Disc Brakes

[Alex321]

I’ve still yet to tackle The Wenallt

Nor have I. Most of my riding is in the Vale of Glamorgan.

There are 3 climbs I have tried and had to get off and push.
1. Up past the golf club in Pontypridd.
2. Garth Hill (up from the Garth Yr Olwg pub). That is the one featured in the film "The Englishman who went up a hill and came down a mountain".
3. Further West - Herberdeg Road Climb, near Lllanelli.

But I don't think I would find the Wenallt too hard, I just haven't ridden around that way yet. I might be a little nervous about the amount of traffic it gets, for such a narrow, twisty road (I have driven it).

 

[richardfm]

Nor have I. Most of my riding is in the Vale of Glamorgan.

There are 3 climbs I have tried and had to get off and push.
1. Up past the golf club in Pontypridd.
2. Garth Hill (up from the Garth Yr Olwg pub). That is the one featured in the film "The Englishman who went up a hill and came down a mountain".
3. Further West - Herberdeg Road Climb, near Lllanelli.

But I don't think I would find the Wenallt too hard, I just haven't ridden around that way yet. I might be a little nervous about the amount of traffic it gets, for such a narrow, twisty road (I have driven it).

It's Garth Mountain, not hill, but you know that if you have seen the film.
Do you mean the Gwaelod Y Garth pub? Up the very steep road with the hair pin bend on the steepest part?
I've ridden down it, with rim brakes, but only ever driven up it, in a car. Both are a bit scary.

 

[nickb]

Nor have I. Most of my riding is in the Vale of Glamorgan.

There are 3 climbs I have tried and had to get off and push.
1. Up past the golf club in Pontypridd.
2. Garth Hill (up from the Garth Yr Olwg pub). That is the one featured in the film "The Englishman who went up a hill and came down a mountain".
3. Further West - Herberdeg Road Climb, near Lllanelli.

But I don't think I would find the Wenallt too hard, I just haven't ridden around that way yet. I might be a little nervous about the amount of traffic it gets, for such a narrow, twisty road (I have driven it).

The final part of the ride up along Blaen-y-Glyn from the Talybont reservoir did for me. At 65, my lungs give out a long time before my legs.
Next time I do the Taff Trail, I'll take the road down and come back up the other side through the woods on the south of the Caerfanell (the proper route).

 

[Drago]

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

To be fair I've never had to replace a rim through wear in 5 decades of riding and weighing getting on twice as much as many riders do I'm a tough test for brakes.

 

[Sallar55]

To be fair I've never had to replace a rim through wear in 5 decades of riding and weighing getting on twice as much as many riders do I'm a tough test for brakes.

I would only believe that if you freewheeled to a stop all your life.🤔

 

[Drago]

As a - well, an ex - professional cycle trainer I know how to ride and don't comfort brake all over the place like most folk.

My first 'proper' bike is from 1983. Still have it, I still ride it regularly, and 40 years on the alloy Wolber rims are very far from being mullered.

I like disc brakes, on balance probably prefer them, but don't feel the need to make up a load of tosh to justify it. I simply like them.

 

[FishFright]

As a - well, an ex - professional cycle trainer I know how to ride and don't comfort brake all over the place like most folk.

My first 'proper' bike is from 1983. Still have it, I still ride it regularly, and 40 years on the alloy Wolber rims are very far from being mullered.

I like disc brakes, on balance probably prefer them, but don't feel the need to make up a load of tosh to justify it. I simply like them.

Did you commute through winters on them ? That eats rims like nothing else? .

 

[sevenfourate]

To be fair I've never had to replace a rim through wear in 5 decades of riding and weighing getting on twice as much as many riders do I'm a tough test for brakes.

Last of the late brakers ?

***Me too.

 

[ColinJ]

To be fair I've never had to replace a rim through wear in 5 decades of riding and weighing getting on twice as much as many riders do I'm a tough test for brakes.

To be fairer still... you don't live somewhere with proper gnarly hills!

If I still lived in the Midlands then my wheel rims would last a lot longer on my rim-braked bikes.

I know how to ride and don't comfort brake all over the place like most folk.

We call it 'survival braking' here...

For example... You wouldn't live long if you tried to do this descent in rim-chewing gritted-road winter without heavy braking for the bends!

 

[Drago]

Did you commute through winters on them ? That eats rims like nothing else? .

All year round, days, lates, nights, even Christmas day on occasion. I keep 'em clean, I don't drag or comfort brake, no problemo.

I like, nay prefer, discs - they are the future. But I don't have a downer on rim stoppers.

I've never come close to wearing out a rim, I can endo with them, and while disc brakes are indeed usually much more reliable they are not infallible and when they do go wrong (I've had 2 times hydro systems fail ofer the years, different makes of brake, different bikes) you will find yourself damn well wishing that they were inexpensive and easy to fix rim jobs. Throwing a non-stripable Deore master cylinder away was not enjoyable, and while the Hope kit was repairable it required tweezers and magnifiers, was hardly a side of the road job.

So I enjoy discs, but I do spare a thought now and again for the simpler inexpensive virtues of the rim stopper.

 

[Drago]

To be fairer still... you don't live somewhere with proper gnarly hills!

If I still lived in the Midlands then my wheel rims would last a lot longer on my rim-braked bikes.


We call it 'survival braking' here...

For example... You wouldn't live long if you tried to do this descent in rim-chewing gritted-road winter without heavy braking for the bends!

View attachment 685635

View attachment 685634

View attachment 685637

We call it "modulated-alternate braking".

I used to lose over a hunred metres going to work, and damn well had to climb back up it going home, so it's not like I commuted across a bowling green.

 

[Alex321]

It's Garth Mountain, not hill, but you know that if you have seen the film.
Do you mean the Gwaelod Y Garth pub? Up the very steep road with the hair pin bend on the steepest part?
I've ridden down it, with rim brakes, but only ever driven up it, in a car. Both are a bit scary.

Yes, that is the one I mean. I got round the hairpin Ok, it was a couple of hundred yards after that I gave up.

Did the ride up to Pentyrch from the Efail Isaf side today, which is still cat 4, but a lot easier, nothing over 15%.

 

[ColinJ]

I used to lose over a hunred metres going to work, and damn well had to climb back up it going home, so it's not like I commuted across a bowling green.

The hill in my previous post ascends 190 metres in 1.65 km (623 ft in 1.03 miles) so it averages 11.5%, but there are long stretches at over 15% and a few nasty ramps at nearer 20%!

I once had an underinflated tyre peel off the rim just as I got to the bottom of that descent. That could have been nasty if it had happened halfway down!

 

[Drago]

I'm sure no one ever rode down it on a bicycle until disc brakes were invented.

 

[Sallar55]

I'm sure no one ever rode down it on a bicycle until disc brakes were invented.

With rim brakes they probably had to stop halfway down to give the hands a rest due to the vice like grip on the brake levers . Today disc brakes can be used safety with one finger to stop😁