[Closed] Road bikes; disc brakes the future??

Do you feel the need for better braking on your road bike? Get a test ride on a road bike with discs then decide.

Synapse disc?

Plenty of options now; BMC, Boardman, Focus, Trek, Spesh....

Go with rim brakes if you want inferior brakes by all means.

Apparently the major sticking point is [url= http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/uci-approves-testing-of-disc-brakes-in-the-professional-peloton-166602 ]whether or not the UCi will sanction them for road racing[/url] seeing at that's pretty likely now I think discs will become more prevalent on road bikes.

The real question is, are there any benefits for [i]normal[/i] people buying road bikes? to which the answer is probably yes, pick the bike you enjoy riding more the stoppers are only one part of the equation IMO...
How often do you really feel the performance of rim brakes is an issue at present?

Another few years and discs will be properly established on road bikes, how popular they will be remains to be seen...

Go with rim brakes if you want inferior brakes by all means.

You are quite right, I want this on my next road bike 😆

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Just because it's inferior doesn't mean it's not good enough.

I don't see the need on a dry weather bike, and it will be lighter with rim brakes too.

I don't see the need on a dry weather bike, and it will be lighter with rim brakes too

+1

Discs make the bike less aero too.

Have a road bike with discs. Have a roa bike without.

Would get discs if an option. Consistent all weather braking and no rim wear on wheels either.

Also huge control over the power with a single finger.

But heavier than rim brakes but unless you're 5% body fat bit irrelevant??

I can see the need for discs if, like me, you ride your road bike all through the winter. But for a dry weather bike there's no point IMO, as traditional brakes can lock a rear wheel or endo a bike.

less aero? might matter if your name is Bradley Wiggins or Tony Martin smashing a WC TT. I think the all year round stopping power over a marginal aero gain, is on balance, more beneficial for most. Racing road at the top tier? They will be good even on my daughters balance bike.

I can see the need for discs if, like me, you ride your road bike all through the winter. But for a dry weather bike there's no point IMO, as traditional brakes can lock a rear wheel or endo a bike.

there you go OP the answer is get two bikes...

discs for winter, keep a road bike with Rim brakes for summer/racing... Oh and probably best get a Cross bike too for good measure... 😉

you all have missed the crucial question .... what axle standard 😉

I can lock the wheels of my road bike with rim brakes in all weathers.

Therefore rim brakes are powerful enough (the tyres are the limiting factor) and the only argument is if disc brakes are lighter.

I think someone has already stated that discs are heavier.

So I see no reason to buy a road bike with disc brakes.

This conversation has a lot of parallels with the 26" Vs 29" wheel argument on mountain bikes - just fashion innit 😀

i wonder if Alexandre Geniez would have preferred discs yesterday at the Giro?

I can see the need for discs if, like me, you ride your road bike all through the winter. But for a dry weather bike there's no point IMO, as traditional brakes can lock a rear wheel or endo a bike.

I ride my bike all through winter and TBH don't feel the need (at least with decent winter pads.) But then I don't commute through lots of traffic and I don't live somewhere with lots of steep twisty downs to negotiate. Maybe if I did I'd want discs. Rim wear could be an issue but mine last years. I brake very infrequently on most rides!

Anyway, hasn't this already been done to death on many other threads...?

I have one of each- I was riding my summer bike in winter and the brakes were dire and decided that my winter bike would have discs. This has, in general, been a good decision but the feel of Avid BB5s compared to Ultegra rim brakes is horrendous- spongy and needs way more lever pull to clear the disc. I've not ridden the Spyres on the Defy but give them a go- they may be better.

I went out on my summer bike for the first time in ages last night and the braking feel was a revelation.

dirtyrider;

I just watched that video and two out of the four corners he locked the wheels. So no issue with brake power but a problem of lack of tyre adhesion!

The other two I couldn't make out what happened but he did seem to be going in too fast - either a lack of brake power or, more likely, he was afraid of locking up the wheel again and went easy on the brake carrying too much speed and running wide.

dirtyrider - Member

i wonder if Alexandre Geniez would have preferred discs yesterday at the Giro?

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Posted 3 minutes ago # Report-Post

Have you watched that video?

the issue in the video is not the strength of his brakes but the fact that road was so slippy he couldnt lean the bike over.

Explain how more powerful brakes would have helped in that situation?

I just watched that video and two out of the four corners he locked the wheels

yer but carbon has that lovely

not braking, ****
not braking, ****
not braking, ****
GRABS, ****

feeling,

discs have control

Oh FFS are people still assuming that discs are [b]just[/b] about power? Really, even on an mtbing forum when we went through this when Vs gave way to discs despite Vs also having plenty of power?

Phillip Gilbert recently commented on this disk brake thing. He was against them for racing for safety reasons. Peloton going into bends and braking at different distances and the point of disks being red hot after descending.

