Disc brakes on road bikes

[Ming the Merciless]

Yes indeed, I should have made that clear. My post wasn't anti-disc or anything but just an observation that in the motorcycle context discs supposedly had worse wet weather performance than their predecessor (drums), though for pedal cycles they are apprently an improvement over rim brakes in the wet

Drum brakes would be a good choice on a utility bike. Sealed off from the weather etc.

 

[Profpointy]

Drum brakes would be a good choice on a utility bike. Sealed off from the weather etc.

I've seen such bikes, mostly or always with drums on the back and callipers on the front, which seems the wrong way round if anything

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I've seen such bikes, mostly or always with drums on the back and callipers on the front, which seems the wrong way round if anything

Often you will see a drum brake combined with a hub gear. I guess that is why at the back.

 

[Profpointy]

Often you will see a drum brake combined with a hub gear. I guess that is why at the back.

Yes I've certainly seem that, but never ridden one that I can recall

 

[C R]

I think elephant bikes have drum brakes both front and back.

 

[Vapin' Joe]

Yes indeed, I should have made that clear. My post wasn't anti-disc or anything but just an observation that in the motorcycle context discs supposedly had worse wet weather performance than their predecessor (drums), though for pedal cycles they are apprently an improvement over rim brakes in the wet

That wasn't my experience at all. Drums were by no means water tight and when they did get water in they took a while to dry out. Even the early undrilled discs cleared the water in a single revolution and were a big improvement.

 

[Profpointy]

That wasn't my experience at all. Drums were by no means water tight and when they did get water in they took a while to dry out. Even the early undrilled discs cleared the water in a single revolution and were a big improvement.

My own motorcycling was later than the drum era, even drum rears, so I confess I was repeated stuff I'd read rather than experienced. That said, even on my 80s drilled cast iron discs there'd be a disconcerting delay in the wet before the water was shed. Never experienced drums, apart from car rear brakes. Pain to maintain compared to discs certainly

 

[Dogtrousers]

Regarding discs being better than rim brakes in the wet, I don't doubt it it makes sense but...

Aside from steel rimmed wheels, I've never had a problem with rim brakes in the wet, and I've done my fair share of wet weather riding. I've never thought "Oh lordy, it's raining, my brakes will be compromised. This could be (and probably is) just because I'm used to them. But I wouldn't say that rim brakes are noticeably bad in the wet, even if it's true that discs are better (which I'm prepared to take on trust).

Steel rims, yes. I did ride a very old bike with steel rims in the rain a while ago and the brakes were hilariously bad.

 

[Punkawallah]

Just to clarify, is it worse or better with discs? I've never ridden a disc braked bike

The nice boys from GCN did a test, and found that for the same bike on dry road at 56kph rim brakes stopped it in 4 seconds, disc brakes in 3 seconds.

 

[Dogtrousers]

The nice boys from GCN did a test, and found that for the same bike on dry road at 56kph rim brakes stopped it in 4 seconds, disc brakes in 3 seconds.

But were they testing for squealing?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

But were they testing for squealing?

The rider?