Disc brakes on road bikes

[Wafer]

I'm another of the Synapse Disc 105 owners and liking the brakes. Certainly find I have to do more adjusting when taking the wheel off a lot (for shoving in the back of the car) but if left alone it's fine. Seems like they need more time/development to work a few things out, some bikes, like mine, have normal QR, some have through axles, which are meant to resolve some of the positioning issues and MTBs use more I think? I doubt those issues will be insurmountable. I think disc brakes handle the heat of lots of use better too? Which may not mean a lot to me, but will interest the pro peleton I would expect.

Wonder if in a few years time the debate will be moot and discs will be the standard.

 

[Banjo]

Very few "racing bikes" ever get raced. Market forces will take over and if Sportive or leisure riders want discs then that is what we will find more and more available ..

 

[the_mikey]

Very few "racing bikes" ever get raced. Market forces will take over and if Sportive or leisure riders want discs then that is what we will find more and more available ..

That may be so, but some brands are maintaining a range of high end carbon rim braked road bikes while the UCI ruling still exists. I suspect that once the ruling is changed (and some kind of standardisation of road disc technology) then all but the bottom of the range will have some kind of disc brake.

 

[Venod]

The down side of disc brakes to me compared to rim is the weight, I used BB7 with shimano levers on the cross bike and the braking was not as good as the rim brakes on the road bike (same levers) I have hydraulic discs on the MTB and they are brilliant, I am just putting together another MTB, I am going to try BB7 mtn discs with speed dial levers & see how they fair, I have heard good reports as long as you use decent cabling.

 

[Bodhbh]

The forks have to be strengthend and it is supposed to be very hard on the wrists/hands if there is no front suspension. That's according to Thorn.

Thorn are very strongly against discs, at least on their tourers. I'm not necessarily disputting the point as I've not ridden on a road bike with discs - but they do lay on the doom and gloom about discs in their bumph.

 

[adscrim]

Another Synapse 105 Disc owner here. I picked the bike up 3 weeks ago and although I've been commuting on it since then (5miles each way) Saturday was the first significant ride out (70 miles). There have been a couple of wet days since collection and I opted for the Synapse on Saturday as it was already wet with a forecast for more, and it's got full guards.

I've found stopping in the wet significantly improved which, to me, is of particular benefit when around traffic. I haven't experience any problems with aching arms or hands and I ride without gloves when it's not cold (as I did on Saturday).

Happy as I am, I not in any great rush to change over my other road bike. It's used mostly in the summer when road, even when wet, tend to be cleaner. I don't spend alot of time around traffic on it and so far, I've not notice any problems riding in groups where we've had some on discs and other on rims.

I like them, and I'm glad I've got them; but as with so many other cycling purchases I'm under no illusions that I need them.

 

[Pale Rider]

Cable discs are a faff to set up and need regular adjustment, hydraulics are fit and forget.

One thing both systems do is torture spokes - all the braking force goes through them.

Not a problem on hybrids which tend to have heavier built wheels and a high spoke count.

Could be a problem on a racer with ultra light wheels.

I would be interested to hear from disc brake road bike owners if the wheels/spokes appear to be built for the purpose.

 

[Brandane]

I have disc brakes on my MTB.. As I don't use it for it's intended purpose of charging down mountains, I decided to ditch the heavy and useless suspension forks and replaced them with a carbon fork.
The problem now is the flex in the carbon fork under braking forces, which means the front brake is not as effective as it should be. I assume that the same problem would occur on carbon forked road bikes, unless they stiffen them up. Which would mean extra weight and less ride comfort?

 

[screenman]

Nothing I've ever owned has, and I've had plenty of the things.

Blimey, are you driving some kind of classic?

 

[screenman]

PR, does braking not go through the spokes on rim brakes as well, must admit it is nothing I have given much thought too.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Thorn are very strongly against discs, at least on their tourers. I'm not necessarily disputting the point as I've not ridden on a road bike with discs - but they do lay on the doom and gloom about discs in their bumph.

Yeah. They do. I ignore 'em completely, what I think it means is "we can't build a disc fork we like". I'm on my second disc braked tourer.

 

[Vapin' Joe]

Thorn are very strongly against discs, at least on their tourers. I'm not necessarily disputting the point as I've not ridden on a road bike with discs - but they do lay on the doom and gloom about discs in their bumph.

Thorn have said some rather strange things about how bikes should be made in the past. Maybe they know something nobody else does or maybe they're just nuts, who knows?

 

[Venod]

I have a mate who rides a Thorn Audax and he loves it, I like there quirkiness and the cycling world would be a worse place without them, they stock a lot of stuff that is hard to find anywhere else, but you have to pay for the service, they aren't the cheapest.

 

[brand]

Thorn are very strongly against discs, at least on their tourers. I'm not necessarily disputting the point as I've not ridden on a road bike with discs - but they do lay on the doom and gloom about discs in their bumph.

Not really they are against disc brakes on non suspension forks. They are happy to make up tourer with discs on suspension fork.

 

[the_mikey]

Thorn have said some rather strange things about how bikes should be made in the past. Maybe they know something nobody else does or maybe they're just nuts, who knows?

One suspects that a damaged disc on tour is a bit of a showstopper. Especially if you're thousands of miles away from your favourite road cycling beautique.