Surfzup13

have a Trek Madone 4.3 with 105 5700. Bike is well maintained and in great shape. I ride about 100-120 miles a week. I am thinking about buying a new bike simply to upgrade to disc brakes and 105 5800. I would just like to know of the money would be worth it or should I just keep roiing with the rim brakes? I am looking at an Emonda or Canyon Endurance with the 105 5800. Thanks

Thanks for the responses, all were helpful.. going with a Giant TCR Advanced with ultegra and discs. Decided to just go for it...: )

GlennR

Make a big move and get a Emonda with Ultegra Di2.

I went from a Madone 4.6 (Sram Rival) to a Emonda SLR with Sram Red eTap and it was HUGE.

Germany_chris

I'f the upgrade is based only on moving to disc brakes I'd probably not spend the money, but if the new bike will fit better go for it

Mulberry20

I am shopping for a new bike and talking to builders and avoiding disk brakes.

Don’t want any of the hassles and don’t need them.

GamblerGORD53

My DIY mount cable pull TRP Spyre has had ZERO problems. Locks on a dime every time I want.
It actually likes having a big gap. I have SA long pull levers. This is on my Rohloff14 steel heavyweight tour bike. Basically has been set and forget. Maybe adjust and clean when I have a flat tire.
I actually decided to try rotating the pads after 3,500 miles. It was soft for a day while it wore straighter and bedded in again. Good to go another 2,500 miles.
Previously I had BB5 1 side calipers there WERE a POS.

bikeaddiction1

Interesting. What disc brakes do you have on your bike that you have hassles? I have not had that experience. I have three bikes with disc brakes and a number with rim brakes and I spend less time adjusting the disc brakes and like the improved performance, especially when it is wet.

That being said, I would not upgrade a road bike just to get disc brakes, but buying new I would only go with hydraulic disc brakes.

Mulberry20

I don’t ride when it is raining. I don’t ride my bike to work, I take the subway.

Several of my central park riding buddies have disk brakes and they actually don’t like them.

I have a Serotta with Campy and rim brakes and have never noticed any deficiency.

I am sure disk brakes have technical advantages but they don’t apply to me.

My new bike from Dave Kirk will be rim brakes.

Bigbus

If I had the bike you currently have-that would be an upgrade for me. With that said, there's a reason you're looking at new bikes. Kinda like the guy that has a beautiful GF and his head swivels every time something nice walks by. There's obviously something lacking with what he currently has. Just saying...

bikeaddiction1

Oh, I assumed from your comments that you had actually ridden them and had experience with their use and maintenance. My bad. Sorry.

Mulberry20

I have, several times. Especially my friends Emonda SLR. Great bike, fantastic bike, fantastic brakes but I don’t need them. I test drove 2021 Domane in the summer. The Trek store let me take it to the park. Did 12 miles and thoroughly enjoyed the bike but honestly the brakes didn’t do much for me.

DaveSSS 

I'm light and never ride in the wet, so I get all the braking I need with rim brakes. I can ride 4000 miles in the mountains and never adjust the brakes. My brake pads last for years. That said, manufacturers are forcing disc brakes onto customers, with no rim brakes being offered on most or all frames. I decided to try discs and tubless tires with my latest build of a Cinelli superstar with SRAM force axs. I got the frame for $1055. It's cheaper and lighter than an Emonda SL. Total build cost will be about $2000 less than the Emonda SL with SRAM force. I will be trying mechanical/hydraulic brake calipers. I had thought about TRP Spyre SLC mechanical calipers, but Juin-Tech F1 calipers may be more powerful. Time will tell. I chose fulcrum racing 3 wheels that don't require rim tape to run tubeless and I'm trying michelin's new tubeless tires. I like to buy my personal choice for every part that goes on the bike. No prebuilt bikes for me.

Mulberry20

Disk brakes are an annuity for bike shops and component manufacturers. Performance is a small part of the “push”.

Maelochs

Same brakes on my rain/work/errands bike. Great brakes. On par with Ultegra rim brakes in the dry .... always. Added bonus is, if something goes wrong, I can buy a cable at Walmart and fix it.

