I didn't realise this was such an emotive subject.
Money is involved.
I didn't realise this was such an emotive subject.
Money is involved.
I've never worn out a rim, and the longest I've currently owned a rim brakes bike is 22 years. Having said that, I read the road/terrain well ahead and I'm very light on the brakes as a consequence. Ditto in the car, where brakes tend to corrode to death before I wear them out.
I'm struggling to understand why so many cyclists get through rims at the rate they do. I can only assume they enjoy expending more energy than necessary, by excessive use of the brakes to convert all that kinetic energy they had to produce in the first place, back into heat. Given that every bit of forward motion on a bike is only achieved through the rider's efforts, I also try to make the absolute minimum use of the brakes possible. OK, on a descent, braking may be necessary, but a lot of the time on a level surface, if you anticipate properly your speed can be controlled without much need to use the brakes at all. Like Drago, I don't wear car brakes out in no time either, for the same reason. Turning energy into waste heat is the last thing I want to do, no matter what sort of wheeled transport I am using.
Discs on bikes are no more exposed to the elements than they are on motorcycles, or even cars for that matter. Both of those have big fat tyres which throw up more crud than a skinny cycle tyre.<suits-you>Did you take him roughly from behind, sir? Did you, sir? Did you?</suits-you>
Bike disc brakes are rubbish because the discs are too exposed to the elements, the pads are too small and they need elaborate fork fixings. If you want reliable all-weather low-maintenance braking, do it properly and get hub brakes.
I know some of you roadie fellas like Sram groupsets, but the moral of this tale is only buy a disc brake if it has the word 'Shimano' written on it.