Rim or disk brakes on same bike, why the extra price?

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Many decent rims only cost about £20 though.
I intend to set about learning how to re-rimming my wheels soon.
Wheels quite often go for other reasons rather than the breaking surface wearing out anyway - a Mavic of mine recently went from a crack round a spoke hole - maybe caused by a bad London road. It's quite an old wheel - now on its second bike - braking surface fine as I am careful to keep pads and rims clean/ish. Disc brake wheels don't last forever.
So what do disc brake fans do when a wheel goes - bin it along with possibly a very good hub?
(that wheel that went - the hub came from an earlier Mavic wheel)

Re-rim or respoke, the same as any other wheel. If neither of those are financially viable, replace.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

I think one of the Spa Cycles disk brake bikes has mounting points for calliper brakes.

Can't think why you would want to.

Mudguards?

 

[Racing roadkill]

Surely the issue here with rim brakes is the rider's ability. I feel disc brakes are superior to rims, especially in winter, but with either system there should never be a need for a "death grip" under normal circumstances. I agree a "death grip" can occur for anyone but this, in my view, would only be in a dire emergency. Outside of such a situation I would expect to control my speed under any circumstances. If my rim braked winter bike won't stop I'm riding too fast.



I don't agree stopping with a rim brake is easier in the wet. At best, if riding at appropriate speeds, the two systems are equal. As a roadie I'm not sure why you feel roadies don't have the necessary skill to use disc brakes in a controlled manner in the wet. I'd argue the main reasons for crashing are excessive speed for the conditions, ice, oil or outright stupidity.**

** Which I was guilty of last week when I assumed the guy on my right knew we would follow the road through a 90 degree right bend rather than go straight on to the small road which went off the crown of the bend!!! I turned in to him and paid the price!!

The biggest issue I’ve encountered, is some riders inability to understand that the wheels may well stop rotating better in poor conditions, with disc brakes, but there’s no miraculous improvement in traction. It came to the point where ( on any group rides I was organising) I had to start insisting that anyone with a disc braked road bike, stayed behind the rim braked bikes, particularly on descents. This was following an incident when one of the assistant ride leaders ended up with fractured ribs, when a disc braker stopped in front of him without so much as a word, for no particularly good reason, causing a pile up. That caused paperwork, that’s not good. I also had a disc braker hit me from behind, because his levers went to the bars suddenly ( probably air in the system) and it wrote off a brand new R7000 rear mech.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

The biggest issue I’ve encountered, is some riders inability to understand that the wheels may well stop rotating better in poor conditions, with disc brakes, but there’s no miraculous improvement in traction. It came to the point where ( on any group rides I was organising) I had to start insisting that anyone with a disc braked road bike, stayed behind the rim braked bikes, particularly on descents. This was following an incident when one of the assistant ride leaders ended up with fractured ribs, when a disc braker stopped in front of him without so much as a word, for no particularly good reason, causing a pile up. That caused paperwork, that’s not good. I also had a disc braker hit me from behind, because his levers went to the bars suddenly ( probably air in the system) and it wrote off a brand new R7000 rear mech.

So there’s no mysterious improvement in traction but the rim braked rider was unable to stop in the same distance as disc brake rider, so ran into the back of him. Have I got that right?

 

[Racing roadkill]

So there’s no mysterious improvement in traction but the rim braked rider was unable to stop in the same distance as disc brake rider, so ran into the back of him. Have I got that right?

No, the disc braker ended up in a heap, because he failed to understand the point about the difference between stopping the wheels rotating, and stopping the bike, and slid over as his wheels locked and skidded. everyone else on rim brakes then either went left or right, or straight over them.

 

[Vantage]

Not really a point for or against disc brakes is it?
I and I'm sure many others have locked up the wheels on a caliper, cantilever and V braked bike without a huge amount of difficulty.
The accidents you mentioned are to do with rider error.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

No, the disc braker ended up in a heap, because he failed to understand the point about the difference between stopping the wheels rotating, and stopping the bike, and slid over as his wheels locked and skidded. everyone else on rim brakes then either went left or right, or straight over them.

But what’s that got to do with discs?

The rider would have been the same on rim brakes as well. Why didn’t the rim braked rider, behind, leave enough of a gap to safely brake? Bit like a car driver running into the back of the driver ahead , and blaming on the one in front.

 

[8mph]

But the money saved replacing wheels every couple of years on rim brake bikes outweighs the extra cost for a disc brake bike. For that and many other reasons, discs are for me.

I let these considerations play on my mind far too much, even to the point of wanting to replace my entire touring bike, which has rims that will last for absolutely ages! What else? The diesel car of course.

 

[Racing roadkill]

But what’s that got to do with discs?

The rider would have been the same on rim brakes as well. Why didn’t the rim braked rider, behind, leave enough of a gap to safely brake? Bit like a car driver running into the back of the driver ahead , and blaming on the one in front.

No, he ( the disc braker ) went down due to the skid, because he didn’t get the difference between stopping the wheels and stopping the bike, on rim brakes, this mental conundrum isn’t there. which bit did you not get?

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

So nobody has ever crashed or went OTB before disc brakes?

 

[Stompier]

The accidents you mentioned are to do with rider error.

The guy is a walking disaster, so it's not surprising that his 'organised' rides turn out the same way.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

No, he ( the disc braker ) went down due to the skid, because he didn’t get the difference between stopping the wheels and stopping the bike, on rim brakes, this mental conundrum isn’t there. which bit did you not get?

Well of course the mental conundrum would have been there for the same rider using rim brakes. You have to be stupid, and not get it, to think changing the brake type would change that riders thinking on stopping their bike

p.s. You haven’t explained why rim brake rider didn’t realise they needed to leave sufficient gap to safely brake if the rider in front went down. Sounds like poor training / advice from whomever was leading the ride.

 

[Lucabike]

I like brakes on my bikes, not breaks

I suppose so 🤣