[Closed] Where are we with disks on road bikes currently?

What's the sudden problem with discs and QR hubs? That's what my Amazon has (and the Sutra had before it). Loaded touring? Discs. Wet/shitty weather? Discs. Mud and grime? Discs. All the power and modulation you could ask for? Discs. My "fast" road bike still wears cantis but any replacement would have discs.

There's a potential tendency for front QRs to loosen and eject the wheel when used with discs, hence the Ride for Russ.

Aye, right.

There's also a potential tendency for folk not do tighten up their QRs.

Maybe that alone is a good reason for bolt through.

To answer the OP - for the average rider doing the odd sportive, chaingang etc. then discs have their place. Work better in all weathers, no rim wear, easier to look after (although I note someone earlier in the thread has a problem with his, but that'll always be the case with bike brakes as they don't often get enough heat up to burn off contaminants), and they don't make a horrid scrapey noise when you brake in the wet, etc.

I ride with them on my commuter (QR with shimano skewers, works fine thanks, and will be available from MTBs for longer than I'll keep the bike), but I'm not going to even want to buy a nice road bike with them on until they are lighter and/or more aero than a conventional rim brake. And even then, in the real world, I'll be choosing between discs and lighter components for a while yet - so I'll choose lighter components for now. But anyone that wants to buy a disc braked road bike and come for a road ride with me is welcome to.

..and rim wear is another one thats a non issue when bikes are used in a sporting, fitness way.

My winter Aksiums are in their 5th winter averaging 500km per month. There worn (concave rims) but servicable. The hubs have been rebuilt a few times and I suspect most people would have thrown then rather than replaced the spokes as I do but that would have happened on a wheel to suit any brake type.
There also £120 a pair so when the rims are done it'll be decent value. Summer nice wheels will last indefinitely.

I think whats best depends on what you use the bike for rather than the simple one type is better than an another argument this usually ends up being.

Wilburt has a point re. rim wear, but with the weather here (Glasgow) I've worn through rims at a rate of around 1 every 2 years when I did a shorter commute. For that matter, I've just replaced a disc on the commuter as it was foil thin after 2 years.

You do have to put up with a bit of rub from time to time, but with careful bending you can get them just about perfect (except when new pad time arrives and everything's that little bit tighter.)

Ok. Thanks for input all - I'm now sold on discs for my use, and I found a bike that'll cost me a mere £100 with a QR15: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/vitus-venon-vr-disc-ultegra-2017-road-bike/

It gets great reviews and more importantly matches my [url= http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/vitus-bikes-rapide-29-hardtail-bike-2016/rp-prod135379 ]XC bike[/url] 😀

Interested in more comments re QR on disc bikes?

Add to that that somehow they never seem to go back in the same way twice and you spend half your life re-centering brake calipers.

A fleet of 50+ bikes with disks and QRs says you're doing it wrong.

A fleet of 50+ bikes with disks and QRs says you're doing it wrong.

Maybe so, but I struggle to see how.
Never had a QR problem on any rim braked bike in well north of 10k miles.
Had problems on EVERY disc braked bike with QR.
Never had any problems with discs with thru axles.

Ive just bought a new roadbike with carbon wheels and rim brakes and live in a hilly area. I personally think rim brakes are fine for road bikes and look better. I can see the benefit for discs on mtbs.

Whether disc brakes really take off is dependant on what chris froome and co. ride in the next few years, although I'm not fussed either way tbh.

If its raining heavily I go out on the mtb and not the roadbike though.

They are an affection. Like derailleurs. Happy to help.

42x14 and Shimano Dual pivots, ridden in all weathers. I don't have a problem stopping my 80 kg (including bike), but then I don't spend all my time breaking from the hoods either.

Just not stiff enough, even for a lightweight like me, inevitably ends up with best case warped rotors / worst case working loose AND warped rotors.
Add to that that somehow they never seem to go back in the same way twice and you spend half your life re-centering brake calipers.

I'm 14 stone and clumsy, and I've had none of these issues. If your rotors are warping and your bolts are loosening* and you think it's due to the hub being twisted then I'd be tempted to ask whether your fork is made of cooked pasta. 😉 Otherwise, are you sure you're doing your bolts up tight enough and aligning the calipers correctly?

* I took your post to mean that the rotors were working loose from the hub, or do you mean the hub from the fork?

I wouldn't buy a bike without hydraulics these days, unless it was an amazing bargain and had the mounts to install proper hydraulics at a sensible total cost.

Problem is, I also want tyre clearance for 38c too, including winter studs (I have a bargain set of 45Nrth Gravdals from CharlieTheBikeMonger, which bought me guaranteed ice-free days since their arrival in late January) and a carbon fork.
This reduces my own options down massively, not much else besides the Arkose X 2017 under £1k.

