StanSeven

I got an endurance style bike last week with disc brakes. After a few rides and maybe a couple hundred miles I concluded they are nothing special on a road bike except for maybe rain and mountain descents. They don't stop any better than two other bikes I have with rim brakes, and one has carbon wheels. I did a test and both the disc brakes and rim brakes on carbon wheels stopped within six feet of each other going 15 mph. I can easily lock wheels on both bikes so that's not an issue.

So far there has been zero noise but I'm waiting for that to start. Then there's the mess dealing with hydraulic maintence at some point. I don't see all the excitement over them.

rms13

I tend to agree. I only have 250 miles on mine but the main difference is descending which is nice since I have mountains where I live. Also no noise once properly set up and also not looking forward to bleeding fluid but would probably let LBS do that. Honestly bought mine because I was going to be relocating to someplace that gets rain and snow for work but plans changed. It is nice because it does have endurance geo and I have realized my back is getting old

link0

I agree that they aren't much better than caliper brakes on road bikes, except in the rain.

Lazyass

They may stop better after the pads break in in. What brakes are they? Did you bed them in properly?

Looigi

In my experience the chief performance advantages are the reproducible ability to finely control the degree of braking (aka good modulation) and consistency of braking in various riding conditions; wet, dry, dusty... I find these characteristics much more consequential on mountain bikes than road bikes. I am not interested in discs for my road bikes.

rmfnla

I try to avoid riding in the rain so I have pretty much no interest in discs...

redfooj

rain, mud, or otherwise grit eating away at carbon rims....


...thats why my cx is equipped with disc but i dont need them on my road bike yet

American Euchre

I used to commute in the rain on occasion, and sometimes just get caught in the rain.

On those occasions, I'm usually riding quite a bit more slowly and cautiously anyway (tires have far less grip in the wet, so no need to speed). Therefore, I have less need for braking power in the wet due to lower average speed.

agenkin

I ride in all weather, including rain and snow, and disc brakes are better when it's wet.
Also, I found that the disc brakes are much easier to adjust well (mine are Avid BB7).

Darth Steele

actually you guys are making the case for disc brakes.


1. In dry conditions they are no worse than V brakes and in general has proven to be better.
2. There is no significant weight penalty.
3. As we go forward the price should be a non issue.
4. Improvement on downhills
5. Improvement in wet conditions.
6. Better for "off road" riding.

Do you need them, no, but for few dollars more why wouldn't you get them

most "average" users take their bikes to the LBS for servicing anyway..

Campag4life

Glad you like them. Not for me on my road bikes.
A case can be made if riding a lot in poor conditions...but if raining out, I don't bike.
I like discs off road. Also, a compelling case for discs if living in the mountains.

Hypno Toad

For road bikes, I agree: there is very little benefit except on long descents or wet conditions. My two road bikes have rim brakes. But my Kona (gravel grinder/all-weather commuter) has discs and so does the fatbike. I LOVE the disc brakes on my Kona for wet/icy/snowy conditions and the messy conditions that are gravel grinding. And there is really no other option for fatbikes.

Example of when discs are my preferred brakes:


Brake noise: Do not touch the rotors with your hands, clean the rotors with rubbing alcohol and a clean rag whenever you lube your chain. My brakes are always quiet (except sometimes on rainy rides).

Hydraulics: I'm no help, mine are all mechanical.

Darth Steele

you missed my points let me try again


if riding in normal conditions there is no downside to having them

basically your argument is "I don't need them because I only ride in good conditions". OK great, but if the price of disc is basically same as V brakes why wouldn't one get them.

