Disc brakes on road bikes

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Ian H

Ancient randonneur
If your rims wear out in anything less than several years, there's something lacking in your cycling skills.
Or, as an eminent old cyclist once said, "brakes are for emergencies only".
 

Alex321

Guru
Location
South Wales
One thing the current prevalence of disc brakes points to is the throwaway society. Disc brakes were pretty uncommon outside of MTBs 14 years ago. They really got established with the pros picking them up about 10 years ago.

And yet they seem to have largely taken over*. If I look at a random road bike when I'm out and about, odds-on it has discs. This means that it's odds-on that the bikes are less than 10 years old. Now, some of those are new converts to cycling on their first bikes. But for the remainder, given that you need a new frame to swap from rim to disc, it means people replace their bikes after less than 10 years. Which seems a bit quick to me.

*Source: No source, it could be I'm making this up to support my point. ;)

I was out on a club ride yesterday. 6 riders, so only a small sample, and one of those was an e-bike so doesn't count. Of the other 5, 3 of us had disc brakes, 2 had rim brakes.

Looking at photos of ther club rides, there are quite a few still on rim brakes, although definitely more on discs.

So maybe not as obsolete as you think.
 

Jameshow

Guru
Going back to my club days which were largely spent in the days of steel frames and D/T shifters very few riders had a bike that was over ten years old.

We tend to the pre / post carbon sti etc. but bike design did move forwards during the streel years 531 Vs 853 for instance! The along came alu for a short period....
 

Dogtrousers

Lefty tighty. Get it righty.
I was out on a club ride yesterday. 6 riders, so only a small sample, and one of those was an e-bike so doesn't count. Of the other 5, 3 of us had disc brakes, 2 had rim brakes.

Looking at photos of ther club rides, there are quite a few still on rim brakes, although definitely more on discs.

So maybe not as obsolete as you think.
You and your facts. :sad:
I much prefer to make up my own data to support my arguments. ;)
 
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