Curly1

I'm a mountain biker/snowbiker-- I want to get a road racing bike to help take my legs and lungs to another level; besides, I think I'd enjoy doing a few road races in the summer to motivate me. I'm in the $2500 to $4000 dollar range, but here's the thing, I really want disc brakes. I know this limits me and it brings the price way up but I feel like its the direction things are going and i gives so much better brake feel.

I'm new to this road biking thing so I'd love to get some feedback from those of you who have road experience.

PDX Reborn

No, your not crazy, for wanting disc brakes on a touring rig. I to, have observed the shift to disc brakes on the newer touring bikes. $2500-$4000 is going to get you a really sweet bike. Post pics of the new ride when it arrives!

pursuance

I gotta Trek DS 8.6 with hyd disc brakes, love it for an all around bike and will prolly install trekking bars soon.

But I am in the market for a road bike with discs.
Disc wheels are generally heavier but stronger than rim brake wheels and at 220# this matters.
Discs can be cleared of ice by riding the brakes, rim brakes can not in sub 0 weathers(wind chill).

There are some Volagi carbon fiber bikes 2012 that are discounted 30%, about $2700.
The BMC GF02 disc is another to consider at $2500.

NOTE: This is the touring forum and you ask about road racing bikes?
By the end of Summer they will be many disc bikes on offer in road bike trim... betcha!

There are many cyclo cross bikes with discs.

chriskmurray

Not at all crazy, disc brakes work great when properly set up.

Unless doing very light touring though, a bike that will do well road racing will probably not be a great tourer. I would first ask which would take priority, touring or racing?

Jeraimee

Surly Disk Trucker. Done.

Not crazy at all.

LeeG

You are posting in the wrong forum. Racing is about your motor and skill in a pack.

Touring bikes are not racing bikes. Touring is not racing. Racing isn't hammering solo on a touring bike. Wanting disc brakes as a criterion misses about 99% of what is involved in racing.

the Surly Disc Trucker is NOT a racing bike

Steve0000

I have bought a disc LHT because it has disc brakes. Have not regretted it. Go for it!

jbphilly

Not sure if I should respond to your title or your actual post.

If you're wondering about disc brakes on a touring bike, of course. You already ride bikes with discs and know how much better they are, no need to tell you that.

If you're wondering about disc brakes on a road racing bike, I doubt they exist, and they probably aren't necessary anyway. Also, this is the wrong forum for that...

KirkBeiser

Are you buying two bikes? That's what you need if you want to do racing and touring.

fietsbob

So which are you going to get first? the road racer, or the touring bike? disc brake road bike for racing?

that race/road bike, more likely will be rim brakes .. touring, the bike weight will be less of an issue

Chris Pringle

Agree that this might not be the right forum for a "road racing" bike, but I will respond anyway.

For a very nice n' light road bike with disc brakes, look into Volagi bikes. Specialized and other manufacturers have some mid-range models around $1 - 1.5K, but they are more at the recreational/sport level. Expect more higher end models coming out in the next year or two. Colnago's current top of the line bike now features disc brakes. Other manufacturers will most likely follow suit.

I love disc brakes. I had them on my MTB for many years. When I had the opportunity to have a custom steel touring bike built, I decided that I definitely wanted them. Mine is a multipurpose bike built mainly for loaded touring, but could also be used for randonneuring and gravel grinding -- the kind of events organized by Alaska Randonneurs, for example.

Here it is...

clasher

A front disc wheel is weaker than a non-disc front because of wheel dish. Disc rims can be made into a lot stronger shapes that could be stronger than a non-disc rim but that's only part of the wheel build's total strength which has most to do with the number and strength of each spoke.

I've ridden rim brakes in the winter and they do in fact work fine after one or two rotations with the brakes engaged to clear the rim. It sounds like you've never actually ridden in the snow if you think windchill causes ice to form on the rims. For my winter commuting I think drum brakes are better but that's way off-topic.

Given the OP's trollish question and budget I think a tiagra level road bike and a disc trucker is the answer to the question. I don't race but I doubt the OP is already at the fitness level were a tiagra-level bike would be "holding him back" and who doesn't think two sweet bikes is better than one?

sstorkel

Hydraulic disc brakes are awesome! I have Magura Marta brakes on my Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Pro and they're the best bicycle braking system I've used.

Unfortunately, you're not going to get hydraulic discs on a road bike. The best you can do are mechanical discs, usually the Avid BB7. I have them on my touring bike and my flat-bar commuter bike. They give more predictable stopping in wet weather, but in terms of feel or braking performance they're not much different from a high-end rim brake.

If you're worried about braking performance, go out an practice braking. Few people practice anything other than turning the pedals over, and it shows.

