Disk brakes - how much maintenance do they need?

[Mazz]

Hi,
I was thinking of getting a new(er) road bike which has disk brakes. I've only ever had a rim brake bike.
Basic questions: How much maintenance do disk brakes need? No doubt the pads need changing from time to time, but what else needs doing to keep them in good condition? As an aside, is disk brakes hardware heavier than rim brakes?
Thanks

 

[Webbo2]

Hi,
I was thinking of getting a new(er) road bike which has disk brakes. I've only ever had a rim brake bike.
How much, maintenance do disk brakes need? No doubt the pads need changing from time to time, but what else needs doing to keep them in good condition? As an aside, is disk brakes hardware heavier than rim brakes?
Thanks

I can’t help you with the maintenance but a disc brake bike will be heavier than a similar rimmed braked model.

 

[ianrauk]

You are going to get all sorts of different answers, but here's mine for what it's worth.
How much, maintenance do disk brakes need?
Virtually none for self adjusting hydraulic disc brakes, for cable disk brakes, every now and then a dial in during wear.
No doubt the pads need changing from time to time.
Brake pads on my commuter/touring bike which is ridden all year round in all weathers, pads last about a year. YMMV.
but what else needs doing to keep them in good condition?
Literally nothing
As an aside, is disk brakes hardware heavier than rim brakes?
Not noticeable, unless you are a racing snake weight weenie.

 

[Webbo2]

My old best bike is a Focus Izalco Max which weighs less than 6:8 kilos. Try and find a disc braked bike that weighs similar and doesn’t cost over 10 grand.
I did try myself and failed.

 

[Alex321]

Apart from changing pads, they are very nearly maintenance free. And changing pads is usually a 5 minute job.

You may very occasionally need to bleed them, I have done that once in the four years I have had my current bike. But even that is not a major job if you get a kit (readily available online), provided of course you connect to the niplpe on the correct brake! DAMHIKT

Yes, they will be slightly heavier, but you are talking a few 10's of grams, not enough to notice for most riders.

 

[Mazz]

Thanks for the replies.
The thought of messing around with hydraulic fluid or leaky brakes, no thanks. Intuitively I prefer wire.

 

[Animo]

Thanks for the replies.
The thought of messing around with hydraulic fluid or leaky brakes, no thanks. Intuitively I prefer wire.

Personally I'd avoid cable discs. Go full hydro or stick with rim.

 

[Mazz]

Personally I'd avoid cable discs. Go full hydro or stick with rim.

Interesting, what makes you say that?

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Maintenance on discs:

1. Disc pads are harder to judge wear on and more fiddly to change than rims.
2. Hydraulics need zero adjustment, but if you do have any problem it's much harder to fix than rim brakes
3. Rotors are similarly difficult to judge wear to a rim, but much easier to change.
4. Cable discs are more fiddly to adjust as they wear than rims.

If it were me: for a nice summer bike, rims are better. For an all weather commuter, discs.

You'll struggle to get much choice for nice bikes with rims now though.

 

[Punkawallah]

Thanks for the replies.
The thought of messing around with hydraulic fluid or leaky brakes, no thanks. Intuitively I prefer wire.

Hydraulic ones are the DB, until they go wrong. Spent a happy day bleeding one set five times before I discovered the problem was at the lever. The cost of a second hand set was about the same as I paid for the bleed kit.

A nice American chap did some Science on t’YouTube and discovered that, all else being equal, cable disc brakes stop you in 10% more distance than hydraulic - 47’ rather than 43’.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Interesting, what makes you say that?

I'd tend to agree, unless touring is the main use. Hydraulics give better feel and need less attention.

If something goes wrong in the sticks though, you're less likely to be able to sort it yourself.

(I've got rim, hydro and cable disc bikes)

 

[Alex321]

Thanks for the replies.
The thought of messing around with hydraulic fluid or leaky brakes, no thanks. Intuitively I prefer wire.

They don't leak IME, and they are MUCH better.

Interesting, what makes you say that?

The control is much better with hydraulic discs than with cable discs. I wouldn't entertain using cable discs at all, but I strongly prefer hydraulic discs to rim brakes.

And hydraulic disc brakes are self-adjusting, while cable disc brakes usually need adjustment as the pads wear.

 

[Mazz]

Maintenance on discs:

1. Disc pads are harder to judge wear on and more fiddly to change than rims.
2. Hydraulics need zero adjustment, but if you do have any problem it's much harder to fix than rim brakes
3. Rotors are similarly difficult to judge wear to a rim, but much easier to change.
4. Cable discs are more fiddly to adjust as they wear than rims.

If it were me: for a nice summer bike, rims are better. For an all weather commuter, discs.

You'll struggle to get much choice for nice bikes with rims now though.

Thanks for this.
I should've said in my OP that this is for commuting, year-round, all weather.

 

[Animo]

Interesting, what makes you say that?

They're rubbish

 

[Psamathe]

Thanks for the replies.
The thought of messing around with hydraulic fluid or leaky brakes, no thanks. Intuitively I prefer wire.

Personally I'd avoid cable discs. Go full hydro or stick with rim.

I've had mechanical disc brakes on two of my cycles, over many years and a fair mileage (av more than 10 miles/day). Recreational and loaded (camping) cycle touring.

They are great. On 1st cycle loved them so much I opted again for mechanical discs on 2nd cycle (configuring it have various disc and non-disc options).

I found changing pads easy but infrequent. Adjustment easy and infrequent. Trouble free with good stopping in all weathers.

Ian