STW Roadies, would consider a new road bike with rim brakes?

Yes absolutely but I would not be happy buying a bike that maxed out at 25c!

Was out on the road bike the other day and thought about this when descending from a ski station. Disc brakes on carbon deep section wheels are a game changer.

I still have an old Specialized Allez with rim brakes. It’s fine no issues braking with wheels with Alu brake tracks.

Would I buy a new rim brake road bike? No why would you limit yourself to old technology. New group sets are coming out disc only. Even the new Specialized Allez is disc only. Disc brake bikes are more expensive but mine is no heavier than a rim brake bike at around 7.5kgs I could lighten it to 6.9kg with some exotic wheels, pedals and saddle. The only advantage I see with rim brakes is cost,

The only advantage I see with rim brakes is cost,

Which was sort of the nub of my original question, and not a point to be dismissed really, money is actually a consideration for some of us…

The only advantage I see with rim brakes is cost,

Which can be significant. I almost talked myself into buying the disc brake equivalent of the bike I just bought as the local shop had one built up that I could have test ridden and possibly walked away with, but I really baulked at spending that extra ~£1k on a bunch of new tech I don’t need or want, especially when it would make a lot of perfectly good existing kit in my garage obsolete.

(oh, and especially especially because it would have cost more AND been heavier than the equivalent rim brake build, madness 😂)

I’ve found one of the advantages of discs is braking on the hoods is much more powerful, calipers even when set up well always felt a lot more sketchy when on the hoods but good discs give me much more confidence. Obviously on long descents I’ll be on the drops anyway but for bimbling or unexpected stops it does make a difference.

I’ve just sold my rim braked road bike for a bargain price on eBay. I’d be searching there first rather than going for new.

At the heavy end of the spectrum I hated the lack of stopping power and confidence compared to discs. Same with the skinny tyres.

if I get another it will be 100% discs and room for some 30mm+ tyres, or more realistically a road focussed gravel bike with a tyre swap.

Absolutely I would, I prefer rim brakes anyway and currently on a custom Gian TCR with them that I don’t plan on selling or updating any time for the next 5 years at least. If buying now I would look for rim brakes for sure.

They’ve never not stopped me and I’m not someone who really enjoys maintenance so the simpler the better for me.

Disc brake bikes don’t need to be heavier. There is however a trend of heavier bikes and a trend of more expensive bikes. So you get a lot less for your money these days. However there is no doubt in my mind discs are superior especially with carbon rims. Whether you are willing to pay the premium or can find a way to minimise the premium is the question.

If I was buying now I would look at the Aluminium options. New Trek and Specialized alu road bikes look really good. They are a bit heavy mind in stock build. You could however buy a discounted disc frame set, a discounted disc Groupset and nice carbon wheels and carbon aero handlebars. Ali express is good for carbon wheels and handlebars you just need to do a bit of research. I’d also be looking at discounted AXS Groupset (though I dont like a 10 tooth cog).

Yes. Love my dura ace callipers. Alloy rim stopping in the wet is not an issue. Carbon with decent pads are also fine. And they are lighter and they don’t rub.

hell no on used or new.

For a summer only never sees a hint of dampness or rain or grimy gritty road surfaces yeah I can see why you would stick with the rim brakes.

Personally though I don’t have space for a purely summer road bike, and my next one will be steel or titanium (if I’ve won the lottery), have discs and plenty of room for wider tyres with mudguards to make riding all year round a bit more comfortable.

“Carbon with decent pads is also fine” really? Wow rim brakes on carbon brake tracks should be consigned to history. You can say it’s fine in the dry but who can guarantee perfect conditions in this country.

For riding in the Southdowns in the dry i have no issues using my rim brake bike over my disc brake one

In fact id go as far as to say my rim brake bike stops almost if not on par with my disc brake bike in the dry!

Disc brake bike has Sram Force levers, Hope RX4+ calipers and stops quickly and consistanly

Rim brake bike has Campag Super record levers, brake calipers and campag’s specail carbon brake pads working on campag Bora Ultra wheels with their Diamante brake track

The brakes are the best rim brakes ive ever had, think its a combo of the lever shape (much better than Shimano & Sram) the Super record calipers, Campags brake blocks and the Diamante brake track, the whole package just makes the brakes work so well

Have another bike with Shimano Ultegra rim brakes with Vision TC40 wheels, all i will say is the first few times i use the brakes i go oh sh*t brake earlier!!!!

Not a chance.  I’m very happy that all my bikes now have no cables/outers that need to be fettled and replaced. One less thing.   Less of an issue for a summer road bike.

I can’t honestly see why you’d buy a new bike with rim brakes. My road bike, which only gets summer and alpine-type use, runs Campag Chorus brakes with Mavic Exalith rims and matching Swissstop pads and stops brilliantly wet or dry with a bonus mad, turbine whine. I love the bike and can’t see any reason to sell it, but if I were going to, I can’t imagine why I wouldn’t want hydraulic disc brakes.

