With a mix of disc brakes and rim brakes in this years TDF I was expecting to see disc equipped riders making gains on riders with rim brakes on the descents but it didn’t seem to happen . I’m a long time disc fan but wonder if this particular advantage has been ove stated .

Bin dun many times – you can do an endo on a rim braked bike down an alpine decent.

Contact patch is more important.

Schrodingers brakes;

No more powerful/effective than a properly set-up canti brake so they are pointless.

So much more powerful/effective than a properly set up canti brake and that will cause accidents in the peleton.

Both arguments were deployed by the luddites when road disks were becoming a thing.

I reckon the fast lads hardly use them anyway. In the uk we notice the difference mostly in the wet, but I think on a wet tdf stage tyre grip is probably the limiting factor on stopping.

Them pros are nut cases, I know I preferred disc over rim on ventoux, braking hard at 50mph the disc bike felt amazing, but also wider tyres, less pressure, all helps.

The speeds they are going on the descents it’s a massive fine line with losing the contact path, calipers or disk regardless. They just have better lines through corners than us mere mortals.

Despite being September I can’t remember one bad weather stage (apart from very early stage that caused carnage). Maybe a few wet descents might have been different.

Saying that, there was a significant difference in time from changing a disk wheel to an old qr wheel from the team car and those are the seconds that would really count.

Pros who probably corner multiples harder than us mortals, weigh 3 stone less, using the whole width of the road to take smooth lines, all the potholes filled, and nice sunny weather.

Yep, I noticed the best footage of riders descending was of the Sunweb boys chasing down camera bikes in their rim-braked Cervelos!

I’ve always argued the benefits were over exaggerated, I run a variety of rim brakes with decent pads, have never felt they were a limiting factor on descents, I don’t do late hard braking on wet manky Scottish roads, that’s just suicide no matter what brakes you have!

Just a shame the manufacturers are pretty much 100% committed to discs now, almost as if disc brake bikes have a better profit margin or something…

I’ve always argued the benefits were over exaggerated

Pro’s don’t have to deal with a near-SMIDSY on a wet November evening. I havent upgraded yet but even with Swisstop pads and aluminium rims some descents are plain scary in the wet, grabbing some brake and it feeling like nothing it happening!

The tyres only ever really the limiting factor when theres crap on the road, even in the wet the rim brakes seem to suffer more than the tyres.

Just a shame the manufacturers are pretty much 100% committed to discs now, almost as if disc brake bikes have a better profit margin or something…

I imagine purchases of rim brake bikes fell through the floor as soon as disks came out. I cant think of anyone I know who’s bought a new mid range or above rim braked bike in the last few years except in the sales.

If people were actually buying them then they wouldnt discontinue them?

I dunno, it’s not like customers have been given a choice in some key areas of the market, e.g. in the ‘endurance road’ market the biggest manufacturers went all disc incredibly quickly, so it’s hard to say whether the market dictated or followed.

On the other hand I have to constantly remind myself I’m in the tiny minority of people who really resent being forced to pay more for heavier bikes just for the dubious benefit of a technology I neither need nor want, my choice of next bike appears to boil down to some over-price Looks (£3,200 for a bike with Mavic Aksium wheels 🙄) or custom Ti…

p.s. I have no idea why I don’t have one of these rim-brakes-in-the-wet near death stories that everyone seems to share, riding to conditions maybe? 😉

I like disc brakes on road bikes.

Not really bothered about anything or anyone else really.

I don’t do late hard braking on wet manky Scottish roads, that’s just suicide no matter what brakes you have!

I do – its good practice. Wider tyres tho

Every time you argue about disc brakes on teh interwebz, a quokka dies.

I hope that rests well with your conscience.

Gotta give it to ya 13FM, your solo perseverance on this argument is impressive, shame you’re on your own it seems.

And on the original point, the difference isn’t massive on high end well maintained bikes in the dry.

13thfloormonk, after witnessing you descending I struggle to believe you employ your brakes at all. 😉

Mere mortals like myself prefer to be able to brake without a hundred metres of planning ahead, even then hoping more than believing that the bike will stop in time.

Discs allow me to play/trim with the bikes speed a little more before and mid corner. And are more consistent in shitty weather.

I’d also argue that discs are cheaper and less maintenance long term compared to rim brakes if you do a lot of miles in all seasons.

However, both times I’ve ridden in the Alps, I have done so on Shimano 105 rim brakes and they performed very well.

My best road bike is still rim brake, I’ve ridden it a lot in the UK, the Pyrenees, the Alps and the Dolomites. I’ve ridden it in dry and wet conditions. I’ve found myself descending big hills in the wet with no apparent reduction of speed, being overtaken by crazy Italians who’ve lost control coming down the road on their bums.
My main riding bikes are all disc, but I still ride the rim bikes, but if it’s wet probably not.

I recall racing in a thunderstorm where the roads were awash and finding that my Campagnolo Record rim brakes had very little effect on my carbon wheels – the good thing was I finished second that day! No one wins races by using their brakes.

Gotta give it to ya 13FM, your solo perseverance on this argument is impressive, shame you’re on your own it seems.

Purely selfish Al, trying to turn back the tide of disc brake ubiquity just so I can enjoy a wider choice of bikes when I come to buy new again!

Might as well just start saving for some custom Ti now…

13thfloormonk, get yourself a Ritchey Logic with rim brakes before they’re no longer available.

https://www.bike24.com/p2346824.html

You know it makes sense 😉

My owning a Ritchey Logic road bike is pure coincidence in me recommending one, obviously 😂🤣

Or you could have the same bike as what the mighty Wout van Aert rides.

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Bianchi-Oltre-XR4-Dura-Ace-Fulcrum-Racing-418-2020-Road-Bike_217744.htm

I have no idea why I don’t have one of these rim-brakes-in-the-wet near death stories that everyone seems to share, riding to conditions maybe? 😉

Not got carbon rims more like

If people were actually buying them then they wouldnt discontinue them?

Friend of mine owns Bowman cycles, there was enough demand for the rim braked palace road frame to have another batch built.
I have a Pegoretti and they are yet to go disk, why would they when the order book is full?
I’ll be getting a disk bike for winter, main reason being a few sketchy moments downhill and ruining a rim in one ride where a piece of gritty rag caught round the brake block wore the shoulder away on a DT rim.