Disk brakes - how much maintenance do they need?

[roubaixtuesday]

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

I would go hydro disc for that: Don't wear rims, no adjustments needed, best performance and you're not that far from home if anything does go wrong.

Need to keep an eye on pad wear - you can't just glance down at the pads and see when they need replacing. Disc pads can wear very rapidly in bad conditions IME, and with hydro discs it's hard to tell until they're completely gone because they self-adjust.

 

[Mazz]

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).

When you say 'mechanical disks', are they hydraulic?

I would go hydro disc for that: Don't wear rims, no adjustments needed, best performance and you're not that far from home if anything does go wrong.

Need to keep an eye on pad wear - you can't just glance down at the pads and see when they need replacing. Disc pads can wear very rapidly in bad conditions IME, and with hydro discs it's hard to tell until they're completely gone because they self-adjust.

Great, thanks for the info.

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

I've had a handful of hydraulic disc brake bikes since 2008, all I've ever had to do regards maintenance ifs replace the pads when they get thin (and push the pistons back into the calipers with a knife/ screwdriver/ tyre lever just before fitting new pads).

An old work colleague had nightmares with mechanical disc brakes, cables shearing and fraying, frequently needing to align caliper. Far more hassle!

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good afternoon,

On my commute bike I have Tiagra hydraulic and have become a convert to the feel. But in the dry they are no better than rim at stopping as the limiting factor is tyre/road grip, although they are marginally batter in the wet they are so so noisy and expensive to run.

I seem to get through 3 sets of pads a year, at £54 a set from the LBS it is cheaper to have rim brakes and wear out the wheels!

Once you have got the knack they are really easy to replace, but the Tiagra model I have has a spring steel "lock clip" that is very easy to lose, doesn't seem easily available to buy and is not included with replacement pads. I know that some people do and some don't remove the wheel to replace the pads, as the commute bike is an X35 ebike removing the wheel means breaking the motor connector, something not designed for frequent connecting and disconnecting.

You will need something to measure rotor wear, see https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/failed-disc.301474/post-7363224 for what happens if you don't.

I am around the 13k mile mark and I have yet to bleed the brakes, the kit isn't expensive, maybe two as I might muck up the first time but they are the sort of thing that I have or just keep lying around.

Another big downer is the that hydraulic hose are too thick and inflexible to allow me to lower the handlebars even though there appears to be a spacer that could be removed. Then the maker thought it clever to run the front hose in and out of the front fork meaning a blead is needed if I want to remove the fork! This may be fine for a shop doing this on a daily basis but is just another pain for me.

I have Tektro cable disks on my pub bike and to me they are a step back from anything other than the cheapest rim brakes.

Bye

Ian

 

[Webbo2]

I forgot to mention that I have Dura Ace rim brakes on carbon rims on one bike and Ultegra discs on another. After riding the disc braked bike for a while I went out on the rimmed braked bike.
Nearly needed a change of shorts when attempting to stop 😉

 

[Mazz]

Good afternoon,

On my commute bike I have Tiagra hydraulic and have become a convert to the feel. But in the dry they are no better than rim at stopping as the limiting factor is tyre/road grip, although they are marginally better in the wet they are so so noisy and expensive to run.

Why are they noisy?
I must admit, I once rode a friend's disk brake bike and it was ear-piercingly and embarrassingly screechy when applying brakes, but that was more to do with the fact the bike hadn't been ridden for a few years (I think).

 

[vickster]

Mechanical and hydraulic aren't the same, no.
I have TRP Spyres on my disk bikes as I like secondary cross levers - hoods are mostly too big for confident and comfortable braking in traffic for me.
You can't have these with hydraulic and the hoods are even bigger with the fluid reservoir. Any mechanical brifters (in my case SRAM Rival) can be used with Spyres which need an occasional twiddle with an Allen key that even I can manage!

I don't find mine noisy except maybe in heavy rain

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good afternoon,

I don't know.

But every set of pads I have had, always Shimano, have shrieked really badly as soon as they get a touch of water on them, it deosn't even have to be raining, just spray off a damp road.

As it is a commute bike used all year round there are a lot of rainly or wet road days, I almost feel guilty going through quaint and quiet country villages at 6 in the morning waking up all the light sleepers.

Bye

Ian

 

[Ming the Merciless]

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.

How much do you weigh?

 

[fossyant]

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

It's a doddle TBH. Bled the brakes on mine a couple of times. Maintenance, Just clean them as you would the bike.

 

[PedallingNowhereSlowly]

FWITW, checking pad wear is quite easy. Usually standing the bike on something light/white and peering through the callipers is sufficient.

Checking rotor wear much easier than rim wear - on rims without wear indicators. Otherwise it is a tyre off job to measure the amount of meat remaining on the rim wall. Much easier to plonk a vernier gauge on a rotor.

I think changing pads is much easier than changing brake blocks on rim brakes. None of this getting the pad aligned business.


There are some drawbacks though, IMHO.

• Price of replacement pads. There are some cheaper aftermarket options available, but they don't look to work as good.
• Disks/pads being prone to contamination and getting the squeals.
• Even with thru-axles, I have had to re-centre the callipers on occasion after removing and re-fitting a wheel
• On some bikes, calliper mounts not squarely faced which means they need re-facing to get rid of rotar rub

They make sense for year round all-weather commuting. A set of rims never used to last me that long, back in the days of rim brake + long commute.

Nearly needed a change of shorts when attempting to stop 😉

I had one of those moments on a rim braked bike after riding with hydraulic discs for a while. In the dry on aluminium rims too.

 

[ianrauk]

Why are they noisy?

There's a lot of factors at play here. What type pads. If the rotors or pads have been contaminated with oil or suchlike. Wet or dry riding.
I get my pads from Disco Brakes, they don't cost the earth, they don't squeal when wet (Semi Metallic pads) and they last many thousands of miles.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

I think changing pads is much easier than changing brake blocks on rim brakes. None of this getting the pad aligned business.

You just push out the old pads and push new ones in on a rim brake, surely?

Definitely easier than disc pads. Plus it's visually obvious when it needs doing.

 

[Psamathe]

When you say 'mechanical disks', are they hydraulic?

No. they were mechanical ("Mechanical disc brakes" means "Mechanical disc brakes")

eg https://www.clarkscyclesystems.com/brake-systems-mechanical-disc-brakes

Ian

 

[scotsbikester]

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

Not all disc brakes are hydraulic. I have Avid BB7 cable disc brakes, on a drop bar bike. Because I too don't want to mess about with hydraulic fluid.

I have found them perfect. They require very little maintenance. I'm not a "fast" cyclist, which I suppose means I'm not braking hard a lot either. Setting them up I found a little tricky. But now I know how to do it it's a piece of cake. Periodically I wind the adjusters in. They feel more reliable than the cantilevers I have on another bike, and as good as V brakes I've used.

I've just looked at your edit/update (all round commuter). I commute on mine, a little. They're fine for that. And you're not going to wear out rims.