Why I want discs on a road bike

[GrasB]

A group of us were flying down a rolling landscape in a generally down hill but with steep up & down hill sections. The heavens open but we still maintain our speed, a bit further down the road a tractor pulls out of a field. I break off to the right and pull on the front brake, the bike slows quickly & predictably as the other guys go belting passed both yanking on the brakes then both almost get flung hard over the handle bars the pads clear the water film on the rim & start to work.

So now I feel rather smug about having a front disc on the Marin, sure it won't stop the bike quicker but it stops it in a much more predictable way than rim brakes.

 

[bauldbairn]

I feel rather smug about having a front disc on the Marin, sure it won't stop the bike quicker but it stops it in a much more predictable way than rim brakes.

It's obviously a conclusion many manufacturers are also coming to. I've been looking at new bike's and it's surprising the amount fitted with discs as standard now. Something I was looking for already - as I constantly seem to be changing pads on my rim brakes.

 

[jimboalee]

I had ( it was stolen ) a Carerra Subway 8. Nexus roller drums.

Screaming down the hill into Meriden in the rain, I got to the duckpond and stopped to put on my racecape.

The front drum cooling rotor was steaming.

Those are the only brakes I know that need to be greased to make them work better.
No loss of efficiency in the wet.

 

[GrasB]

In all honesty the guys with road brakes had very little loss of ultimate efficiency, it just took about 0.5 to 0.75s for the brakes to get to working properly. The thing was I had the power there instantly which is a big difference if you need to stop asap when someone pulls out without looking, etc.

bauldbairn, pads I can deal with, it's the fact I'm killing off rims every 3 years that's more annoying to me. Removing that wear from the rim to a more easily replaceable disc seems like a good idea.

 

[Will1985]

So much for riding appropriately for the conditions.

 

[Kestevan]

Due to the frankly appaling weather I've been commuting on the MB rather than the roadie. The difference in stopping power and general brake "feel" in the wet with the hydraulic disks on the MB is phenominal.

Almost makes up for the massive weight difference, huge ungainly tyres and general decrease in speed

 

[BentMikey]

Discs are great in the wet or the dry!! I have ordinary brakes on the Fujin, and just replaced the pads. Much better, but still nothing like as good as the awesome stopping power on my Hurricane.

 

[GrasB]

Will, tbh none of us had any problem slowing down in time. It's just with my front disc the braking response was instant & lacked any apprehension, the two with rim brakes had over half a second of "I do have brake power!.. Right?" before they kicked in big time as they had over applied the brakes but didn't have the feedback to know that.

BM, for me it's not even power, the stock V-brake setup could send you over the handlebars without any issue, it's the initial bite confidence especially in the wet.

 

[Will1985]

Fair enough. Aesthetically it looks wrong IMO, and it can't be that good for the aerodynamics. Certainly a waste in combination with top end aero frames and wheels.

Also, on road bikes it would have to become a universal standard. You can't have bunch riding with some people using disc brakes as they'll stop far quicker which could cause more accidents for the 'traditional' brake riders who find themselves running into the back of the rapidly decelerating disc braker.

 

[GrasB]

Yeah for group riding you have to be mindful if you're using discs & even V's to a certain extent. In the dry it's even with calipers & discs as there's more difference in knowing just how hard to pull the lever before you go over the handlebars & emergency braking technique than real stopping power. But riding in the wet you either have to be very gentle or do what I did & break off before hitting the anchors.

 

[Broadside]

My roadbike (Spec. Secteur Sport) has very good brakes but they still don't compare to the stopping power of my 20 year old MTB. I don't think you can rival V or disc brakes combined with the extra tyre in contact with the road.

If I really need to stop quick I would far rather be on the MTB, but the roadbike is built for going as fast as poss, not stopping. There will always be ocassions when you need the ability of the bike you're not on but for this reason I ride a bit more defensively on the roadbike because it just does not have the stopping ability of the MTB.

As for the rims drying out, surely the limiting factor is the reduced tyre grip in the wet; if you really want to you can pull the lever hard enough on a roadbike to lock the wheel pretty quick, you just need to be scared enough to pull it hard enough!

 

[HJ]

Aside from racing, discs are very useful in real world cycling...

 

[yenrod]

A group of us were flying down a rolling landscape in a generally down hill but with steep up & down hill sections. The heavens open but we still maintain our speed, a bit further down the road a tractor pulls out of a field. I break off to the right and pull on the front brake, the bike slows quickly & predictably as the other guys go belting passed both yanking on the brakes then both almost get flung hard over the handle bars the pads clear the water film on the rim & start to work.

So now I feel rather smug about having a front disc on the Marin, sure it won't stop the bike quicker but it stops it in a much more predictable way than rim brakes.

I'd like to see disc brakes on all bikes !

 

[BentMikey]

BM, for me it's not even power, the stock V-brake setup could send you over the handlebars without any issue, it's the initial bite confidence especially in the wet.

Oh I agree, it's the instant take in all conditions, the oh-so-easy low lever force, and the beautifully smooth modulation. TBH, that might make for ever-so-slightly quicker braking because you can feel it better, even if other brake types can be just as powerful, all else being the same.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Having recently got my first disc shod bike, I thought meh no difference, then it started raining again.

I'm completely convinced by them now.