Admitting that isn’t the same as saying ‘rim brakes are rubbish’ or similar, but come on, rim brakes wear your rims out, don’t work as well in the wet (mostly) as disc brakes and need regular adjustment to keep working optimally. I don’t know quite why people are being so precious about them, but I can remember a similar mtb-based scenario where people argued that ‘well set up vee-brakes are as good as discs’ and ‘well set up calipers are as good as vees’, ergo, well set up calipers are ‘as good as disc brakes’. Does anyone really believe that?

Ironically, for elite level riders, I can imagine the main downside of disc brakes is actually wheels swapping when stuff goes wrong and you need to mess around with through axles.

Anyway, for me,  no,  I would not consider a new road bike with rim brakes.

Have another bike with Shimano Ultegra rim brakes with Vision TC40 wheels, all i will say is the first few times i use the brakes i go oh sh*t brake earlier!!!!

This was my experience too.  I had a beautiful Litespeed Sienna Ti road bike, full Dura Ace, Bontrager XXX wheels.  Just lovely and never had any issues or even thoughts about the brakes despite having several MTBs with discs alongside it.  Then in 2012, I built my first disc road/cross bike, a Croix de Fer and didn’t ride the Litespeed for a year. I then built a Day One with Di2 and Hydraulics,  the transition from cable discs to hydros, wasn’t much and I didn’t notice, but 18m later I rode the Litespeed for the first time.  My goodness it was shockingly bad.  When I came to the first big stop I shot through the junction stop despite heaving on the brakes and skidded to a halt about 3m past the junction.  Even several stops later they were still taking some getting used to.

bigger tyres and better brakes means you can start stopping much later.  Coupled with the idea that shorter sharper stops actually help clean your discs means that gentle stops aren’t the normal thing.

Gradual change is a funny thing, it makes you forget how much has changed.

My current road bike has rim brakes but tbh upon some reflection, I wouldn’t get a new bike with discs. The problem is though to get a bike of similar weight I would need to spend a lot of money and this may well be why I still have the same old bike. I just don’t want to spend the money

The only advantage I see with rim brakes is cost,

So you are correct I suppose but some of us need to watch what we spend.

I personally wouldn’t and I do look occasionally but only for disk bikes

If you were considering getting a new bike with rim brakes, you might want to question the need for a new bike anyway.. it’ll be the same as the old , just in a different colour.

And not buying a new bike is the best way to save money

I generally ride my Genesis CDF with discs and mudguards. When the sun comes out so does my old Litespeed road bike with rim brakes.

If I was going to replace the road bike I would get discs but other than steep tight descents on narrow roads I don’t have a huge problem with rim brakes.

I am considering a new road bike after a few hairy moments in the wet with rim brakes on deep carbon rims.

As well as better stopping power there’s more clearance allowing for wider rim and bigger tyres, less need to manage heat on long descents and rims don’t wear out (have seen blowouts from both of the last points).

Like others though, currently stalled by the cost and weight issues.  I have a DA9000 equipped TdF stage winning capable bike (definitely not rider) that is 7.2kg with 50mm rims, including pedals and cages.  It’ll cost me a significant amount to improve braking, tyre clearance and aero while adding a good chunk of weight.  Aero is probably a marginal gain at best for a rider like me.

When I do buy thought, it’ll 100% have discs.

The only advantage I see with rim brakes is cost,

But you need to factor in the cost of wearing out rims…

Would you believe it the Al Gore Rhythm just stuck this in my YT feed:

The internet is clearly trying to convince me…

Rim brake for road bikes for me. Discs for mtb and gravel.

Shimano road disks and pads are absolutely extortionate. I genuinely think wearing out rims might be cheaper in the long run.

It’s also pretty easy to cook road discs on a long descent.

But you need to factor in the cost of wearing out rims…

On a summer road bike? I’m 10,000 very dry kilometres in on my Fulcrum 3s and stock brake pads. I got about 4000km out of the OEM wheels on my winter road bike with rim brakes, only ditched the wheels because too many spokes had snapped (cheap OEM although decent DT alloy rims).

Absolutely disc brakes for me.

– rim brakes are going to obsolete as far as shifters etc for spares, and resale low

– bigger tyre clearance – just more comfortable on 28mm tyres.

– I’ve not had the oft reported squeal or ching-ching-ching of overly close clearances on warped discs (shimano Ice rotors do seem the be shiiite for that – I’m on plain stainless rotors.

– not worn through any rims.i  3 years since getting  disc braked bike (unlike the rim brake bike)

– none of the nasty horrible grey-black slurry and shite of rim material / brakes block on my hands, unless having to sort a friends bike that is still on rim brake.

It’s the concept of a summer-only bike that perplexes me. Why would I want to ride a worse bike just because it’s wet?

It’s the concept of a summer-only bike that perplexes me. Why would I want to ride a worse bike just because it’s wet?

Ironically, in the past, it would probably – in practical terms anyway – be to avoid wearing out your rims along with your posh drivetrain. See also ‘winter training tyres’ like the awful Gatorskins. Why would you want to ride all winter on tyres with dreadful wet weather grip?

