Disc or rim brakes ?

[Fab Foodie]

Either works but discs have more power, better control and are not affected by the wet. Check GCN on YouTube for a proper comparison. If you are lightweight, ride in the dry and on very good roads the difference is less. If heavier, ride in the wet and on rougher looser roads then the difference is very marked. I weight 100kg and have never had problems braking with hydraulic discs even on very long or steep descents in the UK.

Ultimately maximum stopping power is determined by the tyre contact with the road surface and decent rim brakes are just as capable of locking a front wheel or putting a rider over the bars as discs. I also wonder if the advantage of discs in the wet is negated by the fact you probably can't use all that braking power in wet conditions anyhow.
I do think that cheap discs are more effective than cheap rim brakes and pads however. On a high end race/road bike I'm yet to be convinced of their value except no rim wear - useful on a commuter bike.

 

[Drago]

I weigh 116kg and have never been let down by the SLX discs on my Trance. Come to that, the rim brakes on my Felt road bike are stunning and can lift or lock the rear wet or dry too.

 

[Buck]

For me, I would look to disc brakes.

Whilst rim brakes are still effective, my experience is that disc brakes slow you down more quickly in the wet as they don't get as wet as rims and dry off more quickly.

Whichever a bike has, it'll still require appropriate braking to be safe but I think we will see rotors becoming more mainstream especially if they get approval for the pro racesasisbeing trialled now I believe?

 

[outlash]

Agree it's performance but if like me you can only have 1 bike then would it be a disc or a rim. Fir example a CAAD12 105 rim or a CAAD12 disc, both excellent bikes but if you shell out for the rim version are you paying for old outgoing tech or are disc just a new uneccessary?

If it's a 'one bike' question then for me it'd be a disc brake crosser. Does everything I would want out of a bike. Interesting you use the CAAD12 as an example, apparently the disc version is actually lighter than the rim brake one.

 

[Fab Foodie]

....Interesting you use the CAAD12 as an example, apparently the disc version is actually lighter than the rim brake one.

Mmm, wonder how that's happened?

 

[outlash]

Dunno, have you got any theories?

 

[Fab Foodie]

Dunno, have you got any theories?

Nope. Just struggling to see how comparing apples with apples that discs are lighter, though I'm no expert.
Rim brakes should be a lighter option i'd have thought even if forks are stiffened for Discs.

 

[outlash]

I'd have thought so, but this is Cannondale we're talking about. A company so wilfully different that their new SuperX bikes for next year have their frame designed in such a way that any wheels other than the ones supplied with the bike have to be re-dished by 6mm. See here: http://www.cxmagazine.com/cannondale-nudges-front-redesigned-superx-cyclocross-bike . Not the smartest move IMO.

 

[raleighnut]

Rim brakes, discs are fugly on a roadie (but cool on an MTB)

 

[SpokeyDokey]

I'd have thought so, but this is Cannondale we're talking about. A company so wilfully different that their new SuperX bikes for next year have their frame designed in such a way that any wheels other than the ones supplied with the bike have to be re-dished by 6mm. See here: http://www.cxmagazine.com/cannondale-nudges-front-redesigned-superx-cyclocross-bike . Not the smartest move IMO.

All that technical innovation and detail and still the internally routed cables rattle.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Switching from discs to rim brakes around 4 years ago the biggest difference I noticed was that when braking hard from speed there's a discernible lag before rim brakes actually start to 'bite' and do their job whereas my disc brakes felt like they instantly got on with the taskin hand.

I've never been totally confident of rim brakes on very steep descents either, I've experienced significant fade on a couple of occasions which wasn't nice. Never had that with discs even when using my MTB on steep road hills.

 

[jowwy]

Rim brakes, discs are fugly on a roadie (but cool on an MTB)

In your eyes maybe.....in other peoples they look good

 

[Andrew_P]

If we are talking Hydraulic Disc vs. Rim then Hydraulic all the way. I wouldn't have cable driven again.

From one handed braking while indicating to ease of service and longevity between replacing pads. No adjusting, no thinking about getting the right level of braking against rim rub out of the saddle.

The above is apart from the obvious ones that everyone knows, wet braking, more clearance, no wheel wear other than hub, can spend a lot of money on wheels and not be eroding them from day one. For me the jusry is out on dry weather braking and I don't do any long steep descents so can't comment on that.

For me in a 1200-1500 CAAD 12 all the way, if you can afford a bit more wait for the new SuperSix and take a look at that. The weight thing is sometimes down to the wheels as they are lighter than rimmed.

 

[Kajjal]

Ultimately maximum stopping power is determined by the tyre contact with the road surface and decent rim brakes are just as capable of locking a front wheel or putting a rider over the bars as discs. I also wonder if the advantage of discs in the wet is negated by the fact you probably can't use all that braking power in wet conditions anyhow.
I do think that cheap discs are more effective than cheap rim brakes and pads however. On a high end race/road bike I'm yet to be convinced of their value except no rim wear - useful on a commuter bike.

It is not about locking wheels up but about having the level of control to adapt to and make the best use of available traction. This is where disc brakes have the advantage and why they are very common in mountain biking. Rim brakes don't provide that level of controlled power but work OK.

 

[Smokin Joe]

It is not about locking wheels up but about having the level of control to adapt to and make the best use of available traction. This is where disc brakes have the advantage and why they are very common in mountain biking. Rim brakes don't provide that level of controlled power but work OK.

^^This^^