I think they prob ideally suited for the heavier riders (mamil's) but for racing, the braking will be subtle, last thing they need is to lock wheels up.
The industry will try to push it through though.
Perfect way to sell new bikes.

Have a road bike with discs. Have a roa bike without.

Would get discs if an option. Consistent all weather braking and no rim wear on wheels either.

Also huge control over the power with a single finger.

This + 1000.

I have a cross bike with discs that i now use as my commuter. In the dry they are incredible to the point i could do an endo. In the wet they are also amazing. I notice my road bike rims are wearing pretty badly now + the crap from the pads gets all over the place. In the wet they are appalling in comparison

[i]Perfect way to sell new bikes.[/i]

Exactly. As the OP is getting a new bike, he should get one with the latest stuff on it. ie. disc brakes.

[edit] I can't see a reason [i]not[/i] to get discs on a new road bike, personally, if they're in budget.

Explain how more powerful brakes would have helped in that situation?

Shaved more speed off before the corner, so he's not relying on panic braking mid corner when everything gets rather squirrely? The issue is as much that braking on carbon rims is pretty shit in the wet (as DR says) I'd say!

As for the original question... they're [i]a[/i] future for road bikes, doubt they're 'the' future, I'm not fussed for a summer bike still.

I can out-descend any rim-braked road bike on my disc-braked CX.

And I'm a rubbish descender.
I can go faster knowing that I can slow or stop with complete control in any weather.
More modulation, more power, no rim wear.

And a +lots for this comment:

Oh FFS are people still assuming that discs are just about power? Really, even on an mtbing forum when we went through this when Vs gave way to discs despite Vs also having plenty of power?

I would get discs if buying a new all-weather bike now. Or if I wanted carbon rims.

But I'm quite happy with rim brakes for my "dry" bike with alu wheels.

Funny how people get so uptight about this though. I'm sure both work great.

I think it is fair to say that good rim brakes, in dry conditions are a match for mediocre discs.
As I only ride my road bike in the dry, and have decent brakes (105's with Swisstop pads) I don't feel the need to swap right now.
when I buy another summer bike in 3-4 years time, I expect it'll have discs, simply because I think they be the '650B of roadbikes' and appear everywhere, with bike manufacturers convincing people they are a vital upgrade over 'inferior and dangerous' rim brakes..

[i]Oh FFS are people still assuming that discs are just about power?...etc[/i]

Totally agree. Not about the power but all the other advantages.

ive got a disc cx and a rim brake roadbike, shimano cable discs and new 105 calipers.

i definately feel like i have more control on the cx and discs, especially in the wet. even though i mostly ride the road bike in the dry, given the steep twisty lanes with mud on and blind corners around here, i'm seriously tempted next time by road discs.

thers a descent into simonsbath in exmoor ive done on both bikes, in the wet on the rims and in driving snow on the cx.

im also lusting after building up one of those new mason bikes

strava says the cx was quicker down

It depends on how you plan on using your bike and the sort of terrain you'll be riding. For example; I live in an area with lots of steep hills; I ride my bike all year round; I've got a disc braked bike on the way since I seem to get through rims quite quickly over winter. If you only plan to ride when the weather's nice, then I'd get a rim braked bike (which I also have). Lighter, more aero, better looking, cheaper etc.

oh and i'm using shimano hydraulic brakes which are a world of difference to bb7s

Discs are the future but the timescales are unknown. It really depends on what the UCI does although the manufacturers have clearly started to produce them with non racers in mind (sportive and social riders).

If I wasn't actively racing my next bike would definitely have discs. My cross bike does and it was a massive improvement over cantis on my old one - both on and off road.

For now I need them to be legal in BC races before I get one. Advantages are clear to me. That said I wouldn't buy a new road bike purely to get discs as mine is fine as is. But if they are available and legal when I want a new bike I'd take them.

If there are significant advantages to the bike without discs then keep in mind the fact that people are currently running rim brakes with no real issues.

the braking will be subtle, last thing they need is to lock wheels up.

Intriguing. You can modulate power better with discs. Riding on my own, braking is subtle as I can see down the road and predict corner speed. In races I find braking more erratic and I use my brakes more and harder dues to "incidents" and concertinaing in the bunch as the pace changes. First few miles of most races is twitchy and I'm always covering my brakes.

Easier to sum it up all the above as:

Summer race bike - No

Winter / All purpose bike - Yes

I can lock the wheels of my road bike with rim brakes in all weathers.

there isn't a thread on discs without this nonsense popping up at least once...

I have always found tyres to be the limiting thing on a road bike in terms of stopping.

On alpine decents I have never had problems with rim brakes, and just wait until the braking really heats the tyre up and you get an amazing level of braking ability.

