Disc or not?

[Skipper]

Are disc brakes better than regular 'side-pull/shoe' types? Which are easier to adjust? Which stop you better?

 

[arallsopp]

In my experience (I'm not sure there's a broad YES/NO answer for all circumstances) I'm happier to rely on discs than rim brakes. I've used BB7 mechanicals on all 3 bikes for the last 23,000 miles (3 years) and find them ever reliable and easy to maintain. I dial the pads in a touch once every 500 miles or so (its a 3 second job without tools) and otherwise leave well alone.

The main advantage seems to be the braking surface is kept away from all the road crud and will run true even if the wheel is having a hard time. Works in the rain. Works in the snow. Works when you're in 3 inches of water. About the worst issue I've had so far was having to clean sun lotion off the rotors when my 2 year old decided to help Daddy fix his bike (Daddy doesn't leave the fast bike in the house when he's at work anymore).

Replacement of pads (assume 5,000 per set) involves either removing a QR wheel then pushing the old ones out with your thumbs or (my preferred route) leaving the wheel in place and undoing the two allen bolts that hold the brake body in place. The new pads don't leave a lot of space for bad alignment, and putting those bolts back will bring everything back in line.

Hope that helps. One man's experience is just as valuable as another's and I'm sure someone will come along with the reverse opinion soon

Andy.

 

[gaz]

My experience of disc brakes have not been the best..
But if you get them to work then they are better that rim based brakes by a mile. Especially with changing conditions, YOU ARE ACTUALLY ABLE TO STOP IN THE WET!

 

[jonathanw]

Discs work well for me. Minus 5 this morning and very icy roads on the run into Inverness. I too dial them in occasionally and the sintered metal pads are still going strong after 6000 miles. Bombproof braking in all that the highland weather can throw at me.

 

[MattHB]

Before I changed my pads I would have said that I had wished to go with discs, but I've just out on some clarks pads and their amazing, even in the wet. I'm glad I saved the £100 extra it would have cost

 

[Bicycle]

Are disc brakes better than regular 'side-pull/shoe' types? Which are easier to adjust? Which stop you better?

Discs offer superior retardation (is that the right word?)
Hydraulic discs need no adjustment.
By those measures, hydraulic discs are the best.

However...

For the road, I prefer a V-Brake: Good feel, good stopping power, easy to set up, easy to adjust, easy to get wheel on and off. Simple, robust, foolproof. They give you plenty of 'stop' on tarmac.

I use hydraulic discs on my MTB: The stopping power is nose-breakingly good; no fade; they stay out of most of the muck; they don't groove your rims. I prefer them for off-road use only. Hydraulic over cable if you go for discs; I do not see the merit of using cables on a system so suited to hydraulics.

But... I just wouldn't bother with discs on a road bike of any sort. V-Brakes (callipers on a pure roadie) are fine. Others will disagree with me on this; they are probably right.

Caveat: Do not under any circumstances go for Cantilevers.

I had Cantilever brakes on early, rigid MTBs. I hate Cantilever Brakes. They are illegal in more than four countries and the UN will be passing an SCR against their use early next year.

HMSO has also spoken out against Cantilever Brakes, as have the RSPB and the Croatian veterans' organisation HVIDRA.

Cantilever Brakes are now acknowledged as the cause of the economic collapse in 2008.

In 1987 the Institute of Chartered Surveyors published a paper blaming Cantilever Brakes for Dry Rot and Subsidence in semi-detached housing in Enfield. I am not joking. They are evil.

 

[Piemaster]

I changed front cantis to disc on one bike. I can now stop reliably and don't need to adjust the damm things every week.

Road bike has some nice SRAM calipers. But then it doesn't go out when its raining. Or even a bit moist.

 

[steve52]

discs all the way both hydrolic (suspect spelling alert} or cable and why the powers that be wont allow them on road bikes is beond me

 

[VamP]

Caveat: Do not under any circumstances go for Cantilevers.

I had Cantilever brakes on early, rigid MTBs. I hate Cantilever Brakes. They are illegal in more than four countries and the UN will be passing an SCR against their use early next year.

HMSO has also spoken out against Cantilever Brakes, as have the RSPB and the Croatian veterans' organisation HVIDRA.

Cantilever Brakes are now acknowledged as the cause of the economic collapse in 2008.

In 1987 the Institute of Chartered Surveyors published a paper blaming Cantilever Brakes for Dry Rot and Subsidence in semi-detached housing in Enfield. I am not joking. They are evil.

You have been warned!

The CLF (Cantilever Liberation Front) does not take kindly to having this kind of bigoted, biased and opinionated slur spread about it's members.

And the HVIDRA accusations were just lies, anyways...

Seriously. I can lock up front or rear, on any dry or wet surface, with two fingers. How much more braking does anyone need?

 

[gaz]

why the powers that be wont allow them on road bikes is beond me

How often in a race situation do you need to stop? The brakes used in races are perfectly fine for the required job.

 

[Kestevan]

I can quite easily lock up both wheels on my road bike in the rain, no need performance wise for disks on-road

Off road, I like hydraulic disks, mainly because they are not as susceptible to getting clogged up with thick mud, and if you are
unlucky enough to ding a wheel, it's comparatively easy to straighten out enough to ride.

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

I do like my hydraulic disc brakes, but it's nothing to do with stopping power. You can go over the bars or skid (whichever happens first) with rim brakes just as well as with discs.

I like them because of the superb modulation (control) and the fact that they work well in the wet. They also don't wear out the rims, though I've never had a problem with that.

What I don't like is £26 a set to replace the four pads, but I suppose it's not much on a per-mile basis. I reckon I'm getting 3,500 miles from a pair on the front, commuting in heavy traffic.

 

[snailracer]

What no mention of hub & coaster brakes? Even more weatherproof than disc brakes, don't whine, don't get bent (ooerr), least maintenance of any brake type.

 

[HovR]

I highly recommend disc brakes. They don't wear your rims, are fairly maintenance free, won't rub if your wheel are not true, and work great in the wet. I use cable disc brakes, and have no complaints.

 

[Milo]

Cantis work ok IME. A bit fiddly to set up and having to realign everything when you wish to change the pads is a pain. Far better than calipers at stopping you.