DrIsotope

Also like to add, disc brakes don't care how true your wheels are, and will allow you to usually run at least one size wider tire, not having to worry about caliper clearances. Pad material can also be much more aggressive, as the pad will be wearing on a replaceable disc, and not on the actual wheel. I mean, I still run aluminum-back plate organics, because pads are stupid cheap and IceTech rotors are absolutely not.

natemeister

Hydraulic disc brakes for me. Once I tried them, I couldn't go back. I commute, ride dirt trails, some hills and mountains, and the hydraulic disc brakes have been fantastic.
Here's a good vid on YT where the discuss and show the difference between the two: https://youtu.be/uHFSSXOSnxs

Bandera

My wheels are and have been true for decades, my frames are designed to accommodate the tire widths that I prefer and braking performance has never been an issue for me on road bikes regardless of conditions.
Simply put: Disc brakes are an Answer to a Question that I Never Asked.

As always: Suit yourself.

PS: I use brakes as little as possible.
Momentum is hard won, bleeding it off unless really necessary does not help me go faster/farther/safer.
The lightest systems designed for the delicate touch and precise modulation of road racing serve me perfectly well, even if those designs are >40 years old.

Brakes will only slow you down.


-Bandera

rmfnla

This also assumes one is getting a new bike.

I'm pretty set bike-wise for now so it's a non-issue.

No LBS has touched any of my bikes for 35 years unless I was working at it...

StanSeven

The brakes are Shimano hydraulics. I know nothing about their brake models but it came on an Ultegra equipped bike.

Spoonrobot 

Running discs has extended my tire life in addition to the myriad of other benefits. Rim braking, especially in the rain, tends to throw a lot of garbage on the sidewalls and after a few hundred miles/a few weeks the sidewalls are pretty scuzzy and tend to break down faster than if they're kept clear.

Bandera

So, how does "Sidewall Scuzz" affect tire life compared to the normal wear of rolling a tire down our less than perfect debris covered road surfaces?
I've had any number of worn out/cut tires over the years but never a Sidewall Scuzz related failure despite riding in all conditions.
Please elucidate.


-Bandera

DrIsotope

Last big rain we had, the river trail did what the river trail always does, which is get covered with broad swaths of peanut-butter thick mud, anywhere from half an inch to 2+ inches deep. I counted at least half a dozen folks stopped along the trail, jabbing the mud buildup out of their caliper brakes with a stick. So even on the "road," a disc brake can come in handy.

Something I have noticed after reading the umpteenth thread about disc brakes: there are some rim brake devotees, who will swear up and down (as well as left and right) that disc brakes are absolutely pointless... but the "disc brake people" never seem to try to claim that their discs are somehow worlds better than calipers, or that caliper people should immediately convert to discs. It's chocolate and vanilla, people. There's room for both kinds of brake. I prefer discs because they're easier for me to maintain, and I think disc-specific wheels look better.

Bandera

The MUP is indeed a Brutal Environment where the performance of baby strollers, bicycle braking systems and skate boards are severely challenged.

-Bandera

joejack951

I tend to encounter stop signs and red lights when I ride. Sometimes I'll have a green light but then it turns red! Oh nos! I'm going downhill at 35+mph and traffic in front of me is stopping. Geez, that momentum sure was hard won and these **** brakes won't stop me anyway. Hold on to your dual pivots we're blowing through this intersection!

DrIsotope

Please don't conflate whatever piss-poor excuse you have for a MUP in your neck of the woods with what we have. The SART as it exists today is over 70 miles long and goes from the San Bernardino Mountains to Huntington Beach. If and when the county finally completes it, it will be 100 miles long, and change altitude over 10,000 feet from beginning to end. There are no baby strollers. There are no skateboards. It's a road. For bikes. You don't even see a jogger until you get within 15 miles of the beach.

Spoonrobot 

Sorry I wasn't clear. I noticed the sidewalls of my rim brake bike tend to look pretty dirty and start cracking within a few dozen hours of rain riding over the course of the 2-3 months of our wet season. I think this is a combination of grit and chemicals in the water from the road that sluices onto the tire from the rim brake pads during braking.

Same style riding and same weather this year with discs and my front tire looks pretty much new. This is with grand bois hetres so I dunno if it'll be a different experience with tires that don't have a tan rubber sidewall.

But I like discs so my opinion may be suspect