I guess the other answer is about riding something nice, on dry, warm, sunny roads, so it’s a special experience devoid of mudguards, capes etc. Never underestimate the power of tradition in roadie circles, some things are just because they always have been – this is a culture which obsesses over sock length for example and how you arrange your sunglass arms. See also rim brakes…

It’s the concept of a summer-only bike that perplexes me. Why would I want to ride a worse bike just because it’s wet?

Due to my whatever the opposite of hoarding is mental problem I only have one bike at a time it is not something that is a problem for me.  I have one bike that I ride all year round.  The winter does takes it’s toll though and my bike looks like more of a mess than if I had just used it in summer.

The drivetrain parts presumably last less time but they still need to be replaced after n,000 miles anyway winter or summer so not something I worry about.

this is a culture which obsesses over sock length for example and how you arrange your sunglass arms.

I have been riding road bikes in clubs and other groups for 20+ years and no one has ever mentioned sock length or if my glass arms go under or over straps

I have been riding road bikes in clubs and other groups for 20+ years and no one has ever mentioned sock length or if my glass arms go under or over straps

If you aren’t the one judging others, then they are judging you 😉

It’s the concept of a summer-only bike that perplexes me. Why would I want to ride a worse bike just because it’s wet?

Don’t want mudguards and 32mm heavy puncture proof tyres in the summer but I do in winter. Having said that my winter bike cost £1500 and my summer bike £400 off eBay!

If you aren’t the one judging others, then they are judging you

Maybe, but who cares. When I first started doing regular club road rides I used to turn up with a camelback and a peaked helmet. I think I was more judged for my frayed gear cable out of the rear mech!!

I reckon I get more judged now wearing lycra on my mtb

The only issue is if buying new, a lot of the manufacturers now only offer limited models and specs in rim brakes bikes. Most entry level or very high end. The days of tiagra/105/ultegra groupsets and associated finishing kit on the same frameset are gone for now

It’s the concept of a summer-only bike that perplexes me. Why would I want to ride a worse bike just because it’s wet?

Don’t want mudguards and 32mm heavy puncture proof tyres in the summer but I do in winter. Having said that my winter bike cost £1500 and my summer bike £400 off eBay!

My ‘winter road bike’ is even more cheap and cheerful TBF and serves year round as my commuter: an old steel frame/fork 1×10 gears, friction shifting, dynamo lights and yes, rim brakes still.

It’s probably a more obvious candidate for a disc braked replacement, but I’ve not felt the necessity. It’s a reliable workhorse that basically saves other bikes from getting knackered, if it was nicer that would sort of defeat the point I guess.

Don’t want mudguards and 32mm heavy puncture proof tyres in the summer but I do in winter.

I bought a nice bike that could take mudguards. Removing and refitting them is a mild annoyance but no big deal. The 28c tyres are fine any time of year. It’s suitable for my riding at any time of year so if I were to buy a seasonal bike it would essentially be the same. So I’d have two identical bikes but one would have mudguards on. Bit daft 🙂

I didn’t expect this thread to go beyond one page, but it’s interesting how it’s morphed into a bit of a mixed debate over relative costs and onto the merits of having seasonal bikes Vs one year round job. I kind of thought the whole “discs on road bikes” was a done deal now, I was just trying to gauge how dead rim brakes really are now.

As ever with STW it turns out that just have the wrong use case(s) for half of the forum 😃

I can’t see me dropping the whole winter/summer bike thing any time soon, it’s strangely satisfying to wander into the garage and just grab the tool for the ride you’re about to do, not have to piss about fitting/removing guards or faffing with lights and knowing that you’ll have a few months of ‘off season’ to fix and fettle the posh one between October and ~May.

Start stockpiling parts for the older bikes. My boss broke his Forme frame earlier this year and replacements with rim brakes were more than he wanted to spend. As it was he spent £1700 (about the price our LBS quoted for a replacement frame) on a Cube with 12 speed manual 105 and discs.

It’s the concept of a summer-only bike that perplexes me. Why would I want to ride a worse bike just because it’s wet?

This is another of those dated roadie views though where your winter bike was a fractionally different version of your summer bike with all the slightly worn parts from your summer bike transplanted onto it and with mudguards.

You’d then buy new stuff for the summer bike.

I think the advent of gravel/all-road bikes has probably killed off this whole “winter bike” thing cos you can have something that’s actually designed for mud, gravel, crap roads etc and with acres of clearance to deal with all of that.

Are we back to the Schrödingers disc brake discussion again?  Simultaneously dangerous in a mixed (disc/rim) group because they are too powerful but yet also no better at stopping than rim brakes.

I’m surprised nobody has yet thrown in that gem about burning their hand/leg/other random body part on a hot rotor, or how one could decapitate you if you fell off the wrong way.

Winter bike is an ideal bike for winter, although I accept many people now just Zwift all winter so don’t need a winter bike, maybe they have Zwift bikes!