It is more a case of what happens in the wet. No matter the pad, rim brakes on carbon rims in the wet can be decidedly iffy.
New Bike, Disc Brakes?
- Thread starter YellowV2
- Start date
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It is more a case of what happens in the wet. No matter the pad, rim brakes on carbon rims in the wet can be decidedly iffy.
T4tomo
Legendary Member
I would say yes.
When carbon rims first appeared , it was tricky and a number went with alu braking surfaces. However now "they" have developed different brake pad compounds for carbon rims, its no longer an issue.
Its also takes out the rim wear issue too, as the carbon specific blocks wear quite quickly, but the carbon rims barely wear at all, so you don't get the concave rims / worn brake surface issue you could get on high mileage alu rims (albeit easily solved with handbuilts - lace a new rim on).
My best bike has rim brakes and carbon rims, all works fine, stopping power is good. My winter bike has hydro discs which are deffo superior in the proper wet weather, but in the dry / just the odd shower kind of weather the carbon rim brakes are just as good.
at the end of the day braking performance is dictated mainly by the grip of the very small contact patch of the tyre to the road surface.
However the big brand manufacturers don't want the extra cost of developing rim brake and disc brake frames, so the majority of new road bikes now come with disc brakes and thru axles, because that is what the pro peloton races, and that is what they think sells best.
Rim braked road bikes are become a minority niche on new bikes. No coincidence that Shimano's new 105 Di2 is Disc brake only.
Deleted User
Guest
- Location
- Wolverhampton
I'm surprised at the overall reluctance to try new things in what I perceive as a more 'progressive ' section of the community?
if your percieved to be different on this forum, you will be decimated by the regulars...
cougie uk
Guru
What's different though? Rim or disc brakes? I've got both. I suspect a lot of us have.
i only have discs on my 3 bikes.....im a big lad and i suffered descending the mountains of wales on rim brakes. Ive never had the same issue on discs
OP here.
So it is correct that I didn't want disc brakes but it was suggested to me that I should at least try them before making a final decision, which I did on a test ride. However I failed to find any difference/benefit in braking to my existing set up (Campagnolo red pads on carbon rims), except that I found the discs to be less progressive and took more lever effort.
When I returned from the test ride and discussed my findings it was suggested that I have a longer test ride on another bike in the near future, as it is possible there was a problem with disc setup I rode, may need bleeding or contaminated pads etc.
I don't like discs from an aesthetic POV and am not keen on the extra beefing up of the forks required which I believe compromises feel and balance of the handling.
It will be a custom build and will not be sold in the future (by me anyway) so I'm not too bothered regarding future proofing. I think rim brakes and spares will be with us for some time yet and as I am a Campagnolo person will be having either a Chorus or Record groupset.
I except that discs have there place and if it were a do it all bike or used for commuting year round then probably would go with discs. However it is to be a good weather/Summer road bike only, I don't often ride in rain from choice, except off road.
I have descended various mountain passes in both the Alps and Pyrenees without issue with rim brakes.
So my mind is almost made up unless I find some big difference on the next test ride, in the next few weeks.
Thanks for all the views/opinions, interesting!
So it is correct that I didn't want disc brakes but it was suggested to me that I should at least try them before making a final decision, which I did on a test ride. However I failed to find any difference/benefit in braking to my existing set up (Campagnolo red pads on carbon rims), except that I found the discs to be less progressive and took more lever effort.
When I returned from the test ride and discussed my findings it was suggested that I have a longer test ride on another bike in the near future, as it is possible there was a problem with disc setup I rode, may need bleeding or contaminated pads etc.
I don't like discs from an aesthetic POV and am not keen on the extra beefing up of the forks required which I believe compromises feel and balance of the handling.
It will be a custom build and will not be sold in the future (by me anyway) so I'm not too bothered regarding future proofing. I think rim brakes and spares will be with us for some time yet and as I am a Campagnolo person will be having either a Chorus or Record groupset.
I except that discs have there place and if it were a do it all bike or used for commuting year round then probably would go with discs. However it is to be a good weather/Summer road bike only, I don't often ride in rain from choice, except off road.
I have descended various mountain passes in both the Alps and Pyrenees without issue with rim brakes.
So my mind is almost made up unless I find some big difference on the next test ride, in the next few weeks.
Thanks for all the views/opinions, interesting!
Last edited:
winjim
Smash the cistern
Disc brakes allow you to ride on buckled and out of true rims. That was my rationale for getting them on my everyday do it all bike. It's currently got Campagnolo Athena 11sp with BB5 brakes and works great.
My fancy Ti road bike has rim brakes for the simple reason that I was being a groupset snob and at the time I built it Campagnolo didn't make disc brakes.
My fancy Ti road bike has rim brakes for the simple reason that I was being a groupset snob and at the time I built it Campagnolo didn't make disc brakes.
kingrollo
Guru
NorthernSky
Guru
i never wanted disc brakes but ended up with them on my new bike.
overall i'm happy with them. it makes cleaning the bike a lot easier. i like the neatness of them, keeping the area where the rim brakes would have been free
performance wise? like the OP says i never had a problem with my rim brakes not stopping me
the disc brakes also stop me. i have had to adjust them recently which was a learning experience. i had to adjust my rim brakes many times too so...
the big advantage will be when its wet with the disc brakes but if you're mainly riding in dry conditions it won't be an issue
overall i'm happy with them. it makes cleaning the bike a lot easier. i like the neatness of them, keeping the area where the rim brakes would have been free
performance wise? like the OP says i never had a problem with my rim brakes not stopping me
the disc brakes also stop me. i have had to adjust them recently which was a learning experience. i had to adjust my rim brakes many times too so...
the big advantage will be when its wet with the disc brakes but if you're mainly riding in dry conditions it won't be an issue
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
It really is a personal choice. Seems the choice is a bit marmite. I don’t like rim brakes but each to their own. Only my Brompton has rim brakes these days.
HarryTheDog
Guru
- Location
- Basildon Essex
I have both Discs and rim brakes spread across 4 bikes. My next road bike would be disc purely as I used to wear out rims fairly regularly on my commute bike . Riding in all weathers I would go through a rim every couple of years.( commute bike a CX currently has discs old road bike kept for weekend rides) With Discs I can put some very good wheels on and only replace the rotor when needed.
- Location
- Somewhere wet & hilly in NW England.
