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disk vs rim brakes?

Old 04-05-23, 07:50 AM
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whm1974
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disk vs rim brakes?

So getting back into biking by riding my ten y/o diamondback, I notice that a lot of new bikes uses disk brakes instead of the caliber brakes my bike has. Are they any better at stopping? How hard to change? More expensive?

Thanks.
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Old 04-05-23, 07:59 AM
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ClydeClydeson
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Better in every way. Throw your old bikes in the garbage NOW before their inferior brakes contaminate someone's nice disc brakes.
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Old 04-05-23, 08:09 AM
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seypat
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I don't know if the subject has ever been discussed before. I'd like to hear what people think.
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Old 04-05-23, 08:10 AM
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Originally Posted by ClydeClydeson
Better in every way. Throw your old bikes in the garbage NOW before their inferior brakes contaminate someone's nice disc brakes.

Oh man 100% toss them all. But really in my opinion disc brakes are way better for anything with a descent. For commuting and general use the v-brakes/cantilever brakes are just fine. I'm 245lbs and ride relatively fast in the city and I have never had any issues stopping but for the hills I find disc brakes so much better.
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Old 04-05-23, 08:18 AM
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I'll be following along to see what the folks on bf have to say as well.
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Old 04-05-23, 08:22 AM
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ClydeClydeson
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I changed my mind after my original response. Rim brakes are superior except when riding uphill or on the flats.
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Old 04-05-23, 08:31 AM
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Originally Posted by whm1974
So getting back into biking by riding my ten y/o diamondback, I notice that a lot of new bikes uses disk brakes instead of the caliber brakes my bike has. Are they any better at stopping? How hard to change? More expensive?

Thanks.
Disc brakes can be better at stopping in certain circumstances.
Disc brakes are not difficult to change.
Disc brakes are typically more expensive, if quality/level stays equal.


Close the thread, the questions were answered.
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Old 04-05-23, 08:32 AM
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indyfabz
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I popped extra. Dig in!

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Old 04-05-23, 08:33 AM
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They are heavier and more expensive. They brake better. I don't see the point to them. The CAAD13 I was looking at recently was $400 cheaper for the rim brake version compared to the disk brake version. I would buy the rim brake version. Never had an issue with them.
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Old 04-05-23, 08:35 AM
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Ya know, now that I have had a chance to think about it, I don't believe rim brakes or disc brakes are the answer. Take the brakes off and stop your bike by jamming your shoe inbetween the front tire and the fork crown.

/thread
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Old 04-05-23, 08:42 AM
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I like both rim and disk brakes. Both work well for me. I have rim brakes on my Trek Domane road bike and disc brakes on my Trek X-Caliber mountain bike and Motobecane gravel bike. Never had any trouble with either of them.
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Old 04-05-23, 08:49 AM
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I have both and like both. I also have mechanical and hydraulic disc brakes.

Given the choice if I could only choose one bike? It would have rim brakes for the simplicity. If I was given the choice to have a second bike, I'd choose mechanical disc brakes. But, those Shimano XTR hydraulic brakes on my MTN bike are really something special. Powerful, feather/modulate well and can lock up the wheel on demand if I want to. In other words the best darn brakes I've ever had.
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Old 04-05-23, 08:56 AM
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After 10 years, I'd recommending changing your brake pads. Then they'll work just as well for most riders as newer disc brakes.

I'm willing to make an exception if you're commuting in Seattle; then disc brakes are clearly superior because they won't wear out your rims. Otherwise, making a choice between brakes is just about as important as picking your new bike's color.
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Old 04-05-23, 09:37 AM
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Rim/Disc

Originally Posted by whm1974
How hard to change? More expensive?
Rim brakes
Tend to lose grip in the wet
Lighter and cheaper (historically)


Disc Brakes
Out stop even the best rim brakes
Tougher to maintain
Cost more for both initial purchase and replacement discs and brake pads.


"How hard to change?"
If you mean changing discs and pads, not too bad, but more involved than changing rim brake pads.
If you mean, swap a bike from rim to disc. Generally, it can't be done economically and it some cases safely.

