I find it a bit odd that it’s such a divisive issue, everyone I ride road with who don’t give two hoots about it just ride callipers, I doubt some of them even know that a road bike comes with disks others are more purist in their views whilst some of them would buy either or depending on what was on offer at the time.

This is a Mountain bike forum and as every MTB comes with disks it’s only natural that some would sway their persuasion towards disks, there are some riders who have probably only ever ridden disks on a MTB so contemplating old fashioned tat on a very expensive plastic road bike just doesn’t fit. A bit like my son who will gladly wear shit football boots made from plastic, apparently Leather boots are old fashioned if they are even available at all. They still work but don’t look quite as good? A bit like rim brakes?

I’m happy to have rim brakes and can’t see what all the none sense is about to be honest, I could really do with something that makes me faster on the ups not something that’s going to slow me down better descending.
Personally I think the 2nd gen stuff should be better, something a bit more Road orientated as opposed to Off road tech cobbled onto a road bike.

Giant Defy Advanced here. LOVE the bike but the discs just don’t seem to have the same power as previous rims. Ideas?

Giant defy advanced as well here. Purchases because I wanted a defy, and they just all happen to come with discs now. The mechanical discs seem perfectly fine but there’s nothing about them that would make me choose them over good caliper. I suspect hydro might be a different beast but they are still pricey enough to put me off.

Personally I think the 2nd gen stuff should be better, something a bit more Road orientated as opposed to Off road tech cobbled onto a road bike.

I’ve heard this before. What exactly do you think is wrong with road discs that needs to be waited for? I don’t feel the SRAM setup I have is some sort of half-way house, it feels like it’s been built for a road bike and rides well. Not tried Shimano but I bet they’re the same.

Giant Defy Advanced here. LOVE the bike but the discs just don’t seem to have the same power as previous rims. Ideas?

Buy a new bike??

I don’t think there is much argument over whether a disc brake is more effective (not as much at the mercy of weather changes, better consistent modulation in all wethers etc,.) but the point is whether you actually need them.
I would guess that people brake more on MTBs than road on a given ride and they are more likely to have mud, grit etc,. on their rims too so the case in MTB was always stronger.

Me personally, I rode brakeless track bike for many years as my only bike so I am not some one who needs to brake a lot (rural riding only – no lights, crossing, roundabouts etc,.) so couldn’t care either way…

I converted my ss cx bike to 1×10. It now doubles as wet weather/winter roadie and it’s running hylex hydraulic discs.

I jump between that and a couple of rim braked road bikes(both running dura ace) and braking is equally excellent ..

Guess it doesn’t answer your question I’m in and out 😆

@hora

the hydro discs on the Advanced Pro are a big improvement on the mechanicals on the Advanced.

Well worth converting if keeping the bike

Both roadies, commuter and best, have been hydro disc for 4 and 2 years respectively now. I wouldn’t go back to rims. Not even close.

Recently ordered a disc brake bike to replace my 11year old carbon just before a bike trip abroad. Riding the well set up new hire bike I started to question my decision to go disc, the rim brakes were so good compared to my old worn set up.
However on one ride we were caught I an absolute downpour which lasted 3-4 hours , result – no brakes. For my needs discs every time.

Sort of related, but I always hankered after a disc braked CX bike; that is, until I replaced my frogs legs for CX9 vee brakes. I swear they are better than the discs on my MTB

I tried loads of brakes on my cx commuter, frog legs, avid ultimate, cx9 and they were all shit in the wet. I bought a new commuter in February with hydro discs and on the first ride it was pissing down, being able to stop when I wanted to was a revelation.

On my best road bike I’m not bothered as I generally only ride it in the dry but even then braking time is slower than discs.

Cx/road bike has shimano hydro discs. They are awesome.

It’s a massively divisive subject on which everyone seems to have a strong opinion.

No it’s not, and no we don’t!

I’ve got both. I’m happy with either. If I get a new best road bike I’d prefer discs, but if the deal is better for rim brakes then I’ll go with that.

Esher how much are they? The only things I’d change are the brakes and the OEM wheels (I’m on the DA3)

I’ve Sram hrd on my bike, brilliant for my commute to work (25km ew), brilliant for the club run/sportive at the weekend. Stuff where I’m out in all weathers and want a set of brakes that work without any faff.

