drum brakes will still stop your car!


Bingo!

My 1970 Olds Cutlass had 4 wheel drum brakes, Never had a problem stopping except once while racing another car and trying to stop on the other side of a hill at 90 mph. Good thing I had room. I finally figured out what brake fade was.

I think of bike disc brakes like drums on those old cars. Under extreme conditions, Disc brakes are may have a distinct advantage to commuters and recreational cyclist's descending moderately steep hills in the rain. The rim brakes on my 2018 Giant Sedona have plenty of stopping power and very good modulation dry, are fine in rain too on flat roads, Just take a little more pressure on the brake levers. I haven't tried them descending moderately steep hills in the rain though.

Last edited by xroadcharlie; 08-20-19 at 11:23 AM.
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Old 08-20-19, 11:35 AM
  #59  
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Just go with whatever you like most... I don't see why people would need to argue on that. The fact is that, rim brakes lovers will not change their mind and neither will disc brake lovers. I do not believe that performance is why people are going for disc brakes. This is BS.

Personally, I like disc brakes for the look. I don't use them often, but they're there when I need them. I wouldn't probably notice a difference using rim brakes.
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Old 08-20-19, 11:35 AM
  #60  
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Since I live in South Florida, where there are no hills, except for bridge approaches/descents, looks like rim brakes are just fine.

Also, there are many nice parks with paved bike paths, so there is no need to ride on our s****y roads.
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Old 08-20-19, 11:45 AM
  #61  
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Originally Posted by eduskator
I do not believe that performance is why people are going for disc brakes. This is BS.
Virtually every advocate of disc brakes touts the improved performance as the main reason for using them.

Last edited by tomato coupe; 08-20-19 at 12:01 PM.
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Old 08-20-19, 11:51 AM
  #62  
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Originally Posted by tomato coupe
Virtually every advocate of disc brakes touts the improved performance as the main reason for using them.
How would disc brakes improve performance?
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Old 08-20-19, 11:52 AM
  #63  
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Originally Posted by eduskator
I do not believe that performance is why people are going for disc brakes. This is BS.
I certainly wouldn't give up the lever feel, wet/sloppy performance and 1-finger downhill braking now that I've had it.
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Old 08-20-19, 11:52 AM
  #64  
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Originally Posted by eduskator
I do not believe that performance is why people are going for disc brakes. This is BS.
When you've got about 215lbs (rider & bike) coming down these descents, trust me, you're using them for the performance.

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Old 08-20-19, 12:04 PM
  #65  
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I've never had a problem on this ride with rim brakes even in the rain/fog. Went down it one year on Mafac Racers in heavy rain. It was a little hairy that time. Of course, I don't use carbon rims either. I'm about 230lbs with rider/bike/gear.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/2442705
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Old 08-20-19, 12:14 PM
  #66  
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Originally Posted by FlashBazbo
  • Disc brakes aren't hard to maintain. In fact, if you keep your bike long enough, cable-actuated brakes require more maintenance. Hydraulic road discs, in my experience over the last five years, require zero maintenance if set up properly. Cables eventually fray, stretch, and break. I've never had to maintain a road disc except to replace pads (the same as I would a rim brake).
So are you saying mechanical disks are more maintenance than rim brakes and hydraulics are the same? My experience is that BB7's are many multiples more maintenance than rim brakes. Agree that bleeding hoses and replacing cables is probably a wash.


Originally Posted by FlashBazbo
  • Disc brake setups don't weigh that much more. Check the figures on last year's BMC TeamMachine. The disc brake version weighed something like 30g more than the rim brake version. 30g is nothing -- one bite off an energy bar.
I'm skeptical of the 30g claim. Apples to apples comparisons I've seen are closer to 400g. Not that either number is significant to the average recreational rider.
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Old 08-20-19, 12:18 PM
  #67  
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Originally Posted by MoAlpha
I mean, I have discs and I’m really tired of people saying they’re heavy and hard to maintain and stuff.
The only thing I know about discs is that they're heavy and hard to maintain, which is why I have avoided them.

