Disc Brakes on touring bikes

[snailracer]

^^^
That's hilarious (although you probably didn't think so at the time).

Have you tried squirting water from a squeezy water bottle to keep the hub cool during epic descents?
I would also point out that rim brakes (even more catastrophically) and disc brakes can also overheat, although not as easily as hub brakes.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

^^^
That's hilarious (although you probably didn't think so at the time).

Have you tried squirting water from a squeezy water bottle to keep the hub cool during epic descents?
I would also point out that rim brakes (even more catastrophically) and disc brakes can also overheat, although not as easily as hub brakes.

Rim brakes? Don't talk to me about chuffing rim brakes! (see my radio play above)

I sweat like a 'mare in heat' in heat. By the time I've climbed a mountain on tour there is no water left in my water bottles....

 

[rollinstok]

I wish they would make disc brakes more compact. I can understand making them big so they stand out and make the bike easier to sell to your average punter at JJB sports ( this is our best deal sir..full suspension, 21 speed shimano and da da !!---disc brakes!!..yours for £189 ) Surely shimano can develop high end discs that weigh similar to v-brakes. We,re talking about stopping a maximum ( for most riders ) of 240 lbs including luggage.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I wish they would make disc brakes more compact. I can understand making them big so they stand out and make the bike easier to sell to your average punter at JJB sports ( this is our best deal sir..full suspension, 21 speed shimano and da da !!---disc brakes!!..yours for £189 ) Surely shimano can develop high end discs that weigh similar to v-brakes. We,re talking about stopping a maximum ( for most riders ) of 240 lbs including luggage.

Once they get adopted by the weight weenies they will get smaller. At present they are all crossovers from MTB technology where bigger rotors than stock are often better.

(My personal gripe is that a range of frames from XS to XL will ALL come with the same sized front rotor. Plain dumb.)

 

[lejogger]

Hi,

I am getting a boardman cyclocross soon. What size mudguards did you fit? This is my first road type bike and I don`t know whether to get the SKS P35 or P45 mudguards For touring which tyres did you use?
Thanks for any advice.

Hi Paul,
I fitted the P35, but I have 23mm tyres on, not the original off roaders. on the front you'll have to creatively bend the top stay to get it around the disc caliper, or saw it off completely as I did. 3 stays are fine. I've got some photos on some previous posts here - or DM me if you can't find them and I'll send you a link.

For what it's worth, since my original post, while I still very much like the disc brakes, the BB5 have been very tiresome with the amount of adjusting they need. The cables seem to have taken months to bed in, so i have had to take up the slack a few times. Setting them up and dialling them in is simple enough once you've done it a couple of times, but is very fiddly at the same time.
An upgrade to BB7 is imminent.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

BB7 upgrade? Good lejogger.

 

[snailracer]

...
(My personal gripe is that a range of frames from XS to XL will ALL come with the same sized front rotor. Plain dumb.)

Next you'll be griping about them all coming with the same size wheels.

 

[John the Monkey]

I've not got the money to take advantage of it, but Surly now do the Long Haul Trucker in a disc compatible version.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Next you'll be griping about them all coming with the same size wheels.

They don't.16" 20" 650c 700c 26" 29-er etc., pack horses for courses innit?

but my point is a serious one. One of my mtb-ing friends is a mere slip of a girl. She weighs about half what I do. Her brakes won't fade on the Les Gets WC Downhill course like mine do.

Physics you see. (I'm off to Wiggle to buy a new rotor!)

 

[Crankarm]

I've not got the money to take advantage of it, but Surly now do the Long Haul Trucker in a disc compatible version.

Hopefully other touring/expedition bikes will now come with disc brakes or db mounts at least.

Only other thing is Rohloff hub with belt drive.

In the back of beyond you really don't want your wheels failing because the rims are split, worn through, due to wear from rim brakes; mud, crud and grit make a very effective grinding paste.

 

[zigzag]

i think the market is ripe for road specific disc brakes. two small discs on both sides of the front hub would spread the reactive force on both fork legs and retain all the benefits of disc brake. new standards will need to be introduced for front hub, fork, discs etc. - i'm already excited!
let's hope road disc brakes will be the next big thing (the progress in bicycle industry seems to be so slow - nothing really new since sti shifters and led dynamo lights).

 

[jjb]

Once they get adopted by the weight weenies they will get smaller. At present they are all crossovers from MTB technology where bigger rotors than stock are often better.

One thing re rotors - I have dinner plate sized rotors on my 2nd hand mtb - they're stuck on, completely seized, so I have no choice. They're fine offroad but when I have to go on tarmac, they clatter something awful. I'd definitely stick to smaller rotors on a road bike.

 

[MacB]

I've not got the money to take advantage of it, but Surly now do the Long Haul Trucker in a disc compatible version.

Bit annoying that, so much chat from some firms about how disc brakes were a no no and then they bring them out. I have a set of the LHT disc forks on back order...I think they should be available late March early April. I fancied the curved blade design, seeing a few now where the disc brake tab is far longer. Spreading the load much further up the fork rather than concentrated below the curve. I just hadn't fancied taking a chance on a smaller builder version. I figured if Surly have got the forks approved for LHT use then I can have faith in them.

 

[MacB]

i think the market is ripe for road specific disc brakes. two small discs on both sides of the front hub would spread the reactive force on both fork legs and retain all the benefits of disc brake. new standards will need to be introduced for front hub, fork, discs etc. - i'm already excited!
let's hope road disc brakes will be the next big thing (the progress in bicycle industry seems to be so slow - nothing really new since sti shifters and led dynamo lights).

I don't know which way they'll go, see my previous post on the re-design of the disc tabs to spread the load allowing for curved steel forks.

My instinct is that the double rotor design would be more faff, because you're doubling up everything, especially if there's any hope of developing full road hydraulics. It would seem crazy to develop an entirely new setup that wouldn't work with any of the existing stuff, hubs, rotors, calipers, etc. But that doesn't seem to stop the bike industry, so we'll see.

 

[Crackle]

http://road.cc/content/news/50510-new-shimano-di2-hydraulic-lever-updated