Few riders in the road club don’t want them in races (I’m banned from trying the novice/a4 races around here) because it should be an all or nothing proposition (they appreciate that discs generally brake better in the wet and want everyone with the same braking), which I think is fair enough in a worst case (ie a disc braked bike stopping way quicker than the non disc bikes behind it can) but they can see the advantage of being able to brake later into a corner so why wouldn’t you want it?

Can’t imagine going back to rim brakes as my last bike had alfine hydro disc (old xt copy) on the front for 5-6 years and did >23k km on an open pro rim that look immaculate when I sold it on, the rarely used (comparatively) open pro rear with deore V’s looked far from immaculate on the rim track.

My first mtb had rim brakes, I still ride it occasionally and its my loaner bike. I thought disc brake where for posers until the autumn rain and leaves came and I had more than one occasion where the brakes had zero stopping power on descents.

If I buy a road/cx bike it will have discs

Nope. Rorschach got it righ imo. Depends ..

Technical considerations aren’t all of it, ride what you like.

Wonder if this would change a few minds – aesthetically at least?

Wrong thread, you need ‘argh my eye!’

Nope. I generally only ride my best bike (which has calipers) in the dry so I don’t ride around missing the discs on my other bike but my previous winter bike was calipers and I certainly don’t miss riding it in the wet.

I was both feet first in favour. I had them on CX, Winter Road and Road bikes.

They make a lot of sense on the first 2. As more of a thoroughbred road bike however, I recently went back to rim brakes. Somehow seems purer, I don’t ride that bike much in the wet (and the bike I would use then has discs), and certainly lighter.

Unlike off road, I think that there will be room for both on the road for a while yet.

Wonder if this would change a few minds – aesthetically at least?

What does the rear look like? (For the luddites, like)

(Those answering the thread title – please note the conversation is 3 months old!)

Built my first disc road/CX bike in 2002 with a custom titanium frame – it was effectively a ti Kaffenback with bigger clearances and discs and rode it for a number of years. Great as an adventure / winter trainer but too heavy for serious road / CX use in comparison to my 17lb race bike – plus I have a rack of rim-brake CX tubular wheels. Eventually sold it and not replaced it as I have the other CX / road bikes anyway. Thinking about getting another frame built – but with 40mm+ clearance, dirt drops, wider carbon rims – carbon rims and tubeless tyres made disc brakes far more appealling – more as an adventure / fast bike-packing rig than road / CX

DezB – Member

What does the rear look like? (For the luddites, like)

This – it’s a not-particularly-attractive concept, but the intergrated caliper Idea I thought was neat, woud be curious to see it on a more traditional looking bike with subtle colouring. Maintenance I’d be less keen on, mind.

I don’t think honorablegeorge’s pic would change my mind. I kind of like it, although I wouldn’t buy it until it’d been out a few years and shown to be reliable or become an industry standard so you could get a variety of brakes for it.

I’m still in the “discs are fine for commuting, rim brakes are for going fast” camp – at least until someone comes up with a disc braked road bike that’s lighter and more aero than it’s rim braked brethren.

Oh and I really like the look of the rear brake. Very neat. (edit – wouldn’t go for it though as it wouldn’t fit my kiddie trailer.)

That looks good, is it a real product?

Commuting/touring bike yes – had discs for 11 years.

Summer light road bike no – additional weight, costs, RIDICULOUS new hub standards – **** off – sticking with 09 CR1 and stans alpha wheelset (£300 between the, 1kg ad 1.6kg respectively).

obviously everyone who is in the yes camp will change their mind when their limbs are amputated in a crash, as that will definitely happen*

*it is true cos that what roadies on forums say. There is probably a youtube video to back that up as well.

*it is true cos that what roadies on forums say. There is probably a youtube video to back that up as well.

I find comments in those forums amusing because they are the same points that were raised for MTBs 15-20 years ago. Personally now that they have fully hydraulic brakes I’d be tempted although I may hang off until the go bolt through on the front fork.

I’m still in the “discs are fine for commuting, rim brakes are for going fast” camp – at least until someone comes up with a disc braked road bike that’s lighter and more aero than it’s rim braked brethren.

Lighter…

IB16: New Argon 18 Gallium Pro Disc brake road bike is lighter than rim brake version

At least as aero with no wight penalty apparently…

What the Specialized Venge ViAS Disc suggests for the future of aero disc road bikes

Still don’t need them on my road bikes. Good on the town bike though for stopping when towing a trailer with two kids!

At least as aero with no weight penalty apparently…

At what cost?

dblpst

Reading the article it actually sounds like they deliberately made the rim brake version a bit crap so there wouldn’t be any advantage over the disc brake one!