Barry
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Old 04-05-23, 11:13 AM
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Originally Posted by whm1974
So getting back into biking by riding my ten y/o diamondback, .
Are you shopping for a new bike? If not, it's likely you don't have much choice.
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Old 04-05-23, 11:22 AM
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Be aware that there are different types of disc brakes - mechanical and hydraulic. Mechanical (cable-actuated) disc brakes are the lower-performing of the two types, and are widely considered not to be a significant improvement over good-quality rim brakes. Hydraulic disc brakes are superior in stopping power to both mechanical disc and rim brakes.
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Old 04-05-23, 11:33 AM
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...with disc brakes, you'll never need to true your wheels. But drum brakes are your best bet, if you pedal to the beat of a different drummer. And they can be retrofitted to your ten year old Diamondback by changing out the wheels. Which, if properly built, will never need truing.
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Old 04-05-23, 11:37 AM
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...I hope someone esplains "brake modulation", and how one sort of brake is clearly superior in this regard.
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Old 04-05-23, 11:44 AM
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Originally Posted by Barry2
If you mean changing discs and pads, not too bad, but more involved than changing rim brake pads.
For anyone with even moderate mechanical competence, swapping disc brake pads is a pretty easy process.
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Old 04-05-23, 12:00 PM
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Originally Posted by Atlas95
They are heavier and more expensive. They brake better. I don't see the point to them. The CAAD13 I was looking at recently was $400 cheaper for the rim brake version compared to the disk brake version. I would buy the rim brake version. Never had an issue with them.
They do brake better with less brake fade....so to me that is the point. Having said that, if you don't ride too many hilly terrain, I think the advantages do not outweigh the negatives.
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Old 04-05-23, 12:09 PM
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Originally Posted by Atlas95
1) They are heavier and more expensive.

2) They brake better.

3) I don't see the point to them.
4) Return to step 2)
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Old 04-05-23, 12:27 PM
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I don't have any bicycles with disc brakes, only rim brakes and one with a coaster brake. Rim brakes seem to work well for me, no problems with stopping. I'll keep them until the bicycles wear out or parts are no longer available. Coaster brake bicycle is a beach cruiser, it works for its 'beach cruisn' function.
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Old 04-05-23, 12:34 PM
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Depends on the bike and you?

Heavy 29'er with heavy old me? Deore 4 pistons work great.

Lightweight carbon road bike? Ultegra rim brakes work great too!

There is no one answer.
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Old 04-05-23, 12:37 PM
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It depends on how and where you ride.

As a 50yr, 200k mile road rider I remain a fan of caliper rim brakes for general road use. I also commute, and while still OK with my rim brake bikes, I'd be more open to discs for all weather urban use. Keep in m ind that minimum brake distance isn't dependent on brakes, since I have no problem achieving the maximum theoretical brake power with my rim brakes, except when wet.

Thee key is what you prioritize. On the open road, where hard emergency stops are the exception rather than the norm rim brakes work fine, and their simplicity is a bonus. Even on loaded touring long descents, I find my rim brakes more than adequate. OTOH, I've never worn out a set of brake shoes. After a few years and many thousands of miles, I end up replacing shoes because they're drying out.

For urban riding, where there are surprises at every intersection, and potential emergencies in between, any loss of brake power in the rain is a concern, and for that reason, and that reason alone, I'd consider going with discs if building a new commuter bike.

Unfortunately, my opinion, and preference barely matters because the industry prefers selling more expensive to buy and maintain disc brake bikes.
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Old 04-05-23, 12:57 PM
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For the vast majority of riders and riding, good quality and properly set up rim brakes are perfectly adequate. Even for most 'extreme' riding they will work fine. But at the absolute far end of the conditions spectrum, like slippery roots and rocks on a steep chute down a mountain, hydraulic discs are superior.

I have been riding offroad hundreds of hours per year for more than 30 years, and I have used U-brakes, cantilever brakes, V brakes, hydraulic rim brakes, cable actuated disc brakes, and hydraulic disc brakes. THe ability to fully control speed and therefore safely traverse the roughest trails is far better with hydraulic discs. In fact, there are trials and terrain I ride regularly that would have been beyond my ability to ride safely in all but absolute ideal conditions with rim brakes.

Also, the claim that disc brakes take more maintenance or are more difficult to maintain is not, in my experience, true. Discs are easier to maintain, generally speaking, because you don't have to worry about rim trueness. Cable disc maintenance is on par with rim brake maintenance. Hydraulic discs are on the whole less maintenance because they are a sealed system, and the very occaisional bleeding required isn't all that difficult either. And pad replacement on disc calipers is generally easier than on rim brakes.
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