Disc brakes vs. 'normal' brakes??

[ianrauk]

Disc brakes are fugly on a racing bike. Can go on any other though. My road rim brakes eat rims at the rate of one every 12 months on the commuter.

Yup, that's about the same for me

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

I would counter the making a bike heavy what is gained on calipers can be lost on the wheels due to no need for the braking surface.

I wish but I don't think this is borne out by evidence so far. You can get Mavic Crossride (and until they eliminated rim brakes version Crossmax) in both configurations e.g., and the disc wheels are invariably heavier, by around 200g a pair.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Which must be why SRAM are also looking at hydro rim brakes, Magura style.

Disks can't be made as aerodynamic as callipers, for TT's and such, where minuscule differences matter.

Brakes aren't really an issue on a TT bike, except on a very technical course. In most cases any old crap will do - as Graham Obree demonstrated.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

The thing that has me a little puzzled with brakes is how quickly some people are getting through rims, why? I have an old Dawes in the shed that spends most of its time on the turbo these days, it had a wheel upgrade after about twelve months and those wheels are still going strong eight years later. I got rid of a Rayleigh about eighteen months ago, it was ten years old and still on the original wheels. My fixed had a new front wheel, hub problems, on it about two years ago but is still on the original back wheel, both wheels going strong, so how do people wear out their rims so quick? I've been cycling for over forty years and this something recent, so what has changed?

 

[JohnTCC]

My new road bike has discs...being delivered this week hopefully.
I bought it for my commute for 2 reasons 1: Better stopping power (especially in the wet) 2: I'm sick of rim brakes eating the rims.

lovely bike.......uummm do I need another bike.... which model is it?

 

[ColinJ]

The thing that has me a little puzzled with brakes is how quickly some people are getting through rims, why? I have an old Dawes in the shed that spends most of its time on the turbo these days, it had a wheel upgrade after about twelve months and those wheels are still going strong eight years later. I got rid of a Rayleigh about eighteen months ago, it was ten years old and still on the original wheels. My fixed had a new front wheel, hub problems, on it about two years ago but is still on the original back wheel, both wheels going strong, so how do people wear out their rims so quick? I've been cycling for over forty years and this something recent, so what has changed?

At a guess - more traffic = much more stopping and starting? (More braking = more wear).

In your case, Dave, most of your winter riding is done on fixed so perhaps you are using leg braking more than using your actual brakes?

I know that I was really chewing up my MTB rims and blocks on wet rides before I got my current MTB which has disk brakes.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

At a guess - more traffic = much more stopping and starting? (More braking = more wear).

In your case, Dave, most of your winter riding is done on fixed so perhaps you are using leg braking more than using your actual brakes?

I know that I was really chewing up my MTB rims and blocks on wet rides before I got my current MTB which has disk brakes.

Its a good point about the fixed, the thing is I've never gone though rims in all the years I've been cycling, in the nineteen nineties when I would get all my wheels hand built by the LBS I would get about eight years to a rim.

 

[ianrauk]

lovely bike.......uummm do I need another bike.... which model is it?

It's a 2012 Kona Honky Inc... and it turned up today

 

[Moodyman]

At a guess - more traffic = much more stopping and starting? (More braking = more wear).

In your case, Dave, most of your winter riding is done on fixed so perhaps you are using leg braking more than using your actual brakes?

I know that I was really chewing up my MTB rims and blocks on wet rides before I got my current MTB which has disk brakes.

Agree. Terrain plays a big part. In hilly country, you'll be braking more and harder.

 

[ianrauk]

The thing that has me a little puzzled with brakes is how quickly some people are getting through rims, why? I have an old Dawes in the shed that spends most of its time on the turbo these days, it had a wheel upgrade after about twelve months and those wheels are still going strong eight years later. I got rid of a Rayleigh about eighteen months ago, it was ten years old and still on the original wheels. My fixed had a new front wheel, hub problems, on it about two years ago but is still on the original back wheel, both wheels going strong, so how do people wear out their rims so quick? I've been cycling for over forty years and this something recent, so what has changed?

With the constant stopping and starting for 50+ sets of lights on my commute in all weathers. The rims on road bike wheels get chewed up quite easily. I also ride quite hard and brake as such.

 

[VamP]

I would counter the making a bike heavy what is gained on calipers can be lost on the wheels due to no need for the braking surface.

The current downside is that no mass production carbon out and out road bikes are being made with discs so the wheelsets are very limited.

If and it is a big if they become UCI legal for road racing I think it will go main stream really quickly.

Elite level CX bikes with discs work out about half a pound heavier than ones with cantis. Now that they are legal, you would have thought that the elite racers (who have no cost consideration, unlike those of us with a small fortune invested in non-disc rims) would be rushing to adopt them. This has not been the case in this season, we'll see if that changes for next year.

 

[Old Plodder]

Disc brakes tend to perform better in wet & dry conditions.
Disc rims are usually lighter, therefore using less of your energy to keep rolling.
(It is the revolving mass that tires you.)
I prefer cable/mechanical disc brakes; new pads are easier to fit.
As a bonus of not wearing the rims, you don't get that awful grey slurry on your hands when having to deal with punctures in the wet.

 

[Cubist]

Disc brakes tend to perform better in wet & dry conditions.
Disc rims are usually lighter, therefore using less of your energy to keep rolling.
(It is the revolving mass that tires you.)
I prefer cable/mechanical disc brakes; new pads are easier to fit.
As a bonus of not wearing the rims, you don't get that awful grey slurry on your hands when having to deal with punctures in the wet.

I'm genuinely surprised at your comment that mech pads are easier to fit. In what way? All the hydro brakes I've ever had have been easy enough to fit and set up. I've serviced two bikes with cable disc so far and found both of them an utter pain, particularly all that fiddling with pad wear compensators and such like.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

Disc rims are usually lighter, therefore using less of your energy to keep rolling.
(It is the revolving mass that tires you.)

Like my comments earlier regarding disc/non-disc wheel relative weights, wish the improvement was signifciant, but evidence suggests it is not. For example Mavic sells XC717 and XM719 in both versions. The disc ones are lighter by only around 20g...

 

[MontyVeda]

The thing that has me a little puzzled with brakes is how quickly some people are getting through rims, why? I have an old Dawes in the shed that spends most of its time on the turbo these days, it had a wheel upgrade after about twelve months and those wheels are still going strong eight years later. I got rid of a Rayleigh about eighteen months ago, it was ten years old and still on the original wheels. My fixed had a new front wheel, hub problems, on it about two years ago but is still on the original back wheel, both wheels going strong, so how do people wear out their rims so quick? I've been cycling for over forty years and this something recent, so what has changed?

I've bin thinking that too... just had my rear rim start cracking at the weld... did some maths and it's a 19 year old wheel!!! The front one is still going strong (i hope!)