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.

Exactly. The public don’t need disc brakes on road bikes. Stick them on commuters and hybrids by all means, but disc brakes on road bikes are like 650b wheels. Market driven stupidness that people only think they need.

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.

We don’t ‘need’ anything bike-related really .. Racers may not need discs but ‘the public’ may want them since they don’t always define road bikes by the same requirements. Let’s not assume that road = race. eg I like drop-bar bikes that are fast on tarmac (ie within 1mph average over about 50 miles, or getting closer to evens on longer rides on poorer surfaces) but can do a bit more than that, either on the same tyres or with a swap. Discs have benefits there, even if just in terms of clearance and rim options now.

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.

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 😆

They do though, don’t they?
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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.

Nope. I’ve done that and had my brakes work fine though.

Probably the nicest looking on this thread, though that’s not really saying much. Honestly though, it would look better with rim brakes, wouldn’t it?

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.

Nice anecdote. Clearly if he was dragging all the way down he was a worse descender than you. Can’t say I’ve ever had a problem with getting rim brakes to slow me down for the corners on a road like that – if anything on that sort of descent you’re even more limited by the geometry, so any half decent brake ought to be able to slow you down just as fast.

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

I can’t believe people still don’t understand the difference between MTB and road in terms of the impact on rim braking. I don’t very often ride a road bike through the sort of mud which convinced me discs were a good idea on a MTB (which was 14 years ago, at which point discs were still extremely uncommon).

Went from a canti-braked one to a disc one.

well there’s your problem. Cantis on CX bikes do tend to be a bit rubbish on the road. Proper road brakes like these not only look stunning but work very very well, yes, even in the rain:

Everyone complaining needs to invest in some better brake blocks.

I have Swisstop green pads on ultegra calipers. Disc brakes are better.

I’m seriously considering one of those Orbea Avants for my next bike.

I’ve done that and had my brakes work fine though.

I doubt it. Your criteria for ‘good braking’ are clearly different from mine.

What are these miracle brakes and pads you use that can vapourise water instantly?

Are these Ultegra ones miracle brakes?

Everyone complaining needs to invest in some better brake blocks.

shiny road bike: i’ve got swissstop green pads, in 105 calipers.

commuter: ancient bb5’s, with neglected cables, and the cheapest pads i could buy.

guess which bike has great brakes?

(clue: it’s not ‘both of them’)

rOcKeTdOg – Member
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

Hmmmm.. some ride when its dry and fine, some like me ride all year in the Downs where I can g’tee the lanes are not “fine and dry”, far from it.
Anyway, looks like this thread contains a few who commute or only occasionally ride road bikes and would prefer if all road bikes came with disks (based upon thier own MTB’s or background/attitude)
Oh well, off you go on your Sportive or Endurance bikes then, bothers me not, if you enjoy riding bikes thats all that matters. But, but trying to proclaim “ALL” road bikes shoud come with discs is a bit like saying we should all like eating Artichokes…

Ride what ya like.

That spesh Tarmac looks nice but easily pass for a chinese carbon job !!!

Anyway, looks like this thread contains a few who commute or only occasionally ride road bikes and would prefer if all road bikes came with disks

Lol.. you’re surely not including me in that? I don’t give a flying **** if all bikes came with discs (what a bizarre thing to say) nor do I care what anyone else uses – I just want discs for my bike. If I were shopping for a new road bike I’d get one with discs. Because (unless I’ve managed to avoid these secret amazing brakes and pads in all my years of cycling) they work better. That’s it.

Anyway – what brakes do you have on your road bikes, bikebouy and aracer?

If you want to ride on the road and still have discs but a CX bike with discs. The option is there.

Anyway, looks like this thread contains a few who commute or only occasionally ride road bikes and would prefer if all road bikes came with disks (based upon thier own MTB’s or background/attitude)

I ride road bikes through winter, through the night and in all weathers. I would prefer my next bike to have discs, because they are better. I suppose if you get your turbo trainer out at the first sign of rain, then it’s less of an issue.

As an aside, I found Alpine descents in the dry were absolutely fine with calipers, but cruddy UK lanes in the middle of winter? Discs every time.

molgrips – Member

Anyway, looks like this thread contains a few who commute or only occasionally ride road bikes and would prefer if all road bikes came with disks

Lol.. you’re surely not including me in that? I don’t give a flying **** if all bikes came with discs (what a bizarre thing to say) nor do I care what anyone else uses – I just want discs for my bike. If I were shopping for a new road bike I’d get one with discs. Because (unless I’ve managed to avoid these secret amazing brakes and pads in all my years of cycling) they work better. That’s it.

Anyway – what brakes do you have on your road bikes, bikebouy and aracer?

SRAM Red 22 with Swisstop Yellows on Carbone M40C’s, been stopping mighty fine thanks.

If you want discs for your roadie, buy a bike with them on no one’s stopping you there, certainly not me.

From my POV the threads being hijacked by the “you must have discs on your roadie from now on because I say they’re betterer” It’s tosh and a very single minded POV.. but hey this is STW.

No-one’s said anything of the sort ffs. Lots of people saying they want the option, and others saying ‘the public’ don’t need that option.

So completely the opposite of what you’ve said.

bikebouy – Member

From my POV the threads being hijacked by the “you must have discs on your roadie from now on because I say they’re betterer” It’s tosh and a very single minded POV.. but hey this is STW.

have you been reading a different thread?

THIS thread started off as a ‘let’s look at some shiney new bikes’ thread; before being hijacked by the “i don’t like or need discs, so nor should you” brigade…

THIS thread started off as a ‘let’s look at some shiney new bikes’ thread; before being hijacked by the “i don’t like or need discs, so nor should you” brigade…

Yup.

“If you think discs are better, you’re not trying hard enough.”

then

“If you don’t think discs are better, you’re not trying hard enough.”

THIS thread started off as a ‘let’s look at some shiney new bikes’ thread; before being hijacked by the “i don’t like or need discs, so nor should you” brigade…

It started as a not all road bikes with discs are ugly discussion, and if this thread has proved one thing, it has proved that they are.

It started as a not all road bikes with discs are ugly discussion, and if this thread has proved one thing, it has proved that they are.

In your opinion.

Not really looked at this in any great detail but how many disc compatible Road frames/forks still come with a bridge/drilling to take a rim calliper?

I only ask because thinking back a decade or so in MTBs, the transition from V-brakes to discs was helped along by manufacturers selling their lower price point bikes with both ISO disc and V/Canti posts on the frames, and that would be even easier on road bikes, OK you’d need 135mm rear spacing but the rear spacing isn’t dictated by the UCI is it?

So such hypothetical frames would be UCI competition compliant if you fitted rim brakes, and if/when discs were allowed you have the option of either on the same frame…

From looking at the publicity shots of the “Tarmac”, “Secteur”, “Domain” and other “Flagship” disc brake models it seems they’ve not considered “Backwards compatibility”… I reckon they might be hampering their own efforts to get the things adopted TBH…

Or is I talking Mental?

Not really looked at this in any great detail but how many disc compatible Road frames/forks still come with a bridge/drilling to take a rim calliper?

The Orbea Avant does, though the rear caliper is direct mount on the chainstay.

Just depends whether you like the beauty of an uncluttered hub, or uncluttered fork crown and stays.

Given that the rear hub is pretty cluttered anyway, you’ve got a 2/1 win for discs on the clutter front.

we should all like eating Artichokes

I love artichokes