Disk brakes verses rims

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Drago

Legendary Member
Im thinking of getting an ebike for the turbo...
 

youngoldbloke

The older I get, the faster I used to be ...
What you mean the right tool isn’t my plastic tyre lever?
It's the angle that makes the difference

609311
 

pawl

Legendary Member
I find my Ultegra brakes perfect for my type of riding Perform well in the wet I suppose if your hurtling down hill on a mountain bike or cyclocross bike or road bike in the TDF discs are probably more appropriate Back in the day when one bike fulfilled many options rough stuff rides which were about enjoying the country side rather than seeing how long you can avoid calling mountain rescue.

I know I am lacking in an adventurous spirit but I’ve survived eighty years roughly sixty five cycling with only two minor accidents Horses 🐎 for courses or one mans meat is another mans poison
 

theboxers

TheBoxers on Cycle Sim sw
Of the 7 disc brake bikes I am in immediate contact with, 3 of my own, 4 with my brothers. 5 hydraulic, 2 cable. I am aware of only 1 issue and that was on my Cube (the most expensive :wacko:). That was down to resin pads that had become glazed. I sorted it by use of some wet and dry.

I am not down on rim brakes. I also have an old 90's Jamis Diablo rigid. When in regular use they were more than adequate. but eventually rim wear forced a change of wheels.

Each base system, rim or disc (cable pull), has its advantages. But currently I am in the disk brake camp, in particular hydraulic. They cover most of the use cases I have in the best way for me, @112kg. If I continue to lose weight that may change.
 

Milzy

Guru
Can I just tell you a little story?
I was on my hydro gravel bike going onto a roundabout when a car just sped straight over the island and came from a dip. I had to squeeze both brakes as hard as possible to avoid the cars path. It still seemed to take forever to bleed off speed. In fact rim brakes with swisstop pads would have just been as good. A few frame makers will keep building rim frames thankfully. I’m sure the pro peloton preferred their rim brakes. UAE & Ineos will still use rim brakes for hilly stages.
 

Alex321

Veteran
Location
South Wales
Can I just tell you a little story?
I was on my hydro gravel bike going onto a roundabout when a car just sped straight over the island and came from a dip. I had to squeeze both brakes as hard as possible to avoid the cars path. It still seemed to take forever to bleed off speed. In fact rim brakes with swisstop pads would have just been as good. A few frame makers will keep building rim frames thankfully. I’m sure the pro peloton preferred their rim brakes. UAE & Ineos will still use rim brakes for hilly stages.
In that case, your brakes need seeing to.

If you squeeze properly set up disc brakes as hard as possible, you WILL lock up the wheels, at pretty well any speed, on any surface. You don't want to of course, you need to squeeze hard enough to just not lock the wheels.

If you can't do that, then your brakes need adjustment (or the pad or rotors are contaminated with grease or something else fairly slippery).

If you can lock the wheels with your rim brakes, then indeed they are just as good (until it gets wet), but if you can't, then they are not as good.
 

Kajjal

Guru
Location
Wheely World
Can I just tell you a little story?
I was on my hydro gravel bike going onto a roundabout when a car just sped straight over the island and came from a dip. I had to squeeze both brakes as hard as possible to avoid the cars path. It still seemed to take forever to bleed off speed. In fact rim brakes with swisstop pads would have just been as good. A few frame makers will keep building rim frames thankfully. I’m sure the pro peloton preferred their rim brakes. UAE & Ineos will still use rim brakes for hilly stages.
Sounds like your brakes are contaminated to some extent with oil or similar. If this happens it means removing the pads, using some form of disc brake cleaner to clean rotors and calliper of all traces of oil etc. Then just fit new pads and you are good to go. White kitchen roll is good for cleaning as it shows up any contamination and once it stays white you are good to go. If you are lucky you can get away with cleaning the old pads but this only works for mild contamination.
 

Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
Slamming your brakes on and saying you skidded is missing the point. A good brake syatem should allow you to apply the brakes. For the force to ramp up in a progressive predictable manner. For you to not to have to pull heavily so your knuckles turn white. You can tell through your fingers how much you are pulling on the levers. It’s not hardly at all to farking hard as possible. For the levers to have the same amount of pull each time you use them. Without needing adjustment. For you to have a good feel as to how much more you can pull on the levers before you loose traction. To be able to easily back off just enough if you do lose traction. So you regain it. Often shortened to modulation.

Hydraulic discs meet all the above with aplomb.
 

theboxers

TheBoxers on Cycle Sim sw
Slamming your brakes on and saying you skidded is missing the point. A good brake syatem should allow you to apply the brakes. For the force to ramp up in a progressive predictable manner. For you to not to have to pull heavily so your knuckles turn white. You can tell through your fingers how much you are pulling on the levers. It’s not hardly at all to farking hard as possible. For the levers to have the same amount of pull each time you use them. Without needing adjustment. For you to have a good feel as to how much more you can pull on the levers before you loose traction. To be able to easily back off just enough if you do lose traction. So you regain it. Often shortened to modulation.

Hydraulic discs meet all the above with aplomb.
Whilst I have had wheel lockup on both rim and disc, both front and back, it was much easier to control with disc IME. The rim brake almost sent me over the bars, the discs I have managed to ease off before that happened. It could be my experience is greater now with the discs so I can control them better, but I am someone who's always looking to avoid the need to do that sort of braking. :stop:😲:heat:
 

Alex321

Veteran
Location
South Wales
Whilst I have had wheel lockup on both rim and disc, both front and back, it was much easier to control with disc IME. The rim brake almost sent me over the bars, the discs I have managed to ease off before that happened. It could be my experience is greater now with the discs so I can control them better, but I am someone who's always looking to avoid the need to do that sort of braking. :stop:😲:heat:
I think we'd all like to avoid that sort of braking, but sometimes we don't get that choice :angry:

And yes, I agree it is easier to ease off and regain traction with discs IME. I think you get a little more feel for when you are about to lock up, so you can react quicker, ideally before it even happens.
 
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