Purely on looks, I love the fluro yellow Giant Anyroad, the frame curves look amazing. But it still comes with hybrid hydraulics and only has ~32c tyre clearance.

I'm 14 stone and clumsy, and I've had none of these issues. If your rotors are warping and your bolts are loosening* and you think it's due to the hub being twisted then I'd be tempted to ask whether your fork is made of cooked pasta. Otherwise, are you sure you're doing your bolts up tight enough and aligning the calipers correctly?

* I took your post to mean that the rotors were working loose from the hub, or

Just to put a stick in everyone's wheels - a friend of mine currently rides a rebuilt 70s touring frame with deep drop caliper brakes. His current tyres are Compass 700C x 38 Steilacoom (although he's convinced that they're nowhere near 38s - more like 33s).

I'm still very much against, although some of the reasons appear specific to me, and perhaps because I've never found my rim brakes wanting, even in the wet.

1) Squeal in the wet. I *still* haven't solved this problem despite plaguing this forum, and others, for solutions. I've spent £75 to date attempting to fix (new rotors, pads, cleaning agents) and a good couple of hours pissing about in the garage, still not resolved. Have a horrible suspicion I'll end up replacing the whole system.

2) Component choice. I'm a very, very average rider, but I'm as fussy as a pro. Discs remove so many options on spec, especially with wheels.

3) Weight and cost. All else being equal a disc braked bike will be more expensive or heavier/cheaper spec elsewhere.

4) I find discs more fiddly to keep adjusted right. Cantis or rim callipers might require more maintenance (not in my experience) but at least it's much simpler. Even with the right tools I find eradicating disc brake pad rub to be a dark art.

I want my road bikes simple, light and quiet! I'll accept slightly increased stopping distances in the wet and replacing my rims once every two or three years (at my pitiful mileages) in order to achieve this.

We should probably take a moment to note the three conclusions which can be drawn from almost every single thread on the internet about disc brakes:

- different people have different criteria which mean that not only is their choice of disc or rim brakes a matter of use case and preference, but so too is their choice of variant within those categories;
- lots of people make claims with no direct experience, or extrapolate their experience to situations with entirely different parameters; and
- very few people are actually answering the original question

😉

1) Squeal in the wet.

I always chuckle at this one because it's one of the two key wins of disc brakes for me (the other being the lack of black sludge over everything). I've always found rim brakes squeal in the wet, and never discs. YMMV big time 🙂

I always chuckle at this one because it's one of the two key wins of disc brakes for me (the other being the lack of black sludge over everything). I've always found rim brakes squeal in the wet, and never discs. YMMV big time

I know what you mean, most people seem to *love* disc brakes for exactly the reason I really dislike them. There just seems to be so much more variability in quality/function etc. between brands, models and even specific set ups (I'm sure there are people out there with the same SRAM brakes as mine who don't cringe every time they have to slow down in wet conditions).

But I have neither the money nor the patience to keep p!ssing about trying to find the perfect disc brake when I could just go back to Shimano 105 callipers with stock pads and enjoy decent (or in the wet, at least predictably bad) braking without leaving a trail of pierced eardrums and frightened livestock in my wake...

Yeah, to be fair, dual pull road calipers are the one rim brake I found rarely if ever squealed. (Apart from the ones on my Brompton.)

Disc gives power and control.

Power and control corrupt, etc., etc.

My discs honk like an angry goose in the wet and I hate it, but they work better so I live with it.

Agree with the YMMV point of view though, if I was riding for pleasure I probably wouldn't bother with discs as I've never really had an issue with calipers for general riding and it would take an age to wear rims out doing 50 miles per week in the countryside

13thfloormonk - Member
I'm still very much against, although some of the reasons appear specific to me, and perhaps because I've never found my rim brakes wanting, even in the wet.

You are speaking for me, too, 13thfloormonk.

I am not entirely convinced that we haven't mentally manufactured deficiencies with rim brakes on the basis that disc brakes... well... exist.

I have a gravel bike with cable discs that I use every day, and two road bikes with traditional rim brakes that have had high (if not daily) mileage, and I still find that what I want in a road bike is simplicity, quiet, lightness, and speed. Discs, while I do not doubt their merits, diminish the experience in my opinion.

"Kryton57 - Member
For the club/sportive everyday use - Good? Bad? Are they here to stay or a fading fad?

POSTED 9 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST"

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No chuffing IMG post buttons again.

Its been very interests reading this. I have a winter bike, and also don't do alps excursions, and also have never come to any issue with Rim brakes. So in my searching today, for £20 less than the warranty voucher so free to me replacing my broken bike, et voila:

[img] [/img]

Ok so it s 105, but the much praised 105 5800. And Cosine 45's which get great reviews. And Ritchey WCS finishing kit. And more "Sporty" than the Vitus I was looking at.

