I am not so sure about disc brakes. I have a couple of disc braked bikes (mtb and tourer) and I really like them. However (other than the mtb) what the disc brakes allow me the most to do is run fatter tires. I know disc brakes are better in the wet etc but I really cant see the point on a Brompton where most simply commute in the city. Also a stronger fork will just make the whole thing heavier and make the ride even worse (maybe as I don't see them using a carbon fork).
Brompton 2017 bikes new features
- Thread starter chris folder
- Start date
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- Tags
- brompton
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Kell
Veteran
- Location
- High Wycombe/London
I can see the point(s).
My rear rim wore through in less than a year and in just 2,500 miles. Everything else on the wheel was fine. That wouldn't have happened with discs.
It had to be replaced at a cost of £50 for the rebuild, plus two weeks without the bike - which in extra tube fares and parking costs could have cost me up to £200 (if it had been in the winter). As it was the summer, I could walk some of it so it probably cost me around £150 in total. If that becomes an annual cost, then it would be cheaper in the long run to invest in discs.
Also, buckled wheels don't affect braking and it makes it easier to change punctures.
My only concern on a Brompton would be that the disc is so much closer to the ground that the advantages you see on a normal bike might not be so great when it comes to stopping power - but that would be fairly simple to ascertain.
My rear rim wore through in less than a year and in just 2,500 miles. Everything else on the wheel was fine. That wouldn't have happened with discs.
It had to be replaced at a cost of £50 for the rebuild, plus two weeks without the bike - which in extra tube fares and parking costs could have cost me up to £200 (if it had been in the winter). As it was the summer, I could walk some of it so it probably cost me around £150 in total. If that becomes an annual cost, then it would be cheaper in the long run to invest in discs.
Also, buckled wheels don't affect braking and it makes it easier to change punctures.
My only concern on a Brompton would be that the disc is so much closer to the ground that the advantages you see on a normal bike might not be so great when it comes to stopping power - but that would be fairly simple to ascertain.
12boy
Guru
- Location
- Casper WY USA
With 16" wheels the disc would be close to any slop on the street. Were grit to get between the disc and the pads the parts would not seem to last long. I think the brakes would actually work better than on a larger wheel because the mass of a larger wheel, say 700c, is at the end of the spokes and harder to slow down. Kell, your rim wear is the most extreme I've ever heard of on any bicycle and perhaps is due to road conditions involving a lot of water and bits of grit on the street, plus going down some very steep hills . I've ridden thousands of miles on my Brompton and still have the original rims, barely worn.
- Location
- The TerrorVortex
^^That. My rims have lasted 7 years of general riding and a couple of tours, and they're still fine.