But I do love a good disc brake thread.
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Old 08-20-19, 12:50 PM
  #68  
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Originally Posted by Rides4Beer
When you've got about 215lbs (rider & bike) coming down these descents, trust me, you're using them for the performance.

My cantis stop my 270 lbs. of bike, rider and gear just fine. (290 lbs. BITD.) Haven't flown off the side of the mountain yet.
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Old 08-20-19, 12:53 PM
  #69  
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Originally Posted by kingston
So are you saying mechanical disks are more maintenance than rim brakes and hydraulics are the same? My experience is that BB7's are many multiples more maintenance than rim brakes. Agree that bleeding hoses and replacing cables is probably a wash.




I'm skeptical of the 30g claim. Apples to apples comparisons I've seen are closer to 400g. Not that either number is significant to the average recreational rider.
I've been enjoying watching YouTube videos of people building "dream bikes" from frame up. The routing, cutting, and fitting hydraulic systems looks like a pain in the ass, but the bleeding, with the right tools, looks WAY simpler and much faster than replacing cables.
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Old 08-20-19, 01:01 PM
  #70  
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Originally Posted by Jack Tone
I've been enjoying watching YouTube videos of people building "dream bikes" from frame up. The routing, cutting, and fitting hydraulic systems looks like a pain in the ass, but the bleeding, with the right tools, looks WAY simpler and much faster than replacing cables.
I haven't heard anyone claim that hydraulic disks are less maintenance, but it could just be that they are both so low maintenance that it doesn't matter one way or another. The hardest part about replacing cables is re-wrapping the bars which you obviously don't have to do when you bleed the hoses.
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Old 08-20-19, 01:12 PM
  #71  
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
My cantis stop my 270 lbs. of bike, rider and gear just fine. (290 lbs. BITD.) Haven't flown off the side of the mountain yet.
They work, they have for years, but I feel more comfortable with discs, especially when descending at 50+mph.
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Old 08-20-19, 01:17 PM
  #72  
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Originally Posted by Rides4Beer
When you've got about 215lbs (rider & bike) coming down these descents, trust me, you're using them for the performance.

Do you do that ride in the rain? I've never noticed a performance difference in dry conditions. Except my discs are squealing at the moment.
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Old 08-20-19, 01:38 PM
  #73  
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Originally Posted by gregf83
Do you do that ride in the rain? I've never noticed a performance difference in dry conditions. Except my discs are squealing at the moment.
Nope, it was dry, but I still prefer the discs when it's dry, but my rim brake road bike has carbon wheels. Granted, braking performance on the road bike with alloys and koolstop pads is really good, but it's easier to swap the road wheels on the gravel bike than it is to swap wheels and brake pads on the road bike. Sheer braking force may be the same, or similar, but the modulation and ease of braking can't be discounted either. I'm not rushing out to buy a new road bike just so I can have disc brakes, but when the time does come for a replacement/upgrade, it'll have discs.
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Old 08-20-19, 02:07 PM
  #74  
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Originally Posted by kingston
My experience is that BB7's are many multiples more maintenance than rim brakes.
What are you doing that is taking so much time to maintain BB7's? If its dry every couple hundred miles you have to turn 2 knobs 1 click. About the same frequency as you have to turn the tension knob on a caliper brake. If its wet a bit more often on the BB7s but for rim brakes you have to constantly wipe down the rims and pads and pick out metal shards if you want the rim to last a long time.
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Old 08-20-19, 02:29 PM
  #75  
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Originally Posted by redlude97
What are you doing that is taking so much time to maintain BB7's? If its dry every couple hundred miles you have to turn 2 knobs 1 click. About the same frequency as you have to turn the tension knob on a caliper brake. If its wet a bit more often on the BB7s but for rim brakes you have to constantly wipe down the rims and pads and pick out metal shards if you want the rim to last a long time.
They are constantly either rubbing or squeaking or both. I've done the whole sand the pads and rotors, replace the pads and rotors. I've tried everything. Nothing I can do despite endless fiddling can stop them from rubbing and/or squeaking for more than a few hundred miles. I keep my bikes clean so rim vs. disk is the same effort in that regard.
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