New Bike, Disc Brakes?

[Alex321]

The test ride was on a bike equipped with Shimano Ultegra group and discs.
Well the brakes did what they should, ie they stopped me but nothing that my rim brakes have ever failed to do, moreover they felt wooden and required more force than my Campagnolo Chorus rim brakes do and with less feel.

That is unusual, and suggests something wrong with them.

While rim brakes have as much stopping power in the dry, they usually need more force, and because of that, the disc brakes have more "feel" and are easier to modulate.

Most of the people who don't want disc brakes are against them because they are heavier, seen by many as ugly and less aerodynamic, and perceived (wrongly IMO) to need more maintenance. I've rarely seen anybody who has tried both suggest they have less feel than rim brakes.

 

[Alex321]

Yes they do but I wouldn't use that as a barometer, they essentially use what they are provided with/told to, I know they are not all happy with this! I was just really giving my thoughts/findings thus far.

No pro rider with a significant chance of winning races would use disc brakes if they gave a racing disadvantage, no matter what they were told.

They will use things that don't give a positive advantage, but not things which actually hold them back.

 

[YellowV2]

The advantage is that they help to sell disc brakes.

Absolutely and this is my point. I only tried them to make sure I wasn't missing anything and make an informed decision rather than an uninformed one. My post was really to put my findings out to others as I feel we are being indoctrinated into discs along with many other things these days!

 

[kingrollo]

You can use bigger tyres on disc brake bikes, you doing a bit of future proofing as won't be long before some fancy wheels won't do a rim brake version.

But if you don't want them (which it sounds like you don't) then go for rims .

 

[kingrollo]

No pro rider with a significant chance of winning races would use disc brakes if they gave a racing disadvantage, no matter what they were told.

They will use things that don't give a positive advantage, but not things which actually hold them back.

Indeed Sean Kelly was using toe clips for ages after everyone went clippless - must have been his choice.

 

[the snail]

Absolutely and this is my point. I only tried them to make sure I wasn't missing anything and make an informed decision rather than an uninformed one. My post was really to put my findings out to others as I feel we are being indoctrinated into discs along with many other things these days!

OTOH, a good disk brake shouldn't feel wooden, will give very controllable power, work as well in the wet as in the dry, and they wont eat your rims. ypym...

 

[YellowV2]

No pro rider with a significant chance of winning races would use disc brakes if they gave a racing disadvantage, no matter what they were told.

They will use things that don't give a positive advantage, but not things which actually hold them back.

I'm not sure that is the case as I have been told of at least one hi profile rider in the pro peloton who has specifically requested rim brakes but to no avail. Also what may be beneficial to pro riders ie fast descending is not relevant to most non pro's. There may be benefits but they don't appear universal or relevant to me. They are however very beneficial to the major manufactures selling bikes.
There are also compromises in weight and fork construction/strengthing for road bikes which affect handling imo.

 

[kingrollo]

Disc brakes or rim brakes isn't important.

So long as you have di2 shifting , tubeless tyres, stubby saddle and some sort of dampers on the seat post & stem - who gives a toss about discs ! 😃

 

[Adam4868]

No pro rider with a significant chance of winning races would use disc brakes if they gave a racing disadvantage, no matter what they were told.

They will use things that don't give a positive advantage, but not things which actually hold them back.

Plenty of pro riders that aren't keen on disc brakes....Pretty sure Froome did a blog on why he wasn't sold on them....
Pogacar's bike in previous years at the Tour had rim,he has swapped out disc brake frame for a rim brake model when tackling particularly hard summit finishes.
But for us mere mortals I doubt it makes much difference 😁

 

[YellowV2]

OTOH, a good disk brake shouldn't feel wooden, will give very controllable power, work as well in the wet as in the dry, and they wont eat your rims. ypym...

And this may be one of the few advantages. I also think it depends what rim brakes you are used to, I am a Campagnolo user and find my Chorus rim brakes on carbon rims are very good even in the wet. I don't ride enough in wet conditions for this to be a consideration regards rim wear.

 

[Cycleops]

The advantage is that they help to sell disc brakes.

Can't imagine they'd sell many to snails

 

[Alex321]

Plenty of pro riders that aren't keen on disc brakes....Pretty sure Froome did a blog on why he wasn't sold on them....
Pogacar's bike in previous years at the Tour had rim,he has swapped out disc brake frame for a rim brake model when tackling particularly hard summit finishes.

Well the total weight difference (taking into account the extra strength needed in parts of the frame) comes out at several hundred grams even for the best ones, so when weight really matters, they are likely to prefer rim brakes. They also stuck to rim brakes for the time trial stages for a while, for similar reason.

But for us mere mortals I doubt it makes much difference 😁

Well for me personally, the difference in braking capability in the wet (we get a lot of that in Wales), and the reduced maintenance just make them better.

I will admit, my experience of rim brakes is not recent, and I suspect they have improved significantly in terms of maintenance requirements since I last used them. But I remember forever having to adjust the position of the blocks as the pads wore down, and my disc brakes really need no maintenance whatsoever between pad changes.

 

[Spiderweb]

I have disc brakes on my mountain bike, they are good in wet and muddy conditions, definitely an advantage over rim brakes I would say.
As far as road bikes go, I’ve always been able to stop, even lock my wheels with rim brakes so I don’t see the need for discs.
Disc brakes can be noisy, they require more maintenance (pads don’t last as long), they can be a fiddle to clean properly and are heavier.
The only real advantage imo with discs is no rim wear.

 

[Jameshow]

Also remember disc brakes aren't all equal. There's a difference between hydro and cable Shimano and tektro BB5 bb7 etc.

Just the same as caliper brakes vary greatly.

Also remember that once you get disc brakes they aren't interchangeable with rim wheel bikes which if you have several bikes might be an issue. Same applies for 11spd for me!

 

[craigwend]

Borrowed from another thread...

An interesting (albeit a year old) read whichever braking camp you are in:

https://www.rouleur.cc/blogs/the-rouleur-journal/the-inevitability-of-disc-brakes