Disc brakes on road bikes

[rydabent]

Speaking of "in the wet" pretty much everyone know disc brakes are better. But another strike against rim brakes is that in the wet, sand and girt get on the rims, and rim brakes grind away at the rims. So to me the fact that disc brakes eliminate wear and scabbing up expensive rims is the second biggest reason discs are better.

 

[EckyH]

But another strike against rim brakes is that in the wet, sand and girt get on the rims, and rim brakes grind away at the rims.

Rim breaking wears down structural parts of the bike.

On the other hand there are measures to reduce the amount of "average wear per kilometer". Proper maintenance is the cheapest: Set up the brake pads properly, keep the brake pads and the rims as clean as possible and remove abrasive particles like aluminium chips of the rim from the pads. Improved cornering to reduce the need for braking is also free. Another measure is to use brake pads which are more gently to the rims.

E.

 

[AndyRM]

Maybe there should be a "Rim Vs Disc Brakes" discussion area, like the "Helmet" one?

 

[Vapin' Joe]

Maybe there should be a "Rim Vs Disc Brakes" discussion area, like the "Helmet" one?

There's always a "Something v something" debate in cycling. Campag v Shimano, friction v indexed, brifters v D/T, clipless v flats or toe clips, electronic v manual, carbon v aluminium v steel, tubes v tubeless etc etc.

Live and let live IMO.

 

[AndyRM]

There's always a "Something v something" debate in cycling. Campag v Shimano, friction v indexed, brifters v D/T, clipless v flats or toe clips, electronic v manual, carbon v aluminium v steel, tubes v tubeless etc etc.

Live and let live IMO.

Very true.

 

[matticus]

Speaking of "in the wet" pretty much everyone know disc brakes are better. But another strike against rim brakes is that in the wet, sand and girt get on the rims, and rim brakes grind away at the rims.

I think this has been covered already:

the number one reason that disc brakes are a good deal, is the the fact they dont scab up and wear out rims.

Anyways, I don't see this as the obvious win that you do. Some reasons:
- braking wears things out. Brake discs and pads don't grow on trees either. Maybe one system works out cheaper? I don't know for sure.
- I've never met a rider with a worn rim that was affecting their ride. I've seen quite a few instances of disc pad wear ending a ride.
- The only people I meet who have worn out rims are the long-distance types and serious commuters. It's weird that the weekend warriors riding rims that are too expensive to replace are also the ones leaping to disc-brake bikes.
- I hugely reduced rim wear by moving to decent brake blocks. Shimano ones are well-known to be harsh on rims - just do your research people!

Talking of decent brake blocks... IF you're worried about poor wet-weather braking, again, BUY DECENT BLOCKS!!! Even in today's hyper-inflation, it's £8 for your front set. That's a fair bit cheaper than a disc-brake upgrade. On the bikes with decent blocks, my dual-pivot brakes - which I spend minimal time on setup - have got me down massive and steep descents, with luggage, in all weathers, with no concerns (except rear-tyre lockup in the case of Hardknott).

 

[Binky]

Speaking of "in the wet" pretty much everyone know disc brakes are better. But another strike against rim brakes is that in the wet, sand and girt get on the rims, and rim brakes grind away at the rims. So to me the fact that disc brakes eliminate wear and scabbing up expensive rims is the second biggest reason discs are better.

100% this.

I've got rim braked bike and It's fine however in the wet not only is braking not as good there are times when I can hear and feel grit etc grinding away at the rims. I've got Hunt aluminium wheels and I find they seem to shed a lot of fine particles which get embedded in brake pads so I'm regularly having to pick out pieces.

 

[Dogtrousers]

In 2012 when I had my "let's get back into cycling" mid life crisis and got me a new bike (my Spa) it took me not much more than a winter and a spring of long-ish rides to destroy my front rim. I'm not sure what distance that was. I think this was due to:
- Cheap blocks. Spa have an eye on their margins so they don't fit the likes of Koolstop to new bikes. They provided some very hard black blocks, no idea exactly what. I knew no better.
- Poor maintenance. I wasn't all that assiduous cleaning them.
- Fat barsteward. I'm a big lump and can accrue a lot of kinetic energy.
- Heavy handed braking, especially downhill. I don't like going fast.

My latest front rim to be replaced lasted just shy of 7,000 km. Which is still quite low really I think. I've remedied the first two points above but the second two are here to stay.