Hung Up On Disc Brakes

[Mallory]

I seem to be stuck on the idea of disc brakes for my commuter. As I will have to tackle all conditions inc snow/ice in the madness of London rush hour disc seems the safest option.

While with hybrid bikes I have lots of choice at my budget the same cannot be said for CX bikes.

Am I being too easily swayed by disc and put off by V brakes or are they the sensible choice?

 

[MrJamie]

I just replaced my front V-brake on my hybrid for Avid BB7 and im so glad i did. The V-brakes were great in the dry and i had them set close to the rim for max power - I could endo quite easily, but in the rain their performance was terrible and meant I had to keep my speed right down especially where the cyclepaths here cross roads every few hundred metres. It might just be that being double some cyclists weight gives me a lot of momentum to slow down and others would be happy with Vs, but I absolutely love discs now

Theres quite a lot of CX and hybrid bikes with discs, but they tend to be a bit more pricey.

 

[Mallory]

Mechanical or Hydraulic LOL

I think hydraulic in snow and ice would be safer as more modulation.

 

[Peteaud]

Its nice to have the stopping power of discs.

I am used to v brakes on my roadie, but if i had the money and the bike was available i would have a cx bike.

 

[triangles]

Vaguely on topic: I'm thinking about buying this Jamis Bosanova as a commuter / short tourer. I don't really know anything about disc brakes - I had them on a bike a while back and like the op felt a lot safer in wet weather - what are people's opinions on 'Avid BB-5 cable actuated disc brake with 160mm G2 CleanSweep rotor' ?

 

[Moodyman]

For all weather commuting discs make a lot of sense, especially if you live in a hilly area.

Both my commuters have discs - one mechanical and one hydraulic - both Shimano Deore. There's nothing worse than the grinding sound of rim brakes as they wear away your wheels in cruddy weather.

 

[Lee_M]

Snow and ice in London?

That doesn't happen often so I wouldn't worry about it and buy what you want

 

[daytonatwin]

Dear Mallory, go for discs.Town riding means a lot more braking than countryside. No wear on the rims due to the salt grit, which is highly corrosive and makes a mess of the wheels also.
I fitted a Avid BB7 disc brake to my Dawes Sardar tourer, it nearly stops on a penny, much more efficient.

 

[byegad]

BB7s are excellent and being cable operated easy to work on. Frankly they have a lot of power and modulation is good on both my rides fitted with them, my other ride has SA drum brakes and they are good enough to lift the rear wheel on my QNT recumbent trike, and don't have any performance loss in the wet which discs do, but not to the extent of rim brakes.

 

[Mallory]

2 bikes I have in mind have either juicy hydraulic disc or BB5 cable disc

 

[daytonatwin]

I installed a Avid BB7 front disc on my Dawes Sardar tourer to save the front rim from wear. The bike now stops on a sixpence. It is a bit snatchy asit is cable operated, the hydraulic type are more progressive, these I would recommend.

 

[chewy]

+1 for discs

 

[ianrauk]

I bought a new commuter bike in February that had disc brakes. Kona Honky Inc

After one too many close calls in wet riding with side pull brakes I decided to go down the disc brake route. And jeez it makes all the difference. More assured stopping, less stopping distance, no more having to gently pump the brakes to clear the rims of water, no more having to change brake pads every 3 months. (the pads have lasted 5000 miles so far an not even half way worn) no more black brake pad gunk everywhere and no more rim wear.

What's not to like?

 

[heliphil]

+1 for what Ian said - there's no choice really