Disc brakes on road bikes

[rydabent]

I dislike them, for many reasons, but mostly because they're ugly.

What is ugly is the huge heavy "brifter" levers. Down tube shifters were light, and no cables flopping in the wind.

 

[AndyRM]

What is ugly is the huge heavy "brifter" levers. Down tube shifters were light, and no cables flopping in the wind.

Aesthetics aren't your thing. Which is fine.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Disc brakes look smart, imo.

Ugly bits on bikes; pedals, RD's, skinny forks, imo.

 

[Webbo2]

What is ugly is the huge heavy "brifter" levers. Down tube shifters were light, and no cables flopping in the wind.

Most bikes these days have no cables on show.

 

[Jameshow]

I am not very in touch with cycle racing. I used to find it more interesting to read about it than watch it. To illustrate my ignorance, I am watching O Gran Cumino, and I noticed the race bikes all had disc brakes. How long has this been? It is probably a good safety thing. Beloki's crash when his tyre came off, partly owing to the heat generated by his rim brakes, makes me wince whenever I think of it.

Btw we now have the internet, electric cars and WWIII welcome to the modern age!

 

[Exlaser2]

Yes rim and disc have different strengths and weaknesses. But in the dry stopping power is very similar for one very simple physical reason .
Ultimate stopping power is limited by the bikes contact patch with the road.

 

[Alex321]

I don't see how one follows from the other. (certainly I don't seem to be strong based on any other metric, and I've never had an issue/accident due to poor brake modulation).

You're certainly not alone in claiming "better modulation" for disc brakes, but that simply helps explain why so many people seem to like them - it doesn't make it true, or indeed logical!

It is, I believe, because less effort is required for the same braking force. While a large majority of people have sufficient hand strength to lock the wheels with either disc or rim brakes, so the maximum possible braking level is pretyt well the same with both, the less force you are having to apply, the easier it is to make small adjustments to that force, and therefore you get better control.

 

[EckyH]

the less force you are having to apply, the easier it is to make small adjustments to that force, and therefore you get better control.

The question for me is: Is the necessary force to actuate the lever low enough? If yes, then braking modulation is good enough (assuming that the brakes are real brakes, not just speed delayers).
Exception is in the wet. I cannot imagine where rim brakes have at least one considerable advantage in the wet.

E.

 

[Mike Ayling]

Meanwhile Rene Herse Cycles have just announced their new specially manufactured Canti brakes are now in stock so if you wish you can run wide tyres without disc brakes.

 

[rydabent]

I still say the number one reason that disc brakes are a good deal, is the the fact they dont scab up and wear out rims. Some rims these days are hugely expensive, and destroying them with rim brakes, makes no sense at all.

Then lastly, the whole industry is going to discs, and everyone has to go with the flow.

 

[brommieinkorea]

Rim brakes are a replacement for a gloved hand . They've been tweaked for so long that some of them work, until it rains.
For comparison, any automotive engineer who proposed a rubber block against the side of the wheel would be fired and run out of the industry, possibly prosecuted if the lame brained idea made it into production.
We've put up with rim wreckers for so long because the racers used them, but racers don't need to stop much, they get new free wheels whenever and car traffic is not something they deal with.
So a slightly lighter "brake" seemed like a good way to save a little weight over available drum and disc brakes from the 1900s.

 

[Profpointy]

Yes rim and disc have different strengths and weaknesses. But in the dry stopping power is very similar for one very simple physical reason .
Ultimate stopping power is limited by the bikes contact patch with the road.

Dry stopping power is limited by geometry /
physics since from rim brakes can lift the back wheel - that's basically it for max stoppyness.

Back brake doesn't really do anything when you're braking hard as the wheel is barely touching the ground. And if the back brake is doing much, then you're not braking hard enough with the front!

Appreciated you need both used with care in the wet, but then you're not using the maximum as you will skid the front and fall off

 

[Punkawallah]

What is ugly is the huge heavy "brifter" levers. Down tube shifters were light, and no cables flopping in the wind.

This is the Way.

 

[rydabent]

Aesthetics aren't your thing. Which is fine.

Really???? Late 80s bikes with down tube shifters were some of the cleanest bikes produced. And------------with virtually no cable housing, the shifters rarely went out of adjustment.

 

[AndyRM]

Really???? Late 80s bikes with down tube shifters were some of the cleanest bikes produced. And------------with virtually no cable housing, the shifters rarely went out of adjustment.

Yeah. Really.

I don't like disc brakes on road bikes.