PeteHski

Nearly all the preaching you get in rim vs disc brake threads is from old rim-brake diehards. They have a strong tendency to rubbish newer tech in order to justify their own choices. I rarely see this in reverse. People might well say that they prefer disc brakes to rim brakes, but it's rare to see them snarking at the older tech as if they are making a more savvy choice.

Lombard

There is a saying that goes "It doesn't matter if you're dead wrong or dead right, you're still DEAD".

Lombard

The Force is with me.

Not sure if you're talking about SRAM here. If this is the case, it's probably because it wasn't set up correctly. SRAM can be tricky to set up - especially the FD, but once you get it right, shifting is flawless.

seypat

The post I quoted is the best of the thread so far. One that both sides could agree on. Simple as that. No snark at all. Maybe you should reread that post. You appear to be looking for an argument.

PeteHski

Sorry, it was merely the word "preach" that prompted my observation. I wasn't having a go at you. I'll edit to remove the quote for clarity.

JohnDThompson 

That's only an issue if your component choices are of a quality that wears out quickly. High quality components can last for decades. I still regularly ride components from the 70s and 80s. Consumable items like wound cables and rim brake pads unlikely to disappear from the market anytime in the foreseeable future.

Only if you insist on indexed shifting and "brifters."

Koyote

You must be new around here.

wolfchild

Why would you say that a bike frame which offers more versatility, more options for different builds and more options to run different components be considered ridiculous ?

wolfchild

I don't see anybody here preaching that we should abandon disc brakes and go back to rim brakes because rim brakes are better than disc brakes. Several posters have made it very clear that rim brakes work great for them and there is no good reason to get rid of them. That's all that was said.

Viich

I only have one bike with disc, my fatbike. 2 if you include last season's fatbike I have up for sale, I guess, 3 if you include my son's fatbike.... you see where I'm going.

I've got a frame on the way that'll be the only bike in the stable with dual pivot rim brakes, so I'm probably a couple of decades behind, the two bikes I use on the road the most - my commuter has single pivot, my CX/road bike has canti.

It's not about not wanting disc, it's just not really worth any more to me for most use.

onekgguy

I actually prefer the retro look of rim brakes on my state-of-the-art TIME ADH 01 frame.

Kevin g

Atlas Shrugged

The same reason you don’t see this guy in an orchestra!

Atlas Shrugged

First of all, that’s new one and you should at least get credit for being creative even though you comment is pretty foolish.

You fail to mention better braking which is the point to begin with. Following your train of thought a brake less fixed gear would be the way to go except you would need to find one that does not affect the lateral balance of the bike.

smd4

I’m not even sure what this means. I could launch myself over the bars with my index finger on the hoods. How much “better braking” do I need?

Disc brakes offer no discernible benefit to me, but instead include a plethora of drawbacks.

tomato coupe

Nice bike, but let's discuss the elephant in the room ... those valve caps.

1989Pre 

The quote goes back almost 100 years. I was incorrect about the balancing of the bike. With so much gear on the right side only, if anything, the disc-brake system helps to correct this weight-distribution problem. I shouldn't post early in the morning. I don't mind admitting when I am wrong.

tomato coupe

Bikes now have a weight-distribution problem? Awesome.

Koyote

TC: when I switch from my disc brake bike over to an old rim brake bike, I always fall down several times before re-adapting to the severe imbalance. Don't you?

rosefarts

For me it really depends on the bike and what I’m doing with it.

I wouldn’t so much as consider a mountain bike with rim brakes. Easy choice since that doesn’t exist anymore. I definitely would be open to an early 90’s garage queen but not a rider.

I literally replaced my gravel bike with very nearly the same bike so I can run discs and thru axles.

My two older road bikes don’t see a ton of miles but their rim brakes are great. I’d have no concerns about a mountain descent on either.

tomato coupe

Yes, but I've always attributed it to the Feng Shui of the disc brakes, not the weight distribution.

Koyote

I think gravitational pull and the tides has something to do with it, too. North of the equator, I always fall to the right… South of the equator, I fall to the left.

either way, 1989Pre is definitely on to something.

tomato coupe

ftfy

Dave Mayer

About once a year I drop into my local high-end shop. Yesterday the shop was completely dead - just me and 6 worried looking staffers. So they ask: what type of what type of bike are you looking for? "A road bike for riding with my pals." What is your budget? "15". Hundred? "No thousand" That got their attention.

So they show me their high-end line. All hydro discs and all aero, and all fat tires. Of course, all internal routing right from the bars and through the headset.

Every bike is heavier than 3 of my current road bikes. I don't do hydraulics, and I only buy what I work on. Plus the PITA internal routing, which means 3 hours and $300 of shop time if I want to swap out a stem. Add to this the bizarro proprietary bottom bracket which means I probably won't be able to fit my current nice crankset.

Aero? I spend almost all of my time drafting the big guys. The critical performance need is low weight, so you don't get popped off of the back out of corners or on the hills.

Final deal breaker: I don't want to show up at the start of the ride with discs to have my older and smarter pals ask sarcastically: "Are we going mountain biking?"

shelbyfv

Yep

Sorcerer

One of my favorite mountain bikes I ride has rim brakes. They are Cane Creek Direct Curve brakes on this bike. Two other mountain bikes have disc brakes up front, and XTR parallel push linkage V-brakes on the rear. My drop bar bike has disc up front and a cantilever brake on the rear. I am keeping these bikes as long as I can ride them.

I will not ride the mountain bike with rim V-brakes front and rear when it is wet. Rim brakes are terrible in wet conditions compared to disc brakes.

So if I had to have only one bicycle, it would have hydraulic disc brakes. That's a fact to me.

I have three mountain bikes that have hydraulic brakes front and rear. These are the bikes I choose for the most demanding tasks and terrain, such as bikepacking, epic rides, and technical descents.

That said, rim brake frames are beautiful and rim brakes function perfectly well in ideal conditions and adjustment.

I'll add, slightly related, that disc brake pads aren't cheap, and my family goes through brake pads like crazy. We have Shimano, SRAM, and Magura brakes on our various bikes. I'm constantly keeping an eye on pad wear. Cheaper OEM brake pads are often good replacements, but I've had a few bad OEM brake pads too.

Most of my regular maintenance tasks are keeping brakes tuned and tubeless tires fresh.

Back in the day, replacing and adjusting cantilever brake pads was very fiddly at times. Rims eventually wear out, and faster under extreme duty.

Nowadays the rim brake bikes are the garage queens and only taken out for the best rides. That way they'll last a lot longer and retain their beauty longer. They are cherished steel classics which provide an experience of the past which in some ways becomes more and more ideal the further I get from it. Because back before disc brakes and carbon fiber the road and trail networks were different. There were fewer people too. The distance between towns was further, Navigation was less precise, and life was different in the pre-internet age. I like that and appreciate the difference. Getting on a rim brake bike gives me a whiff of what was.