noodle soup

Back in the 90s Mavic was trying to develop electronic shifting. Who would have thought it would take so long for it to become commonplace?

I understand the need for charging your lights, but how often are you charging the Di2 battery?

CarloM

Not often. But without the power brick there, I would have to grab one of my iPhone charger adapters. I think Shimano (or Bontrager) may even warn not to use certain Apple adapters because they don't provide enough amperage. So this killed multiple birds with one stone. Now all the USB cords plug straight into this power brick which claims to have some "intelligent" way to sense when to give certain devices more power. I can confirm it does charge my Ion Pro light at the higher speed (as long as I use the high-power USB cable that came with it) because the LED flashes faster when it's fast-charging vs. slow-charging.

It primarily was to solve the lights issue: I'd often forget that I'd gone through a pair, use up the other pair, then don't have lights because I was too lazy to go hunting for Apple charging adapters.

Seattle Forrest

The bike itself isn't perfect, but having good brakes is for sure a step in the right direction.

MoAlpha

So cool! I had seen the kits for sale, but never in use. I’m actually looking forward to playing interventional radiologist on my carbon frame.

on the path

This is a pro-disc post?

CarloM

Absolutely. If it only took me 20 minutes to do all of rotor uninstall & install + brake alignment + conversion to 140 to 160 (and keep in mind all of this was voluntary on my part, I wanted to upgrade the rotors and convert to 160, it wasn't a requirement)...then normal maintenance (outside of bleeding, which I haven't had to do) is going to be much easier. Replacing pads literally takes a minute.

And in exchange I get great stopping power in all seasons, and don't have to worry about rim brakes tracks on carbon wheels. Which if anything goes wrong, far eclipses the cost of rotors and pads.

Also keep in mind that was all my first time doing any of that. Future instances will be much faster.

on the path

Dura Ace brake pads are less than $18.00 for front & rear. Disc brake replacement parts as indicated in your post @ $140.00. Unless money is no object, this is a great reason to ignore all things disc on road bikes, unless there is a specific need, i.e. foul weather riding and/or off road.

noodle soup

It is a little confusing. He overpaid for the pads(they are available for $18 for a complete set), and he replaced discs that weren’t worn out.

WhyFi

Beyond that, should rotors *need* to replaced, it would be appropriate to compare it to the cost and frequency of replacing a rim on a rim brake bike. If you want to get in to disc vs rim wear item replacement costs, rim brakes aren't going to win if you like nice wheels.

CarloM

To each their own, $40 vs. $18 for something I don't replace often isn't a big deal for me, but I won't begrudge anyone else for whom that is a significant amount.

And you're ignoring their improved performance of disc. Modulation. Stopping power. When I recently got into the cycling game I was trying to save money and was looking seriously at rim brake bikes since they were all being clearanced. Apparently we can consider 2019 the Year the Manufacturers Went [Nearly] All Disc. But riding the two...it's very evident which are superior brakes even in dry weather for me and my style of riding. I still go into my LBS and see one year (or older) models being clearanced at 25-40% off original MSRP, but most are rim brakes. I try them out and they're all great to ride. Until I hit the brakes. And then I realize I'm not going back to rim brakes.

I paid $40 for 2 sets, back and front, including tax.

And I already admitted the Dura-Ace rotors were for their cool aesthetics--although Shimano will claim they perform better than the Ultegra versions, which they'll claim to perform better than the 105 versions...

Since I'm using resin pads, which are rotor-life friendly, I don't anticipate buying new rotors any time soon.

Tulok

My take is that high quality rim brakes are way more than adequate wet or dry.

But...

I’m planning a new build and it’s going to have discs.

Why?

Because I can swap wheel sizes. 26, 650b, 700c. Not limited.

*why would you want to swap between those?* everyone will ask.

Because one comfortable, quality bicycle that can be ridden for as long as I want is what I want. And sometimes that means dirt, sand, mud and gravel. Sometimes it means ice. Sometimes it’s pavement.

Kimmo 

Wow, I don't think anyone has mentioned being able to swap wheel sizes as an advantage for discs in this thread till now. That factor is a big deal for a small number of folks.

Shimano reckons IceTech lowers temps by a big chunk, like 80 degrees or something. And another hefty amount for DA/XTR level IceTech over that.

on the path

I'm sure it happens but I've not heard of anyone wearing out a brake track on a rim. However, I do hear of rims failing at the nipple holes (not ironically, disc setups are tougher on spokes/nipples... show me a front wheel with radially laced spokes and I'll show you a wheel that's been improperly built). A worn rim has likely served its useful life. A failed nipple hole could be from normal use, abuse, or improper spoke tensioning.

I've got nice wheels, light and strong, rim brake setup. I avoid riding anything but paved roads with them. And the brakes work fantastically well on that bike. Barring something unusual, those wheels should be in service for several more years. Why fix that which is not broken?

Tulok

I think you’re right that there isn’t necessarily a need for disc brakes on regular road bikes. People do in fact wear out their brake tracks, especially if they ride in wet weather often. But many rims can last a century if used for casual fair weather riding.

As as far as spoke lacing, yes 24/24 with cross lacing is absolutely required as a minimum for disc brakes. Radially spoked wheels are about, but nobody who really builds wheels seems to endorse that.

WhyFi

Yup. It happens.

Well... yeah. That's kind of the point.

So don't. Like the other poster, enjoy your "good enough for me." Or were you thinking that this was an "Obama's coming for my rim brakes!" kind of deal?

badger1

... page 10 ... Yay!

on the path

Sorry, simply making a declaration does not make something true. I can just as easily say that, wait somebody already said:

I'll declare that disk brakes on road bikes for riding on pavement provide absolutely no improvement over rim brakes on the same bike. See how easy that was?

Factually, disc brakes are heavier and more expensive on road bikes. That is not open for debate.

That the industry wants us to play along and "upgrade" to something we don't need has never been a reason for me to play along. Have fun...

badger1

... just doing my bit to help this one limp along to ...

badger1

... Eleven pages! What are records for, if not to be broken?

WhyFi

Swapping wheel sizes can been seen as an extension of swapping tire sizes, which is certainly seen as a benefit by more than just a small number of folks. I can go up to 40mm on one of my bikes, up to 35mm on the other. I've certainly taken advantage of that ability on both bikes, swapping knobbies and slicks, as weather and terrain dictates.

Seattle Forrest

I've worn several out.

on the path

Um, I'll declare that rim brakes categorically are just as good as disc brakes. And disc brakes are good enough. And heavy. And expensive. And overly complicated for the application.

I realize that this is the 41, but how can a thread like this contain no meaningful mention of tires? Tires are the single most significant component of any vehicle braking system. Ever hear - "your car is only as good as its tires"? When you're done "modulating" it's all up to the tires.

MoAlpha

I’ve worn out one on a commuter, which saw lots of wet weather duty. I am pretty sure it was the rear.

WhyFi

Yeah, but you don't know what you're talking about, so you've got that goin' for ya, which is nice.

on the path

No, it's you who doesn't know what you're talking about. Glad we cleared that up.