Thanks guys, my discs are cheap single caliper ones. Promax renders if I recall. I've discovered from this thread why they're squealing though. I fitted generic sintered pads.
I'm still contemplating what to do about a bike build however.
Hi
@Nebulous, you must have a headache now with all those conflicting answers!
I ride heavy bikes (around 12 kg "naked" plus panniers with the kitchen sink, in all weather.
My experience:
I had a bike with HDB (Tektro HDC), a Merida hybrid, after a series of V-braked bikes.
Great stopping power in the wet, same as V-brakes in the dry, a horrible squealing ( I was told they sounded like a bus!) if they only sniffed water.
Pads were checked by LBS after a couple of thousand miles and two very undulating (lots of braking) tours, still lots of life left in the pads.
Maintenance needed during that time: zero apart from cleaning.
Then I got another similar bike, brakes Tektro Auriga, they had a terrible judder on the front wheel since day one, LBS said needed bedding in, 1,500 miles later still the same, they also squeal in the wet but stop you they do, if a bit screechy.
Maintenance needed so far: zero.
Both sets get a rubbing of sort after you remove the wheels, then you need to either adjust the wheel in the dropouts or fiddle with the adjustments of the brakes, or live with it.
My latest bike, a Genesis Tour de Fer, came with Shimano mechanical disk brakes: I have to agree with
@Yellow Saddle, they are pants compared to good V-brakes.
On the test ride they would not stop at all.
LBS adjusted them, told me I had to get from 50mph to 5mph 50 times to bed them in properly. Of course, I can't get to 10mph on a good day, so 300 miles later they are still not perfect, plus I went through a puddle and instantly they started to whistle never to become silent again.
I had to remove the back wheel, of course then they needed adjusting to stop the rubbing. Also, like
@Yellow Saddle said, I need to pull harder compared to my old v-brakes.
All in all I think rim brakes are less hassle and "feather" better than disks.
Ok, in the wet disks are better, but one just has to ride slower and take in consideration the bite delay.
Don't know about the issue of worn rims, I got a bike used for almost 4,000 miles mainly in the wet with rim brakes, the wheels are still not worn.
I suppose if your wheels are very expensive disks would make the running of the bike much cheaper.
Have you decided yet?
