Disc brakes vs. 'normal' brakes??

[YahudaMoon]

Am I missing something ?

Lots of people saying rim brakes wear rims out though don't disc brakes wear out ?

Also what is the cost / life span over rim / disc replacement parts ?

 

[ianrauk]

Am I missing something ?

Lots of people saying rim brakes wear rims out though don't disc brakes wear out ?

Also what is the cost / life span over rim / disc replacement parts ?

Over 18 months
New wheels for my commuter £200+
New pads for disc brakes £6.99 perhaps 4 pairs at most, rotor if needed £20-£30

 

[Red Light]

Which must be why SRAM are also looking at hydro rim brakes, Magura style.

My pecking order ( best first) is:

Hydraulic disks
Hydraulic rim brakes
Cable discs
Cable rim brakes

 

[Red Light]

*noisey when cold/damp

Put a light chamfer on the leading edges of the pads and a spot of copperslip on the back of the pads

 

[Beebo]

Over 18 months
New wheels for my commuter £200+
New pads for disc brakes £6.99 perhaps 4 pairs at most, rotor if needed £20-£30

Have you factored the new £1,300 bike into your cost calculations?

 

[ianrauk]

Have you factored the new £1,300 bike into your cost calculations?

shhhhh don't tell the missus

 

[Holdsworth]

I've bin thinking that too... just had my rear rim start cracking at the weld... did some maths and it's a 19 year old wheel!!! The front one is still going strong (i hope!)

And me, my road bike's original wheels were 20 years old when I bought the bike and soon after they failed when the rim cracked at a spoke hole. It must've done plenty of miles though in that time but the braking surfaces themselves showed no signs of damage.

 

[andrew_s]

The thing that has me a little puzzled with brakes is how quickly some people are getting through rims, why? I've been cycling for over forty years and this something recent, so what has changed?

It's hard and abrasive brake blocks that do it, especially Shimano. They stop well, but smear flakes of aluminium off the rim, and also get bits of road grit embedded in them quite easily. Rims are also lighter than they used to be, so there's less thickness to wear through, plus the manufacturers machine off some to avoid squeal.

Check your blocks for bits of embedded aluminium or grit. If you find any, change brand of block.
I've worn out a front rim before the tyre that was on it (5500 miles or so). I switched to Koolstop brake blocks, and don't have the same problems any more.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

It's hard and abrasive brake blocks that do it, especially Shimano. They stop well, but smear flakes of aluminium off the rim, and also get bits of road grit embedded in them quite easily. Rims are also lighter than they used to be, so there's less thickness to wear through, plus the manufacturers machine off some to avoid squeal.

Check your blocks for bits of embedded aluminium or grit. If you find any, change brand of block.
I've worn out a front rim before the tyre that was on it (5500 miles or so). I switched to Koolstop brake blocks, and don't have the same problems any more.

I've been using Koolstops for several years now.

 

[Camrider]

It's hard and abrasive brake blocks that do it, especially Shimano. They stop well, but smear flakes of aluminium off the rim, and also get bits of road grit embedded in them quite easily.

Yes I've just chucked out a set Shimano pads for that very reason, but I don't recall ever having that problem before. I've never had an issue with worn rims either, but I'm running a set of light ones on my Thorn RST, and I hope I'm not going to regret not going for CSS rims when I spec'd the bike originally.

 

[Old Plodder]

I like to use Koolstop brake blocks as well.

@cubist
Mech disc pad replacement was just a case of backing off the cable adjuster, swapping pads, re adjust, & done.
Hydro, I believe, you have to pump out a small amount of the fluid before you can back up the pistons, & then swap pads, I think that would be messy.
But my real preference is simplicity, just a cable like ordinary brakes, better stopping power, & none of the grey sludge on the rims.

 

[Cubist]

I like to use Koolstop brake blocks as well.

@cubist
Mech disc pad replacement was just a case of backing off the cable adjuster, swapping pads, re adjust, & done.
Hydro, I believe, you have to pump out a small amount of the fluid before you can back up the pistons, & then swap pads, I think that would be messy.
But my real preference is simplicity, just a cable like ordinary brakes, better stopping power, & none of the grey sludge on the rims.

No, you don't need to expel any fluid on changing hydro pads. You just need to use a screwdriver blade or similar to prise the OLD pads as far apart as they will go BEFORE you take them out. Hydraulic systems use a reservoir and valve system to keep the system up and running. All you need to do is prise the old pads apart, remove the old pads, put the new pads in, recentre the calipers and ride. No buggering about with pad wear adjusters or whatever..... I reckon I could change the pads in my Hayes brakes in about two minutes (including a bit of a clean up) . I have four or five different systems across the various bikes, and none of them are more complicated than that.

 

[HovR]

No buggering about with pad wear adjusters or whatever.....

I've never used hydro brakes, so I'm not saying one is better than the other - But adjusting my cable disc pads for wear takes me ~30 seconds, and rarely has to be done.

 

[Flying Dodo]

Is there a vast difference in the stopping power of hydraulic rather than cable disc brakes? I'm thinking hydraulics adds weight and complexity to the brakes.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Is there a vast difference in the stopping power of hydraulic rather than cable disc brakes? I'm thinking hydraulics adds weight and complexity to the brakes.

Weight addition is minimal and not really an issue as bikes can easily be made to go under the UCI minimum weight limit these days. As for complexity, brake hydraulics are the one piece of kit on cars and motorcycles that rarely give any need for attention.