Disc Brakes

[sevenfourate]

I’m not one of those fuddy duddy old luddites who rejects any modern innovation, but disc brakes do suggest a whole extra load of pishing about trying to solve a problem that for me doesn’t exist, being I tend to avoid the mountainous uplands of rural Norfolk and stick mainly to the low lying flood plains.

I got 2 bikes with and 1 without discs. One of those disc equipped is mechanical one is hydraulic. I’ve never felt I’ve lacked ultimate braking power with any. In saying that I don’t ride in the wet if I can at all help it. And I’m sure the normal Calipered / braking on the rim version: might be the first to show signs of braking deficiencies if I did.

Then again you’ve only got as much capability as the contact patch and grip of your tyre on the road / path / gravel track you’re on. Which is also reduced in the wet of course.

Having massively powerful / multi piston brake calipers and a smallish contact patch (Effectively many road cars) is only really helpful if you have ABS on your side.

Otherwise you’re relying on experience, feel, brake modulation and common sense - or it would be all too easy to grab a big handful (Bike) and lock a wheel up very easily…..

 

[ColinJ]

I’m not one of those fuddy duddy old luddites who rejects any modern innovation, but disc brakes do suggest a whole extra load of pishing about trying to solve a problem that for me doesn’t exist, being I tend to avoid the mountainous uplands of rural Norfolk and stick mainly to the low lying flood plains.

Half of my bikes have disc brakes - I wish that they ALL did!

The rim brakes work fine most of the time but start to be a problem after weeks of poor weather.

I do some local descents at speeds up to 70+ km/hr which can wreak havoc on wet, greasy, gritty rims. I have worn through brake blocks and rims in just one winter.

I have had scary rim brake experiences such as descending a 20% lane to a junction with a busy A-road and discovering that the deep, greasy puddle at the top of the hill had reduced my braking power to about 10% of what it should have been!!!

 

[ColinJ]

Oh, I forgot to add... I sometimes have squealing discs in the wet, but adjusting calliper alignment properly stopped that happening in dry conditions.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Search results for query: brake squeal​

 

[Alex321]

I’m not one of those fuddy duddy old luddites who rejects any modern innovation, but disc brakes do suggest a whole extra load of pishing about trying to solve a problem that for me doesn’t exist, being I tend to avoid the mountainous uplands of rural Norfolk and stick mainly to the low lying flood plains.

In practice, there is no "extra load of pishing about", in fact quite the contrary. IME they need less maintenance than rim brakes.

 

[Sallar55]

In practice, there is no "extra load of pishing about", in fact quite the contrary. IME they need less maintenance than rim brakes.

And you don't have to replace rims due to brakes blocks wearing the braking surface away.

 

[Softlips]

In practice, there is no "extra load of pishing about", in fact quite the contrary. IME they need less maintenance than rim brakes.

Have to agree, I find discs need less messing with than rim brakes. I've had both cable (Sram Axis) and hydraulic (Sram AXS, Shimano 105 & Dura-Ace) and all are fine.

 

[nickb]

In practice, there is no "extra load of pishing about", in fact quite the contrary. IME they need less maintenance than rim brakes.

^^This ^^

And you don't have to replace rims due to brakes blocks wearing the braking surface away.

^^And this^^

I've had my current steed for 4 years and have had to do next to no maintenance on the brakes. There are plenty of hills around South Wales and the confidence that hydraulic disc brakes instil in one, especially in the wet, cannot be overstated.

 

[Alex321]

^^This ^^

^^And this^^

I've had my current steed for 4 years and have had to do next to no maintenance on the brakes. There are plenty of hills around South Wales and the confidence that hydraulic disc brakes instil in one, especially in the wet, cannot be overstated.

That is probably a lot of the same hills I ride

 

[Smokin Joe]

Funny how all the lacerations caused by disc brakes have stopped now all the pros are using them. Every cut and graze was attributed to them when only one or two teams ride them.

 

[nickb]

That is probably a lot of the same hills I ride

I’ve still yet to tackle The Wenallt

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Time for a new bike I’m afraid 😳

 

[sevenfourate]

Time for a new bike I’m afraid 😳

With Discs brakes ?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

With Discs brakes ?

Always, who wants squealing and rough as a baboons bottom rim brakes?

 

[JonBuoy]

Funny how all the lacerations caused by disc brakes have stopped now all the pros are using them. Every cut and graze was attributed to them when only one or two teams ride them.

I don't suppose that Sanne Cant found it all that funny after crashing in last Saturday's Paris Roubaix:

The fourteen-time Belgian cyclo-cross champion had to be taken to the hospital in Lille. There she was sutured for two head wounds. It was reported in some media that she needed 60 stitches in her head and face and is facing plastic surgery after disk brake rotor had hit her in the face.