First road bike: mech disc brakes vs v-brakes?

[SkipdiverJohn]

I would buy the Triban bike from Decathlon. It's sensible money (bearing in mind the risk of bike theft in London) it's mechanically conventional and simple, and it will do the job.
unless the OP lives in a particularly hilly part of London, like Highgate, Muswell Hill, or parts of Barnet, the gearing offered will be adequate. People do get really carried away with the idea of having really low bottom gears. For solo riding not carrying a load, you don't need super low gears unless you need to get up something steep. We are talking about a general purpose fitness bike here not a dedicated touring bike or load-lugging hybrid with a rack full of weekly shopping on it. My first drop bar Raleigh bike, which was heavier than the Decathlon bike the OP is considering, had only five speeds and a low gear of 46/28 or 43" and I got around fine on it. The Decathlon bike has a 32" bottom gear, which is considerably lower and the bike is lighter.

 

[Dwn]

Fwiw, all other things being broadly equal, I would go for v brakes. Both my road bikes have disk brakes and I’m not convinced the performance is that much better. However, they are more complicated and I regret the absence of brakes that I can easily maintain myself.

 

[Blue Hills]

Well first off I have never used discs but I have been on several rides with disc folks howling like mad - I think it was their brakes but it could have been them.
I'd go with Vs - they are so straightforward they can even be installed from scratch by a noob like me.
Need little maintenance, cheap and simple to sort/keep running.
Pads can be had for peanuts.
Never any need of a bike shop.
Spares/replacements very straightforward if you ever need them - even though shimano do various "lines" of them its my understanding that all the brake units and levers are all pretty much the same in terms of performance.
If you have more than one bike and standardise on Vs it keeps things very simple.
Bits will be available forever - new or used through normal retailers or ebay sellers.
I often ride with an absolute pile of loaded junk and they stop me just fine even on steep descents.
Mr Froome on discs, about 2.5 mins in.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRoXYeNueTk

 

[cyberknight]

Im running the carrera vanquish disc as a commuter and the brakes are better overall for consistent braking in all weathers but as said they have tighter tolerances and if i take the wheel out i need to adjust the pads as the QR system never reseats exactly the same.
Mine dont rub or squeak but it took me a while to get used to them , for a beginner i htink standard caliper brakes would be easier to use

 

[MichaelW2]

I used to ride in London on a 1x5 speed bike. It was fine for the flat ride but I was a lot younger then. The lowest gear on the Triban is 40/34 which in cycle speak is 31.8 gear inches which is quite low for a flat commute ( I was using a 50/28 which is a lot higher) and should get you up the occasional London hill without a problem but may limit you if you head further afield.

Single chainring setups need some kind of device to hold the chain in place otherwise they can bounce off. I think this comes fitted.

 

[MichaelW2]

Im running the carrera vanquish disc as a commuter and the brakes are better overall for consistent braking in all weathers but as said they have tighter tolerances and if i take the wheel out i need to adjust the pads as the QR system never reseats exactly the same.
Mine dont rub or squeak but it took me a while to get used to them , for a beginner i htink standard caliper brakes would be easier to use

I dont need to re adjust my disk brakes aftet removing the wheel. Mine are basic Shimano cable disks.

 

[T4tomo]

Go for the Decathlon for following reasons:
- it has a marginally lower bottom gear for hills. (also the 8 gears in a row is easy to get your head round when new to road bikes). Unless you cycle up into Hampstead (Swains lane may defeat you whatever gearing you have) , it is well adequate for London / most places.
- rim / caliper brakes are generally decent and easy to set up / adjust. CHEAP mechanical disc brakes often aren't any more effective, sometimes less so, and can be a pain to adjust properly.
- even with the best hydraulic disc brakes, your stopping power is limited to a patch of rubber the size of a 10p piece in contact with tarmac, so for road bikes, even the best discs don't really improve stopping power.
- you will really appreciate the additional brake levers
- the microshift brake levers are specific for small hands, so you will find the regular brake levers easier to use (less reach) ( I fitted some of these for my g/fs drop bar gravel bike, they were well received).

 

[vickster]

Main issue with getting the Decathlon bike right now might be availability. There’s no stock of any size online or in any London / surroundings store

@pdc97 Have you considered second hand (although prices are high right now and will probably increase into spring)? Something like a Giant Avail or Trek Lexa or Boardman ladies?

 

[Lovacott]

I've read so many different opinions on mech disc brakes vs v-brakes(?) but I'm still not set either way... mech discs better in rain vs v-brakes lighter and easier to replace(?).

I've got mechanical discs on my MTB and rim brakes on the road bike.

I rode in London traffic for many years with rim brakes and never had an issue. Rim brakes are easy to maintain.

Disc brakes are good in muddy and wet conditions because they are away from the worst of it. You won't be riding in the mud.

Disc brakes are not that hard to maintain but rim brakes are very easy by comparison. You also have the advantage with rim brakes that you can see the pads so you'll know when to replace them.

On balance, you'd be better off with rim brakes.

 

[cyberknight]

I dont need to re adjust my disk brakes aftet removing the wheel. Mine are basic Shimano cable disks.

nice could be the tektro jobbies that come on the carrera is the issue , the backs ok but i always have to adjust the front s if i take the wheel out , i do run the pads pretty close maybe the issue revolves around the tektro efficiency so i run them too close to compensate ?
EDIT
i didnt realize the triban is single ring which could be an issue

 

[T4tomo]

nice could be the tektro jobbies that come on the carrera is the issue , the backs ok but i always have to adjust the front s if i take the wheel out , i do run the pads pretty close maybe the issue revolves around the tektro efficiency so i run them too close to compensate ?
EDIT
i didnt realize the triban is single ring which could be an issue

I have (hydro) disc on my Gravel bike, with QR's. I tighten the QR whilst squeezing brake lever, seems to help align / centre everything.

 

[cyberknight]

I have (hydro) disc on my Gravel bike, with QR's. I tighten the QR whilst squeezing brake lever, seems to help align / centre everything.

might be worth a go thanks

 

[chris-suffolk]

Watched a video on youtube from GCN the other day. With well set up brakes, on a road bike, in the dry the was bearly any noticeable difference in stopping distances between caliper and disc. The main advantage, of well set up discs, is in the wet. If you don't intend on much wet weather cycling then I'd say avoid the disc brakes.

 

[All uphill]

I have three bikes, one with trp cable discs, one with v-brakes and one with calipers. All three stop well.

If buying a new bike I'd be more interested in other attributes, such as quality of assembly and after sales service. Decathlon for me over Halfords.

 

[DRM]

Neither bike has V Brakes, the Decathlon has standard rim calipers, they could well be Tektro and rubbish, a cheap upgrade would be 105 callipers and it’ll stop on a sixpence