[Closed] Road bikes with disks are ugly?

I really like this one, (green one is even betterer) not 100% sure why but considering it for wet/winter duties.

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Luddite bikes FTW!

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(I would 'slam that stem' if the head tube was longerer but the height of the bar compared to the saddle seems pretty good to me like this)

Well as long as there's still a choice I won't mind, and I'll be more than happy to stay with calipers IME modern dual pivots are peerless.
This is my 'own' take on things.
40 years of faultless braking in racing in all weathers. Never in my entire life have I been with anyone that's had a rim brake fail. Even the canti's on my loaded up audax bike stop perfectly. And days descending in the Alps and Pyrenees without issue.
Whereas discs, pads wearing in a day, pads popping out, accidental pulls on the lever whilst wheels out, overheating on descents. Even in this years local CX league disc bikes were having problems, from constant rub to loss of pads completely.
My main gripe though is that dinner plates on wheels look gopping.
They still look ugly on a nice XC bike, I'm a bit 'less is more' and if less works why do you need more?
However I think this is driven by people who want, who want Carbon/electric/deep profile/discs.
My 'drawing board' bike is the standard track bike as used in the hour, add a set of brakes and anything that'll get me up a 20% climb that'll do me.

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Discs are the future and they will grow on us.

JCL, true, but niche is the new black,there will always be options.

Oldgit, right as usual.

Jacob46, true.

Aracer,thanks! what do I win?

I think a gopping paintjob (like the camo bike I posted), is a gopping paintjob, no matter if you have discs of cantis or dual pivots.

Now, most of the bikes on this thread look pretty similar, the only difference in a lot of cases is the paintjob.

And paint comes and goes into fashion, the current retro revival aesthetic is coming to an end.

Paint, it's important, I'd say most bikes are sold on paint. but it's only paint, I'm sure if and when the owner of that bike gets tired of how it looks he'll strip it down and repaint it.

Personally, I like the looks of brakes integrated into the fork, and under the chainstays, but both are more expensive and harder to work on.

So, discs aside.
What makes a good paintjob?

Here's what I've come up with.

Emphasizes the structure.
Ages well.
Defines the use a bike will see, ie, a dh bike is going to have different colours to a randonneur
Most importantly, I think, you should like it, it doesn't matter if it's actually good looking or not.

So if you want a swedish m90 camo in chrome pink and yellow, why not?

I've been riding a road bike with big tyres / light wheels and discs for a while. This moring I was on a light road bike with racey angles and caliper brakes on a couple of wet and risky descents that I don't know too well.

I'm very much looking forward to getting back onto discs - and for a long time I've said that my winter bike didn't need discs as I go slower in the wet anyway, etc. All that stuff about not needing them. Add some tyres that can cope with the brakes a bit better and it's all quite different. Stuff the looks.

Tyres need pumping up on that Pinarello.

[quote=emanuel ]Aracer,thanks! what do I win?
I think a gopping paintjob (like the camo bike I posted), is a gopping paintjob, no matter if you have discs of cantis or dual pivots.

Sorry, no prizes. You are correct and admittedly it's horrible enough that you tend not to notice the discs quite as much as on something more aesthtically pleasing, though discs certainly make a nice bike look less nice. The Enigma up there I think comes closest to not looking all that bad, but I suspect that's probably the lighting making the discs less obvious.

Discs are the future and they will grow on us.

Just like obesity has.

Rode down a 1:4 on Saturday. I wished I had discs.

Rode down a 1:4 on Saturday. I wished I had discs.

You wished you had better brakes. Everyone complaining needs to invest in some better brake blocks. I have never felt the need for discs and that includes when I was coming down Hardknott and Honister in the rain. Campagnolo Athena brakes were plenty powerful enough and had enough modulation too.

Discs are ugly, heavier, not as easy to use or set up and are being pushed by the same folk who brought us 650b. Mountain bikers. Enuff said 😉

Just like obesity has.

To this end there will probably be a few races where they're tried out, maybe in two years time, by which time most Sportive bikes will have them and therein lies the definition, Sportive or Endurance bikes and ProTour replicas.

I know which one I'll be riding.

I think discs on ProTour replicas (of which my R5ca is and my Parlee Z4 isn't) will not appear for about two years, then they'll be dismissed as both heavy and cumbersome and a pita to change wheels etc so they'll be dropped.

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/road/tarmac/sworks-tarmac-disc

Top Specialized Tarmac for 2015...