Do I NEED disks? No. Do I WANT discs, not sure that I'm bothered. But I've a very limited range of bikes to choose from, and this one looks different, is lighter than a disc shod bike, fairly good value and a bit of summer fun. Most importantly there's no extra cost.

Might just pull the trigger.

I'm exactly where I always have been on the issue - Discs are awesome and I'm never having anything that can only run rim brakes in my life ever again...

In retrospect I should probably expand on that. I don't have any interest in road clubs or road racing and ride bikes on road for fun sometimes, but they need to cope with all weathers as they'll double up as commuters. I appreciate the control and weather stability discs give me - the ability to lock up or not is irrelevant. Any brake can lock up - *not* locking up while braking effectively in all weathers is what is good.

I'm sure all of this has been said by others along with all the usual tropes on both sides of the debate. Really, it's a case of get the brakes you like. Choice is good.

That's a proper bike buy it.

(Unless you ride a lot in the rain wearing a hi-viz tabard and waterproof over trousers, then buy something with discs. )

On checking wiggles site I would suggest you should note it has a 52/36 chainset, 155mm head tube and internal routing. I would prefer compact, 160+ headtube and external routing but suspect thats just me and wouldn't be a deal breaker.

Its a good nice day out bike.

I would suggest you should note it has a 52/36 chainset

I did. Im happy with that for its intended purpose. This is my "fast" bike, i have a Defy to sit up on.

36 on a "fast" bike?

😉

I'm not a climber 😕 😉

salad_dodger - Member

I have Shimano RS785 disc brakes and they sqeal like a scene straight out of Deliverance and just about bring the bike to a stop. Eventually.

Either one of your piston seals has failed and is leaking mineral oil onto the pads and rotor. You need a new calliper, rotor and pads, or you've got sintered pads fitted and should swap to resin.

Mud is the deal breaker so depends where you ride.

Kind of relevant PSA: GT Grade Alloy Sora 2015, under £400 ('FIRST5' £5 off Code) 56cm only:

http://www.jejamescycles.com/gt-grade-alloy-sora-road-bike-2015.html

Arrived today, just the cabling to sort out.

[img] [/img]

Arrived today, just the cabling to sort out.

And the pedals. And it's too big for you if that's all the seatpost you have showing.

And it's too big for you if that's all the seatpost you have showing.

It's for the 'lad' who's nearly 6 foot and growing but seems to have short legs. Seat tube is long though. Changed the silly long stem but have yet to fit it properly.

read this thread, fell down a rabbit hole and met the Fairlight Strael, which is rather nice (though I appreciate not the OP's budget).

[img] ?itok=TP17ZcHn[/img]

which road.cc loved, and comes in about £1K less than a Definition for similar spec

http://road.cc/content/review/216171-fairlight-cycles-strael

Jury is still out for me, the brake rub and extra weight are blooming annoying with discs. And they are an extra expense.

I think for me now I'd have 2 bikes, one with discs for crap weather and one with rim brakes for fast, nice days and racing. Luckily that's what I do have 🙂

I'd decide depending on which bike i liked the most. Wouldn't be fussed either way which type of brake my nice summer bike had.

Nice bike Kryton. Rode my Dura Ace Defy Sunday, rode my Ultegra Propel tonight. I have no reason to believe the shifting and feel of 105 are any different and I can barely tell the top two apart. Just half a water bottle difference in weight. I think people who moan about road calipets are used to braking on the hoods, not the drops - hence the force they apply is low and the stopping poor. Discs increase this mechanical advantage. Grabbing a chunk of brakes when descending on the drops never sees me lacking power, wet or not.

And 52/36 is fantastic with a 28-11, 11 speed. All year gearing.

Bugger. I've awoken with a finger hovering over a button:

Fun, racy, spritely, carbon 45's light but slightly harsher with rim brakes?

or

Fairly fun, Sportive, Alu 30's comfy ride .75kg heavier with disks?

😀

*flips coin*

Fun over fairly fun, surely?

My winter/commuter has discs. My summer pride and joy has rim brakes on carbon rims.

I started a what bike thread for an n+1 road bike and initially stipulated discs. Ended up ordering a rim braked bike.

oops 🙂

Nice bike K57, just buy it, ride it hard.

I thought about disc brakes when I was looking into a new bike a couple of weeks ago, in the end I didn't bother as they were more expensive, and I'm not sure you can use them (with clip-on aero bars) in triathlons.

What I didn't realise was quite how massive a difference decent caliper brakes make - I didn't have any particular problem stopping with the Tektro+Sora combination on my old bike, but moving up to Ultegra.... wow. I can see that locking the wheel could now be a real issue when it's damp!