brake disc bikes

[Iceniner]

Ive had hydraulics on a mtb and ive now got cable discs on my focus cross disc. Never had a problem with them, although the stopping power and modulation of the hydraulic ones was better, the cable ones were impressive. Since it rains in Wales often, i like the additional security of knowing ill be able to stop even if the discs are wet. Ive come off a bike before when the v's failed to stop me in the wet. Not fun.

 

[Nigeyy]

Disc brakes are absolutely not necessary, just very nice to have. I have a commuter/secondary touring bike with canti brakes, and a tourer with discs which I use occasionally for commuting. Without a doubt, I prefer the discs, but having said that good quality v's or cantis setup well are more than adequate (I personally find replacing the pads with koolstop salmons is the best cheap brake upgrade you can do).

If I were to buy a commuting bike or touring bike again, I wouldn't have discs top of the list of priorities; having said that, there's no way I'd want to take them off. If money were no object, I'd get discs, but if I was on a limited budget I think cheaper good quality traditional brakes are more than adequate and I'd either not spend that extra money or spend it on other components to upgrade. In my opinion disc brakes offer low bang for the buck compared to their traditional counterparts, even though they probably offer the best performance, just at more of a premium price.

 

[Mr Pig]

I've never had a problem with V-brakes in the wet or mud. You might need to pull them a bit harder but so what? Who needs brakes that are so light you can work them with your eyelids? Are all cyclists 'that' weak?

Can I get my disk brakes to stop squealing like a banshee at every junction? No I can't. Is trying to hook the cassette into the chain and thread the disk into the calliper at the same time a right pain when fitting the back wheel? Yes it is.

Do hydraulic disks add about £100 on to the price of your bike? Yip. Are they heavier than V-brakes? Yip. Are they harder to sort out if they do go wrong? Yes they are.

A good set of V-brakes is lighter, simpler, cheaper and will still pitch you over the bars with ease. Good enough for most of us.

 

[goo_mason]

I have cable-operated disc brakes on the Carrera Vulcan that I used for commuting for 2 years - they're excellent ! Great braking in dry weather, and exactly the same braking power in the wet.

8 months on a road bike now and I still don't like the loss of braking power in the wet - it makes me feel very uneasy. Yes, the braking efficiency is far better than it was for rim brakes when I was a kid, but there's still a massive drop in stopping ability in the wet. In an emergency, it can make all the difference (providing you don't lock the wheels ).

 

[simoncc]

Disc brakes are a waste of money. On a commuter bike they'll offer no real benefit, make the bike and wheels more nickable as they are trendy, and the bits are more expensive. Forget all this stuff about rims wearing out - they do but it takes absolutely ages and I've never had a rim wear out before the wheel has become useless for other reasons, and I'm a 20 mile per day commuter.


My commuter has just been fitted with a new pair of front brake blocks - 69p from Wilko's. They are just fine.