Recommendations for a bike with disk brakes for commuting?

[Debian]

You can lock your front wheel? In the dry, I would have thought this would see you going over the handlebars. And in the wet, god knows. Forwards slide? Perhaps you aren't positioning your weight properly.

On the understanding that 90% of your stopping power comes from the front wheel, and that you can't lock it, discs will stop you quicker because the limiting factor is not the grip between the wheel and the road, it's the efficiency in which the brakes turn kinentic energy into heat.

A mute point then, and pehaps my physics is no longer up to scratch, but I would have thought the definition of "good brakes" is a system that is effcient at turning kinetic energy into heat. When you lock your brakes, they aren't doing that anymore, so just because you can lock them doesn't mean they are any good.

From my experience my rear discs very, very rarely lock - most of the time they are very effciently turning my momentum into heat.

Yes, I can lock my front wheel. That isn't to say I do

I do understand about braking efficiency and all I was stating was that I've found no perceptible difference on tarmac between discs and rims.

If you can't lock your rear brakes then they're not very efficient, it should be really easy to lock the rears under any normal riding conditions which is why you should only use the front brake in emergency stopping conditions. The limiting factor is the frictional coefficient between the rubber and the tarmac, brakes will always be more efficient than the grip of the tyre onto the road.

 

[summerdays]

So it's not for off road use?

Stick some skinny tyres on a croix de fer (not sure what it takes but I would have thought it would handle 25s at least) and you've got a disc brake equipped road bike!

P.S. What is that object in your avatar btw? I've noticed a couple other people with similar ones.

The nearest it gets to off road would be things like the Forest of Dean with the kids and the odd sustrans route ... but no aiming to be good for the road rather than off road... and if it had 700 wheels then I'm sure he would be keeping the old one which he now has a set of wheels with stud tyres for the snow/ice.

The reason for the Avatar was because of a character called Bonj. He left the forum in one of his strops IIRC, and to tempt him back we all copied and modified his avatar which I think is a box fish. I liked mine so kept it - it was a combination of my bell and his fish. I can't explain Bonj ... never met him but he was unique and opened up a completely new and bizare way of seeing the world. The best way to explain him would be type Bonj into the search facility.

 

[summerdays]

which is why you should only use the front brake in emergency stopping conditions.

You should use both brakes ... rear brake is good at modulating your speed, front to actually stop the bike - combine the two so that it slows you at the rate you require. If you are in the habit of only using one brake and you borrow a bike with the cables reversed you will be in trouble.

 

[Debian]

We both have disk brakes and like them... no rim wear (I wore out a set of rims in about 12 months I think prior to getting my disk braked bike), no grey gunk getting on your clothes, stop better in the wet, don't have to adjust them too regularly - its so nice knowing that exact point where your brakes start to work. Don't have to replace the pads every couple of months. I'm not saying they are perfect but for us we prefer them.

I've been looking around and see you can get a Cotic Roadrat with disk brakes... a couple of people on here have the Roadrat don't they ... but do they tend to have the single speed version?

Obviously go for what you prefer. I'm not saying you shouldn't use whatever you want to but in my personal experience under most conditions I prefer rim brakes.

I'm surprised you wore out a set of rims in twelve months though, my GT has had the same rims for the past 10 years or so, it's been used heavily off road and since last year it's been doing 100 miles a week as a commuter and the rims are still OK.

But as I said go for what you prefer.

 

[Debian]

You should use both brakes ... rear brake is good at modulating your speed, front to actually stop the bike - combine the two so that it slows you at the rate you require. If you are in the habit of only using one brake and you borrow a bike with the cables reversed you will be in trouble.

If the first time you use the brakes on a borrowed bike is for an emergency stop then you'd expect to be in trouble. First thing I do every ride is a quick brake check just to make sure.

Emergency stop = front brake only. Maximum braking force occurs when the front wheel is about to lock and at this point the rear tyre will present very little frictional force onto the road surface. If, at this point you use the rear all that will happen is that the rear wheel will lock and fishtail, possibly resulting in loss of control as the rear tries to overtake the front. You certainly won't stop any quicker.

 

[brokenbetty]

If you are in the habit of only using one brake and you borrow a bike with the cables reversed you will be in trouble.

+1

I found out that Canadians cable their brakes the other way round halfway down a (thankfully very small) Rocky Mountain

 

[Debian]

+1

I found out that Canadians cable their brakes the other way round halfway down a (thankfully very small) Rocky Mountain

Yes - drive on the right = left hand lever operates front brake. Drive on the left = right hand lever operates front brake.

Some riders swap them anyway, this is why I say check your brakes first thing every ride whether it's your bike or a borrowed one. You do not want to find out that your brakes don't work / are reversed when you're screaming downhill at 40 mph!

 

[nich]

Boardman Hybrids aren't too shabby and have discs.

I've just this morning fitted some slicker tyres to my mtb as I plan todo more on the road with it and use it as a backup for my road bike now that I'm commuting more. They are still quite tough, so I can use them on gravel paths etc without worrying about punctures.

It's not much slower than my road bike, has a much smoother ride on poor roads, and has discs - it does stop so much better!

I'm just not sure how I would feel commuting long distances on it, probably fine...

 

[Coco]

I've been looking around and see you can get a Cotic Roadrat with disk brakes... a couple of people on here have the Roadrat don't they ... but do they tend to have the single speed version?

Have you seen the Alfine equipped Road Rat? You can get that with disks for just under £1k.

 

[slowmotion]

I've got a Dawes Discovery 501 (2008) which doesn't have disks. Their Discovery 601 (2010) does, however. It might be worth a peek. It costs about £600 if you shop around.

Here is a link...
http://www.discovercycling.com/bikes/bikes-sports-trekking/dawes-discovery-601-gents-2010-.html

 

[Crankarm]

Kona Sutra looks a pretty good bike. Kona frames are light and strong.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/kona/sutra-2009-touring-bike-ec017287?query=kona sutra

 

[HLaB]

I almost looked at a Ridgeback (I cant remember the branding, Ridgeback is the parent company) that had drops and disks, IIRC it was something like the Toscana.

Scrub that it was a Marin Toscana

And it doesn't get a great review, so its probably a good thing I bought my kinesis instead.

 

[mcshroom]

A tourer rather than a full on road bike, but just to throw another into the mix how about the Revolution Country Explorer?

It's £650 and has disk brakes. I was seriously looking at it when getting my new bike (Dawes Vantage, as soon as the voucher turns up )but unfortunately I couldn't get one on our cycle scheme at work

 

[downfader]

I almost looked at a Ridgeback (I cant remember the branding, Ridgeback is the parent company) that had drops and disks, IIRC it was something like the Toscana.

Scrub that it was a Marin Toscana

And it doesn't get a great review, so its probably a good thing I bought my kinesis instead.

Would happily own another Marin. They, as with Kona, make superb frames imo.

Another disc brake I would try is the Carrera Subway 2. Dirt, dirt cheap but well made. Not 700c and dubious about pannier lugs etc, but a good bike for 300 notes (may have to get another bike shop to check it over after purchase though, depends on the Halfords)

 

[hackbike 666]

I take it the brakes wouldn't be too affected by a half buckled wheel...Like I saw on that bike on my commute the other day....