sam_cyclist

You now have to stoop to laughing at your own lame jokes. How sad. Fortunately you have disc brakes to sop up your tears as you ride.

cale

No honestly? Have you given this a lot of thought? Because your responses to even the simplest of features of disc brakes are so out of line with almost everyone in the industry and that I've met in person. You're just really out there.

bt

The hydraulic line running down the fork leg is a sexy set up....

sam_cyclist

Baaaaa Baaaa goes the sheep.

If the "industry" had any real proof that discs are superior, the studies and data would've been published all over the world.

Instead, the only "data" you have is: "when I cry about the internetz arguments I lost, and soak my rotors, my discs still stop me cold."

cale

You see sam_cyclist? bt made a good comment. He has concluded that the set up will be ugly. I know bt has absolutely no taste whatsoever but I simply can't ignore the fact that HE thinks it's ugly. I can't prove it otherwise.

sam_cyclist

You can't prove anything, period. All you have is "my fwends think disc is good. Wichie wich shimano wanna sell me new toy so I buy."

"You no wanna buy?I call you name! Den I waff at my own joke! Ha ha! Waaaah!"

Tickstart

Religion religion..

hueyhoolihan

Tradition!... Tradition!

Slackerprince

I'll bet you made a lot of people suffer over the years.


S

UnfilteredDregs

Come on! More expensive! Overkill! More complicated! Where is it databoy? Your assertions. Back it up. ...google is your friend and while your at it go ahead and read all the articles written essentially confirming everything that has been stated about the positives of disc brake performance. Plenty of disparate articles from many different sources confirming it. Derp.

hairnet

srs bsns

sam_cyclist

Someone missed their AA meeting.

Joe Minton

Disc brakes are now normal on many upper level road bikes; they've been standard on MTBs for some time now. They are better than rim brakes on many levels.

I think their most important advantage is their reliability over time -- in the hands of the average, non-mechanic, user. Like millions upon millions of cars, bicycle disc brakes need little attention and generally require nothing more than pad and sometimes disc replacement both of which are easy and quick to do. Because of their reliability -- in the hands of average non-mechanic users -- they shall win the day.

I saw this happen in the motorcycle industry and the auto industry. No one in either enterprise would now consider designing a vehicle with drum brakes. Drum brakes needed more maintenance and if ignored became quite dangerous. While the same can be said about disc brakes (if ignored they can become dangerous), however, drum brakes tend become less powerful over time and their users often do not notice their deterioration until they suddenly fail. Disc brakes, on the other hand, usually work the same until the pads wear out whence they proceed to scream and squeal scaring the crap out of the negligent owner sending him/her to the nearest brake shop.

Joe

bt

cool story joe, but we're discussing human powered road bicycles...................

UnfilteredDregs

My work is done here, all fizzle, no spark. Ergablurgnerg.

sam_cyclist

You never put in any work brah. Tantrums + swearing + zero evidence = unfiltereddregs love affair with disc brakes.

Joe Minton

I realize that this is about bicycles. Other transportation gadgets, especially aircraft, have used disc brakes for decades. Bicycles are very late coming to the party and, at some point, comparisons are useful and worthwhile. There is no innovation required to get disc brakes on bikes, just design application and refinement.

If one were to examine the development of disc brake motorcycles, he/she could save considerable time getting them on bicycles: Fork torsional stiffness (bigger thinner tubes & large, well clamped axles, etc.), wheel stiffness (lateral & rotational), heat capacity and, hell, even squeaking have all been addressed and delt with. We are not so special except, perhaps, for being a bit lazy and snobbish.

When I was a club racer in the early sixties, our brakes were very weak, would melt if used very hard and very long. There were a number of descents here in SoCal where we knew we would not be able to stop from speed; none of those descents are now a problem because of the progress the industry has made. I once analyzed an accident that put a man in a wheelchair because his brakes 'went away' going down a hill -- wouldn't happen now. If'n he'd had a disc brake mountain bike, he'd still be riding.

They are here, they're going to stay and in many ways they are better. Get used to them.

Joe

elcruxio

You demand data but you don't bring any to the table which means you are full of it. It's fair to demand data but if you yourself don't have any, you can't really assert anything without seeming a fool (well it's alredy too late for that). Now that I think of it, you haven't critically addressed a single argument for road discs. You've just attacked people (desperation much)

don't worry. The evil bike lobby isn't going to force you onto this era. You still have your freedom of choice in components

but the rapidly deteriorating writing of yours, as well as worsening manners tell my you are on the verge of something. Tears? Mental breakdown? Puberty? Do let me know if I hit a nerve here somewhere.

D.I.S.C.O

I had drum brake fail on me twenty years ago. One pad fell off the shoe and got stuck in the other shoe. It locked the wheel for 100 Yards. Thank god it was only the rear wheel of the motorcycle.

As for bicycles, my local rides definitely do not require disc brakes. But I spend a month in France every summer. There were descents where I had to stop because my hands have cramped up from squeezing the brakes so hard for so long. I would have given my left nut for a set of hydro discs!

My next road bike would have hydro disc. Am I going to buy it soon? No. But when I do buy it, it will definitely have disc.

sleepy

THis is a astoundingly dumb debate. Disc Brakes will enter the consciousness when WalMart bikes equip them on the regular.

I like rims. I'll stick with rim brakes until disc get cheap and I'm forced to change. Honestly, I think this is another #$#$#ed up move on the industry's part to stay relevant. If it wasn't for me addicted to Climbing, I'd stick to Fixies. Considerably less hassle. It's all butt-tarded aesthetics, which once you get old/jaded enough, becomes irrevelant and gets distilled to basics.

Zas

^+1
You can have your disc brakes. I'll keep my existing 15 wheels and several frames that work perfectly with caliber brakes(only). Pads and cables will be available to purchase for years to come, believe it or not. If it starts to look like they won't, then I'll just stock up, as simple as that.

UnfilteredDregs

duh interwebz iz yer frend. you can pretend it isn't there, doesn't make it true! Denial, a river in Egypt.

cale

Hoarder. Haha

derek.fulmer

Rob, in your opinion, is that to say that rim brakes will be nonexistent and unsupported by manufacturers in the future? With so many of us who already own bikes, sometime multiple bikes, with rim brakes, are we expected to just buy more and upgrade?

hueyhoolihan

you can still buy new 6-speed freewheels and they hit their heyday about 35 years ago. i wouldn't worry too much.