jpembroke
New Member
- Location
- Cheltenham
More powerful brakes, better modulation meaning less chance of a lock-up, lighter rims that will last about ten times longer.Nah, I don't think they'll allow them on road bikes, there's not a vast need for them imo.
It's not a question of fixing something that isn't broken, but of greatly improving something we already have. The first disc brakes I experienced were cable operated on a motorcycle, and the improvement over drums was dramatic.Why fix something that isn't broken though?
Surely there's more chance of failure with disc brakes? Sorry, Don't know much about them myself. I assume they run on some sort of hydraulic type thing? or are we talking about the cable operated ones?
Maybe they'll now see sense and allow them on road bikes too.
This comes up a lot, but is generally suggested by mountain bikers rather than those who race on the road.
There are three issues:
- Current rim brakes are adequate for road riding. I can't recall ever wanting to have had stronger brakes while riding on a road. Skids lead to falls and stronger brakes are more likely to lock up wheels. For this reason, many V-brakes on cheaper (on-road) bikes have adjustments made to make them weaker but with better modulation.
- Stronger brakes in a race = dangerous
The last thing you want when riding in a bunch is to give someone the ability to stop dead. That would be dangerous; it would cause pile-ups and injuries. Remember that, for this reason, track bikes have no brakes at all.
- Weight. Not mainly that of the disc brake mechanism, but of the heavier duty fork and wheels that would be needed to use discs.
I've never ridden cyclocross but it seems to me that discs make great sense for that application, where muddy rim brakes are bound to lose effectiveness.
The main reason disc brakes are not on road bikes is the conservatism of the UCI. They want bikes to look and work like they did in the "good old days", which is why bikes still have diamond frames and handlebars a certain way.
Road bikes would look nothing like they do now, if the UCI stopped dictating to manufacturers how to design them. Sorry, but current road bikes do not look like they do to go fast, but to look pretty.
- Current rim brakes are adequate for road riding. I can't recall ever wanting to have had stronger brakes while riding on a road.
More powerful brakes, better modulation meaning less chance of a lock-up, lighter rims that will last about ten times longer.
What's not to like?