I have never felt the need for discs and that includes when I was coming down Hardknott and Honister in the rain

Try doing it at a fast pace then

Neutral support is the biggest hurdle I can see - dunno how that could work.

Neutral support will end, too many options to cover. How much is it used these days, anyone have any recent reports? (havnt watched any races recently). Which race was it where Cadel and others rode over tacks, sure they waited for the team car?

If you think it might be possible to get the UCI to legislate it, too late.

Longer chainstays would obviously impact the handling of the Tarmac, so instead they have [b]developed a new rear hub that places the cassette further inboard, along with a custom dropout that locates the rear derailleur inboard[/b] as well, to maintain clean shifting.

Interesting solution to the chainline on the new Spesh. I think adding a couple of mm to the chainline for doubles would work for more bikes but only SRAM offering that at the mo, basically a double on an MTB-like chainline.

here is mine .

[URL= http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s640/cchris2lou/IMG_20140510_172812_zps843744b5.jp g" target="_blank">http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s640/cchris2lou/IMG_20140510_172812_zps843744b5.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

I have never felt the need for discs and that includes when I was coming down Hardknott and Honister in the rain
Try doing it at a fast pace then

TBH The contact patch of the tyre would be my concern, not bigger brakes. Only in the Alps have I wished on a couple of occasions for a bit more braking power than calipers on ally rims can offer, Carbon rims in the wet on the other hand.....

TBH it's not the pros who need disc brakes, it's average cyclists who can't afford to replace their rims/wheels every 2-3 years (depending on usage). To have a braking system that relies on wearing away a fundamental structural element of the bike each time they are used is ridiculous.

Not to mention poor braking performance in wet weather around vehicles who don't want them to be there and the poor state of the roads that increases the chance of buckled wheels

[quote=mikey74 ]To have a braking system that relies on wearing away a fundamental structural element of the bike each time they are used is ridiculous.

Indeed, which is why rim brakes don't rely on that. I've never had to replace a rim on a road bike due to brake wear.

I think that with carbon rims it can be a good idea.
you're keeping the same system weight but lighter rim weight.

plus more reliable wet/dry performance.

A bit like the move from steel to alloy rims, apart from the brakes being changed.

Indeed, which is why rim brakes don't rely on that. I've never had to replace a rim on a road bike due to brake wear

They do though, don't they?

Just because you haven't caused enough wear for them to need replacing doesn't mean they weren't being worn.

Decent pads on carbon rims have never stopped me from braking hard to a stop, ever. Decent pads on alloy rims have never stopped me braking hard to a stop, neither.

I think it's just an overkill situation for a solution that doesn't really exist, but I'm happy if you want to ride with them, if you feel they'll help you then off you go, trott on.

They're ugly and unsightly and a pita to change/maintain and I can't see them heading that way for racing for a good number of years yet, if ever.

Hey ho

Indeed, which is why rim brakes don't rely on that. I've never had to replace a rim on a road bike due to brake wear.

Of course, there is a braking surface that is in addition to the structure of the rim: However, once that is worn through you are into compromising the integrity of the rim structure itself and therefore the rim needs to be replaced and that is not a cheap, or an easy exercise, at least compared to changing disc brake pads or rotors.

I know pro racing tends to drive the development of road bikes, However, in this case it should be the needs of the public that should drive the development of the type of bikes they will be buying.

Why do people think power is the only benefit of disc brakes?

Why do people think power is the only benefit of disc brakes?

Shortsightedness

They're ugly and unsightly and a pita to change/maintain and I can't see them heading that way for racing for a good number of years yet, if ever.
Hey ho

No more a pain than setting up pads onto a rim if you have a modicum of skill

Trimming hydraulic brakes hoses is a more involved job than trimming mechanical cables, there's no question of that. Mechanical sets don't need bled either or suffer from leaking seals etc. There's less maintenance required no matter your skill level.

I know pro racing tends to drive the development of road bikes, However, in this case it should be the needs of the public that should drive the development of the type of bikes they will be buying.

here is mine

it’s not exactly a looker is it?

The public don't need disc brakes on road bikes

Some of us do.

Have you honestly never tried to brake whilst going down a 1:5 in pouring rain and had nothing happen? I'd love a simple pad change to go from nothing to disc-like stopping power, but extensive experience with cantis on MTBs has left me sceptical.

As for being market driven - I've been wishing for road discs for years, just search my forum history.