My current cx/road bike has discs. Offroad in the mud, there is no question, but on road in the wet I do not see any advantage, apart from you dont have to replace a rim.

I'm sure discs probably do stop quicker, but I cant really tell..

[s]Summer[/s] race bike - No, until Campag pull their finger out and make some

Any other bike - Yes

Disks are heavier, less aero and not allowed in racing (yet). What this means is you can only use them on rides to the cafe and back, and you burn off more calories in the process, thus can eat more cake.

As a result of eating more cake you can make the most of the increased stopping power.

Racer's aren't allowed nice food like cake, therefore can't have disks.

Disks are therefore amazeballs/full of win.

This conversation has a lot of parallels with the 26" Vs 29" wheel argument on mountain bikes - just fashion innit

Indeed, 26'ers have been left looking like the Dad at a teenagers birthday party.

26er = double dennim

69er = Jeremy Clarkson in jeans and jacket

29er = bang on trend

650b = T'shirt with a witty proclamation that the wearer thinks is cool.

sky's bike for selected races in August/September

[URL= http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/zz211/dansipods/FF6FD1B0-D8F2-4FBE-9D5D-8641CD4F7260_zpscwu066fh.pn g" target="_blank">http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/zz211/dansipods/FF6FD1B0-D8F2-4FBE-9D5D-8641CD4F7260_zpscwu066fh.pn g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

Is there another vehicle built for speed that doesn't use disc brakes?

I can sort of get the "Dry weather" bike argument, but I cant afford/don't want a summer/winter bike, so I'd prefer to be able to control my bike, and in the wet on some of the steeper stuff I have up here, my rim brakes are close to scary.

Like njee20 I think they'll become more and more mainstream, but they won't ever be the only choice

I was incredibly sceptical about disc brakes on road bikes (bearing in mind I have ridden disc on mtb's for years) but actually getting a disc brake road bike, and owning it (not just a quick test ride)has firmly convinced how good it can be when done right

I would never buy a caliper brake road bike again, there's no advantage for me, only numerous disadvantages

being able to ride fast in full control in all weather, suffer no rim wear, and run GP4000 II tires in 28c is fantastic

regarding weight, the additional weight of the brake is only part of the equation, when done right - not just altering a frame mould to include a disc brake mount and adding material to the stays, but actually engineering a disc specific frame from the ground up

if you look at Giant, their 2015 Defy SL (with the integrated seat post) is the lightest road frame they have ever made, its lighter than their caliper brake TCR SL frame

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my 2015 Defy Advanced Pro 1 is 8kg out the box which is very impressive for a £2,599 hydraulic disc brake bike with ultegra 11 speed and sub 1700gm disc brake wheels

Shaved more speed off before the corner, so he's not relying on panic braking mid corner when everything gets rather squirrely? The issue is as much that braking on carbon rims is pretty shit in the wet (as DR says) I'd say!

Sorry, don't see how better brakes would have given him better foresight to slow down more. Fact is he was trying to open a gap on the bunch and therefore was trying to carry as much speed as possible into the corners. As it goes his excess speed in very low grip conditions meant he was running wide for fear of slipping off if he leant it over anymore. He could have slowed down more with the brakes he had but chose not too as he was trying to go as fast as possible.

It's a well known feature of the roads in the giro that they are like glass in the rain.

As others have said I live in an area of steep hills (the lakes) and I ride rim brakes. If the weather is bad I'm not chucking into the corners on descents so hard I need to panic brake. If you're racing in bad conditions they will help but only if you ride to the limits of tyres. In this case the guy was past the limits of the tyres.

I have always found tyres to be the limiting thing on a road bike in terms of stopping.

People say that a lot. I'm not convinced it's actually right even though as I've pointed out previously, discs aren't really about power alone.

If you grab a fist full of (road bike) front brake in the wet (and in a straight line - different if mid bend but then modulation is even more important), I reckon you'll still endo rather than skid the front wheel which suggests that actually grip isn't the limiting factor - on the front at least - rear brakes are obviously easy to lock.

if you look at Giant, their 2015 Defy SL (with the integrated seat post) is the lightest road frame they have ever made

Actually, I believe it was their rim-braked version held that accolade, not much changed except a seatpost that can take a Di2 battery 😉 . Of course the disk version has yet to win Paris-Roubaix, so I shall wait for the new provenance before I replace mine 😉

Bigger issue for me is swapping wheels between bikes.

I would probably swap my rim-braked defy for that SL, for full disclosure.

Sorry, don't see how better brakes would have given him better foresight to slow down more. Fact is he was trying to open a gap on the bunch and therefore was trying to carry as much speed as possible into the corners. As it goes his excess speed in very low grip conditions meant he was running wide for fear of slipping off if he leant it over anymore. He could have slowed down more with the brakes he had but chose not too as he was trying to go as fast as possible.

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