That said, I have hydro discs on my MTB and I see no issue with having them on any bike ... except a real distance tourer, where being able to rig a repair could be really important.

I mean, MTB riders beat the snot out of their bikes and I have never seen or heard of a brake failure on the trail. And locking up on dirt is easier than locking up on pavement ... so that isn't an issue either, as far as I can tell.

I don't think discs are a global parts manufacture conspiracy, either .... Any more than they were when they were introduced on MTBs ... and as I recall it was DIY riders who started the US MTB movement and they took disc breaks --and suspension---from scooters and tiny motorcycles. not all dreamed up in board rooms in sky scrapers to keep the cyclist down.

I really don't care who like disc brakes, though. And some people really like to have things to hate.

DeadGrandpa

This question is directed to me, and me alone. If you are really interested in whether or not to buy a new bike, the answer is YES, buy a new bike. The advantages of disc brakes or anything else are not relevant, though I definitely recommend disc brakes. But more over, a new bike is an exciting addition to your life. Don't pass up the opportunity. I promise you won't regret it, unless you are thinking about the inheritance your children may receive. Screw them. You need a new bike...

JohnDThompson 

Not simply to "upgrade" to disk brakes. Disk brakes won't make you go any faster; like all brakes, all they do is slow you down.

Kapusta

Just for disc and a newer 105? Definitely not worth it.

But if there are other differences, like the ability to run larger tires, and you plan to take advantage of that... yeah, that would change the calculation.

GlennR

With better brakes you can descend faster and corner faster since you can apply the brakes later which maintains a higher speed to the last minute.

Sounds like you never road a bike with disc brakes.

I have one of each, my road bike has rim brakes and is only ridden on nice days. My CX bike is my foul weather and winter bike and has hydro disc. Different tool for different jobs. Same reason i have 5 different hammers and 4 different torque wrenches.

Kapusta

I can give you a few first hand accounts if you wish

Nonetheless, I still run hydros on my primary “A Game” MTB.

Maelochs

Were the brake failures specifically due to the fact that the brakes were hydraulic discs? Obviously,, every any and every component on a bike can fail if it is used beyond design capacity ... but I don't hear people demanding a return to rigid forks when a seal blows.

If a brake line rips free .... that same accident could have ripped loose a cable. And a caliper can snap as well as any other component could ... The implication of prior posts were (IMO) that hydro disk brakes were more finicky, harder to live with, and less durable, compared to any cable-actuated brake system.

I have been hit by cars while riding on the road. Given the results of some of those collisions ... I could say that steel frames were weak and feeble and as a genre insufficient for use by cyclists .... and nobody would even bother to laugh, because the absurdity would be too huge to be humorous.

I see the carping about disc brakes so be similar.

Kapusta

The point I was addressing was whether hydro brakes ever fail, not whether we should ditch them. That should be obvious by the fact that I said I am still using them on one bike.

But since you asked: Yes, the problems I ran into were hydaulic-specific, involving either air getting in or fluid getting out.

As far as reliability compared to mechs, in my experience, mechs do win out there.

In terms of top performance.... hydros for sure.

EDIT: shoot, I got sidetracked with the MTB discussion. OP is talking road. For that, I think hydro definitely makes more sense if you have the option. Performance differential between mechs and hydro is greater on road bikes, and there is not the abuse involved as compared to MTB.

msu2001la

With 5800 you'll get 11sp vs your current 10 speed. Disc brakes are better. A disc bike will probably be a bit heavier.

New bikes are cool, but I wouldn't expect 5800/discs to feel like a significant upgrade over 5700/rim. There are some differences between the Madone and Emonda that you might find more or less to your liking, including slightly different geometry. I'd say that is a bigger factor than the rim/disc or 10sp/11sp.

John_V 

Sounds to me like the OP is wanting a justification for a new bike. GO FOR IT!

commo_soulja

New bike with better braking? Hells yeah do it.

DorkDisk

For drop bars, the biggest benefit of hydraulic disc brakes is superb friction-free braking from the hoods.