63rickert

Good thing there were people who liked rim brake bikes since 1890s or there would be no bikes.

Or maybe it just might be possible to say “I prefer disc brakes” and leave it at that.

jgwilliams

Yes, I agree. However, unlike oil sludge and grease sludge it does wash off pretty easily, even from hands, etc.

When I bought my last road bike I decided that I didn't want to the pay the extra to have disk brakes. In the last few years things have moved on considerably; I think going for disk brakes is a no-brainer now.

GhostRider62

My problem with aluminum is I tend to have pretty tan walled tires on my alu rimmed bikes and the oxidized "slurry" makes the sidewall look like crap and I have never found a way to restore the nice look. On short rides in the rain, wiping them down at home works but on longer rides with intermittent rain, the tires are "ruined"

rumrunn6

just started using one of those this year. it's really been handy. I can see bare ground outside, so maybe we can hook up the hose soon

50PlusCycling

Yeah, rim brakes are a pain, they make it far too easy to remove and replace the wheel, they are too easy to adjust, and too easy to find replacement parts. Making repairs and adjustments just isn't as fun if I can't rant or swear.

livedarklions

What's the deal with airline food?

noimagination

I call BS. The miniscule amount of matter deposited on your bike from pad wear (and any wear from the rim) would not be noticeable in all of the other crud sprayed from the wheel. You'd need a GC to identify it.

There may be good reasons to prefer disk brakes over rim brakes for all-weather riding, but this ain't one of them.

chaadster

Yeah, they’re great, right?! I love the sprayer because the water flow is so light and controlled; water is not going everywhere, soaking the garage, and the wand makes it easy to get into all the nooks and crannies easily.

We just got what looks to me like the biggest snowfall of the winter last night, so hopes of the hose seem far away…

chaadster

I’m guessing you have extremely limited or zero experience with disc brakes, because otherwise you wouldn’t say such silly things.

wolfchild

What ??...you're actually trying to keep your tires to stay looking nice and clean ??.

chaadster

Weak…if only the fact that anyone can plainly see that rim brake bikes are clearly more and differently dirtier than disc brake bikes in the same wintry conditions.

ofajen

My winter rides are all on muddy or frozen trails, so I can’t really distinguish what the brakes contribute in comparison to the general spray of mess off the tires.

I just leave the goofy looking SKS fenders on and spray the bottom bracket area clean after a ride. Only takes a couple of minutes. But I suspect my expectations of clean are low because I’m always riding on dusty or muddy trails.

Otto

rumrunn6

oh oops haha my bad, sorry. in washing my bike I wish the sprayer had a little more oomph to it, to remove the snow & ice from my winter tire treads. also I noticed even my hot/warm water would freeze on the bike. at least it replaced the crud with clean frozen water that can thaw & drip dry in my basement

Koyote

Rim brakes are not really the problem here… But the OP can believe whatever he wants.

Darth Lefty 

I’m pretty sure this thread is a humblebrag about riding in wintry, wet weather

chaadster

I can understand that. My garage is attached to the house and does not freeze, and I don’t usually clean the bike immediately after a ride, so it thaws out by the time I get to with the sprayer and brush the next day or whenever.

I’ve got the garage set up pretty good for dealing with winter, actually; a gas heater warms it up, I’ve got a full work bench, and an air compressor to blow dry the bike.

It’s really pretty cool that, after so many decades of dealing with the struggles of winter riding, it’s to the point where the bike tech and quality is so good, and my own means are such that it’s really not much of a burden or chore anymore to keep my bikes clean and in great condition. I’m thankful for that, because I love riding even in the winter!

chaadster

Haha, but nah, just chumming the forum for the shameless trolls!

GhostRider62

I guess you have not flown First Class with either Lufthansa or Singapore.

You are delivered to the stand alone first class lounge in Frankfurt by a chauffeur. Going thru Customs, the Agent address you by name and then you can dine, smoke age Cubans, drink the finest scotch, have a massage, sleep in a bedroom, or have the chef whip you up a meal to your content. The caviar on the plane is awesome, too.

What was the question.

Oh aluminum rims.

chaadster

I flew Lufthansa First Class to Europe for my honeymoon, and that was sweet, and I flew Singapore Air to Singapore in ‘99 just in coach, and the food rivaled Lufthansa…

Anyway, getting back quasi on-topic, that de-icer juice they spray on airplane wings; it makes me think something like that could be useful for winter bike cleaning, like that de-icer windshield washer stuff for cars. A little bit in the sprayer might be helpful for those washing in unheated spaces where freezing is a problem.

seypat

OP must be a solo rider. I don't see a mudflap on the rear fender.

BTW, here's a video for the thread.

GhostRider62

I don't ride on icy roads anymore but will ride in nasty wet and/ro cold. Just no ice

My winter cleaning regimen is pretty simple. If it is below freezing and the bike is nasty, I take a 5 gallon spackle bucket with hot water outside the garage and wipe the bike and douse it (not the AXS derailleur or AXS PM on the crank). I bring the bike in and wipe it down with an old towel. Chain gets fresh liquid wax. Done. 5 minutes tops. I did a pretty long hard ride yesterday and did not feel like cleaning. Temps are above freezing today, so, I used the hose in the garage to spray the junk off the bike and then wiped it down. If the roads are really bad, I take the fendered bike. And there is no question that the blackness dripping over the tires is from braking. I suppose maybe one has to be big and live in hilly terrain to have seen it but aluminum brake wear is significant in those conditions.

livedarklions

That's an incriminating metaphor. Chumming is something you would do when trolling.

In other words, you're shamelessly trolling.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolling_(fishing)

Germany_chris

Wait..you guys wash your bikes???

The reality is I like rim brakes enough not to worry about the black stuff that get slung all over the wheel when it's wet.

ofajen

Me too. It makes me nervous to ride over the rough ice we get on the trails as a big snow gets packed down, walked on, melts and refreezes over and over before it’s gone. It’s just not fun for me, and I don’t want to risk a fall that might keep me from exercising.

Thankfully, one of our kids likes to work out at the rec center, so we’ve been going there the last few weeks. Another couple of weeks and the ice may be gone and I can get back to riding through mud! 😀

Otto

mulveyr 

Yup. On my Diverge with thru-axles the wheel goes in perfectly positioned every time. No muss, no fuss. On the rim brake bikes with QR's and close-spaced pads there's always some fudging around to get it perfectly centered. And adjustment of the discs takes about 30 seconds on a bad day, at most, and pretty much only after replacing the pads.