I were buying a racing bike, I would not worry about disc brakes. You'll get more competitive advantage from being able to run light-weight, aerodynamic road wheels than from disc brakes. Your competition knows this, so that's what they'll be running!

If I were buying a touring bike, I'd want mechanical disc brakes... but the lack of them wouldn't be a deal-killer for me since I rarely ride in the rain. If your favorite touring frame doesn't include disc brakes, you can always swap the front fork for one that includes a disc mount. Prices are reasonable, even if you need to have a frame builder construct a custom fork. Most of your braking power comes from the front brake anyway, so not having a back disc brake doesn't make much of a difference.

pursuance

*sigh*
A Finnish rider made the comment on clearing ice from rotors vs rims and I don't doubt it.

SRAM offers hi-lo flange hubs that address front wheel dish and DT/Velocity does offer OC rims that offer some solution to ft. dish.
My Clyde body has not caused any spoke issues at 2+k miles of rough riding on the Trek DS 32 spoke wheels and yes there is a bit of dish front & rear.(cheap Alex rims laced with DT spokes)

AND, you think this new poster is a troll? Pot calling kettle black me thinks.

fietsbob

my favorite bikes now feature: Rohloff hub , front disc Dynohub, , LED head and taillight.

I dont think of racing bikes any more, but riding my old [C&V] one is a nice change-of-pace..

Capt_Sensible

And you work for?

https://www.co-motion.com/index.php/s...divide_rohloff
https://www.co-motion.com/index.php/s...pangea_rohloff

saddlesores

Am I crazy to want disc brakes on my touring bike?


oops! wrong forum, dude. this is long-distance, loaded-to-the-gills (except for the
ultralight sissy-boys ) carry all your gear and the kitchen sink touring forum.

it's not the tour-du-france racing tour forum.

imi

"ultralight sissy boys"... ooooh!

Curly1

Wow... this is an uptight group, road folks are made a little different than the bikers I'm use to. I do appreciate the positive help though; my bad for posting in the wrong place. I normally do a MTB forum, I came here seeking knowledge from those who are more experienced than me in this area.

The bike will be used for road workouts but there are several road races here in Alaska that I will do as well. 50k and 100k will be the distances I do most, I didn't know if this should go in racing or touring, again, I'm not a road guy. I will take my questions elsewhere. Happy pedaling.

LeeG

Curly, if you want to get into racing then just get a road bike and train with people who race. If you want a do everything bike that has disc brakes and can be ridden like a road bike the Specialized Tri Cross with discs looks good. I don't know if the USCF has restrictions against disc brakes for road races but it would be worth checking. If the races you are talking about are unsanctioned citizen races that are more like time trials you could use the TriCross for that.

The Surly LHT is not a good bike for racing, it's a great bike for loaded touring.

Racing and touring are different.

surfjimc

If you want a disc road bike, you have a couple of options. You can go with many of the of the rack cyclocross bikes out there. That gives you the option of disc brakes and you will be able to change tires as conditions warrant. If you want an all out road bike with disc brakes, check out the Specialized ROUBAIX SL4 EXPERT DISC C2 which maxes out your budget for an (very nice riding) Ultegra equipped bike, or the Specialized SECTEUR EXPERT DISC COMPACT for about half the price. There is a lower level Secteur also. Not sure either of these would be good for anything but ultra-light touring, but great for what you are asking for in terms of racing or 100k rides. A fully loaded touring bike is a different beast.

fietsbob

I worked for YOU, .. CIVILIANS.


Peace ! www.veteransforpeace.org

B200Pilot

I have disk brakes on my Raleigh Sojourn touring bike and I don't like them. I took extreme care of the bike and somehow the rotor on the front got warped and caused me issues to the point where I had to disable the front brake. I am not a fan of disk brakes, based on that. Needless to say, I opted for a different type of brake system on my new Surly LHT Deluxe.

rawhite1969

Salsa Vaya 3. Discs, all the gears you can ever need and ready for racks galore. Under $1500.

seeker333

It is not hard to accidentally bend a brake rotor slightly, just enough to drag in your disc caliper.

Fortunately they are fairly easy to fix. Bend them back straight with a small adjustable wrench and low force, using the brake pads as a truing guide. The hardest part is getting the right viewing angle and enough light to see the tiny gaps.

I managed to bend both rotors on my new Surly Disc Trucker when I was building it, and now I'm an expert at unbending them. Otherwise I really like Avid BB7 disc brakes, they are my favorite brake for the past 8 years or so. My second favorite brakes are Avid SD 7 "vees", followed closely by Cane Creek SCX-5 cantilevers.

I think the Raleigh Sojourn looks like a pretty good deal for a disc tourer, although I've never ridden one. I used to think they were too heavy, but now that I've weighed a built Disc Trucker with fenders and rear rack (#32.5) I realize there is simply a weight penalty for disc-braked bikes.