Disc brakes on road bikes

[Ming the Merciless]

Anyone still using rod brakes?

 

[ktmbiker58]

Anyone still using rod brakes?

Would you believe I was recently looking at a Gazelle Dutch bike from the 90s and it had rod brakes to hub brakes!!!! The rear brake linkage was a work of art with 2 bell cranks

 

[Punkawallah]

Like it or not, disc brakes are now the standard. It is cheaper for mfg to buy one type of brake due to economies of scale. Since the majority of cyclist approve of disc brakes, that is what everyone is going to get.

No. I really am not.

 

[Punkawallah]

Anyone still using rod brakes?

I was gifted serviced and rode a Rudge Whitworth Gentleman’s Roadster (1936) a few years ago. Does that count?
Turns had to be plotted in your diary, and the brakes were not the best, but survivable.

 

[Banjo]

I am not able to repeatedly change gear with brifters ,my Jamis touring bike has bar end shifters which I can use and think they are great.
With Disc brakes becoming almost universal I just hope spares for rim brakes (and bar end shifters remain available).

 

[Daniel-1]

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.

Discs have been standard on MTB since the late 90s, and the UCI approved them for pro road racing in 2018. That Beloki crash was scary – rim brake heat melted the glue, and the tire came off. Discs fix that issue entirely. Much safer.