There's been a few times on the road where I've wanted better brakes but they've either been on a CX bike with cantis or a 30 year old road bike with 30 year old brakes and wheels. On my nice road bike with Campag brakes braking has never been a problem. I am totally convinced that it's not discs that are the answer, just that cheap brakes don't tend to be very good.

I've also never had my road brakes fade on a long alpine descents, unlike some disc brakes on a mountain bike.

With molgrips on this - I've wanted discs for a number of years since knackering a rim when some swarf/metal from the road got stuck in my brake block and scored the rim track badly. Thankfully it was a cheap wheelset.

Hand strength can make the difference. A mate, who is at least 6 stone heavier than me with identical brakes, lever and blocks stops significantly faster than me. Like a cars length at 15mph when I shout stop when we are riding side by side. I put that down to short stubby fingers that can only just reach the levers and thus don't get a decent pull. Throw in the fact that this means that I have to cover them more which means aches on long descents and it is absolutely no contest.
I don't see the rim issue a big thing although I have worn through several. 10k miles isn't too bad every 2 year per bike .ie 5 k per year each. Its meant a front rim a year and a rear one every two spread over two bikes.

Good to see Spec and Trek heading in different directions...

The public don't need disc brakes on road bikes.

Just done a wet Fred Whitton on discs. The gap between me and the rim brake crowd was just enormous. If you think you don't need discs that's fine, but you won't keep up with me 😉

I last wished for brakes on a tight 1:4 country lane with sharp bends, no sight and finishing on a T junction with a busy road. The kind of thing you don't get in races.

there are obviously a lot of fair weather riders here who are only basing "my rim brakes are just as good as discs" on the fact that they only ride when the sun shines, if you ride in all weathers on the rough muck strewn roads that some of us ride on you'd bend over backwards for brakes that aren't affected by those conditions

as a rider who has topped out at 23 stone (now 18.5), and who has always toured on and offroad, i can say, without a shadow of doubt, that disc brakes on any bike are by far the best upgrade/bit of kit that money can buy.
show me a man who would go back to vee's or cantis, and i will show you a idiot...... 😀

Or people who never need to do emergency stops when it's wet.

Ton - I have to say that the Vs on my commuter are remarkably good. I've ridden it with 25kg on the back and never had any trouble stopping wet or dry. Well - apart from the usual few revolutions of nothing you get in proper wet weather with rim brakes. However - they eat pads when it's wet and need adjusting between pad changes, and they still aren't as good as discs. So I'd upgrade to discs in a shot if I had mounts on the frame and forks.

Finally, a decent looking racing bike... The new S-Works Tarmac.

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Proper angles and a stem that's not mounted on a foot of spacers and pointing skywards...

Just done a wet Fred Whitton on discs. The gap between me and the rim brake crowd was just enormous. If you think you don't need discs that's fine, but you won't keep up with me

I recently upgraded my CX bike. Went from a canti-braked one to a disc one. First day out was a nice gentle spin to bed the discs in and get used to it all. Next day I went down Winnats Pass - I don't especially like it as a descent but needs must. About 10 seconds in front of me was a guy on a road bike. Now I'm no demon descender; quite the opposite in fact. But before the bend 2/3rds of the way I'd caught him easily. He was having to drag his rim brakes all the way down to moderate his speed. I could let the brakes off completely and one tap of the levers would bring it back instantly. No skidding, no locked wheels, just instant consistent reliable power.

Can't believe people are still coming up with the same arguments that were made about discs on the MTB scene 15 years ago...

a stem that's not mounted on a foot of spacers and pointing skywards...

No, but the STIs are looking that way.

If you think you don't need discs that's fine, but you won't keep up with me

U is awesomnez 😆

[quote=bails ]

Indeed, which is why rim brakes don't rely on that. I've never had to replace a rim on a road bike due to brake wear

No - here's what I was replying to:

To have a braking system that relies on wearing away a fundamental structural element of the bike each time they are used is ridiculous.

Rim brakes don't rely on wearing away the rim - that is just a side effect in some conditions - they would work just fine if the rim was a totally non-wear surface. In most conditions the rim wear on a road bike is actually negligible - it's the pads which wear as they're the part which is designed to. Nothing at all ridiculous about brakes acting there - in a weight conscious situation it makes sense for parts to have multiple uses where possible.

That doesn't mean that I'm claiming rims don't wear - I've worn them out on MTBs and CX bikes, but not on road bikes, though I can understand some people do, it's far from common.