whm1974

She couldn't make it. But here is my current bike:

phughes

I'll make more. This could be a while.

phughes

Buy the bike you like the best, the one that feels the best for you, and don't worry about the brakes. They all stop.

phughes

Here.

https://googlethatforyou.com?q=disc%...bikeforums.net

georges1

rim brakes since ever for me whether in rain or dry conditions;

Gresp15C

That's going to be tough to beat at a decent price today. And it looks practically new. I've got a 2016 Diamondback.

Maybe it needs new brake pads depending on where it was stored. About brake types, I have both kinds, and discs seem marginally better, but the quality and maintenance of brakes matters more than the type.

Here's an idea: Commit yourself to wearing that bike out, then buy a new bike as a reward. At the very least, get it into riding condition if it isn't already, then you'll have plenty of time to search for the perfect bike.

Calsun

Disc brakes first appeared on tandem bikes where braking as long been a concern. On newer bikes they are simpler to adjust if any adjustment is needed with rims of differnt widths and in particular with mountain bikes with their much fatter tires. Their use spilled over to road bikes and now come on bikes selling for $400, so not an expensive change in components.

Now it comes down to mechanical or hydraulic and the hydraulic are easier to mount but require more maintenance and some special tools to bleed the brakes.

whm1974

I'm thinking about doing that anyway since it took me a year to save up the money I have. I did go Freedom plasma up in Wood River IL, they me that my iron was too low by three points.

So I just ate a hamburger with spinach... That earned from that can buy the bike for me.

Reynolds 

Calling Deltas just "rim brakes" is a BIG understatement.

terrymorse 

Calling Deltas "brakes" is being rather generous.

shelbyfv

But they sure do look cool.

shelbyfv

Most folks have an extra kidney, don't know how the market works.

smd4

If you like metal parachutes.

ClydeClydeson

Hydraulic brakes require LESS maintenance. The one seldom required step of bleeding is the one exception, as it is perhaps slightly more complicated than cable maintenance, but if you compare the amount of maintenance required with cables (regular adjustments to compensate for wear, cable replacement), hydraulic brakes are still the winner.

JohnDThompson 

Disc brake's advantages are mostly in wet or gritty conditions. Disc brakes will apply torque to the frame and fork, which can cause damage if installed on a frame or fork that is not designed for disc brakes. This makes retrofitting problematic. You can replace your fork with one designed for disc brakes, and continue to use a rim brake on the rear.

smd4

Your "one exception" is a pretty big exception. What are you talking about with "cable maintenance?" What is this "regular adjustment to compensate for wear" you speak of? Why do I need to replace my cables?

Ubie

Count me in as a member of the KoolStop cult. My son's old bike had Paul cantilever brakes on it that were just terrible. Was convinced by our LBS to switch to KoolStop pads and the difference was night and day. I've since put them on my Trek road bike with 105 rim brakes and while I won't say they're as good as my bikes with hydraulic discs, they're pretty damn good.

ClydeClydeson

Spoken like someone who has never done it.
It's a simple process, even if it's a *gasp* NEW thing to learn. But it doesn't need to be done all that often - every couple or four years maybe, if the bike is used hard in extreme conditions. Many bikes can go a lifetime without having their brakes bled.

Cables and housing are commonly known to be wear items. Their performance degrades as the housing wears or the cable fatigues. And they get contaminated with dirt and road grime that adds friction and accelerates wear. The fact that you don't know this indicates you don't know much about the maintenance you have such firm opinions on.

Atlas Shrugged

If you can keep your saddle and handlebar white, which you do, the least of your maintenance concerns should be the eventual bleeding of your disc brakes. Trust me; it's way less work! I am anything but a lightweight, and over the past year, not including thousands of general-use miles, I have taken the same bike from Gibraltar to Girona, Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi as well as a 5-day trip over the North Cascades, all fully loaded and self-supported, on a Carbon Specialized Diverge other than replacing the pads a couple of times no bleed has been necessary. It's not a big deal and rarely needs to be done. I checked first that this was not C&V, so I hope it's fair for me to comment here.

smd4

Brake cables are definitely not "wear items" unless you abuse them. Road grime doesn't get in them because I don't ride in bad weather. I've never, ever, had a brake or shift cable or housing wear out, ever. If you have, then you must have been doing something wrong.

tomato coupe

ftfy

georges1

I think that there are several quality of cables , depends also how the bike is used and how one does use the brakes.

tomato coupe

Of course. But, stating that cables only wear if abused is just stupid.

bbbean 

Yes. Disc brakes are better at stopping.

Atlas Shrugged

As they say a picture is worth a thousand words.