POLL: Disk brakes on road bikes?

entershikari

Should disk brakes become the standard for road bikes?... why/ why not?

craprider

breaks are shit in the wet.

badly_dubbed

c59 italia disc.

nuff said.

springtide9

badly_dubbed wrote:

c59 italia disc.
nuff said.

+1 - Uses Italian "Formula" brakes that we all know and love offroad!

fast as fupp

the fact that they dont seem to be able to eliminate drag would tend to rule them out of the pro peleton. what with frequent wheel changes.

maginal gains and all that.

springtide9

fast as fupp wrote:

the fact that they dont seem to be able to eliminate drag would tend to rule them out of the pro peloton. what with frequent wheel changes.

maginal gains and all that.

??? explain ???

I don't get any drag on my MTB and wheel changes are actually quicker than on the road bike.

declan1

Current road bike brakes do the job well enough, so why add disks? It's just unnecessary.

daviesee

declan1 wrote:

Current road bike brakes do the job well enough, so why add disks? It's just unnecessary.

+1.
Any additional power will just result in me heading over the bars.

andy46

While the disc's on my mtb are good, they can be a right pain with rubbing/dragging. Wheel changes are much quicker on the road bike.

Brakeless

I'd think there may be an argument for disc brakes if it means they could make wheels even lighter. Presumably carbon wheels would not have to be as thick if they didn't need to be braked on. Whether a lighter wheel plus disk brake and disk can be lighter than current wheels and brakes remains to be seen. Braking on carbon wheels in the wet is never brilliant and discs could be the answer.

jim453

Brakeless wrote:

I'd think there may be an argument for disc brakes if it means they could make wheels even lighter. Presumably carbon wheels would not have to be as thick if they didn't need to be braked on. Whether a lighter wheel plus disk brake and disk can be lighter than current wheels and brakes remains to be seen. Braking on carbon wheels in the wet is never brilliant and discs could be the answer.

There's quite a funny thread somewhere on this very topic. If I could be arsed I'd link to it. Basically it consists of loads of guys claiming to be scientists and dukeing it out over matters of scientific fact and conjecture over about ten pages. It's pretty heavy on the bedroom science and the testosterone though.

cougie

It's usually the rubber on the road that's the limiting factor ?

And they're banned for races for safety. Hot metal disks wouldn't be nice in a pile up.

So no - they'll never be the standard.

Giraffoto

I don't think it's absolutely necessary - but I can see it coming when Shimano or Sram finally get a hydraulic road lever to market. A dedicated road disc brake (a hypthetical Dura-Ace disc) would probably be smaller and lighter than a mountain one, and probably have a bit more feel at the expense of absolute stopping torque. And for the pro riders there'll be aluminium discs, too - they don't have to last a lifetime, just a stage!

BelgianBeerGeek

I don't think they should become standard. There will always be those who prefer calipers. Or cantis. Or a fixed gear. If you want them, that's fine.
I have them on my 'cross bike and they're OK. I will be interested to see how they improve technologically, though.

springtide9

The original thread was in the beginners section I believe.

It's a mute point as they are already on their way. Whether they are absolutely necessary or not doesn't really matter. Brake performance on a road bike is obviously not as important as off-road (as well as other factors that discs solved offroad related to mud etc)

I think most MTBers (I say most) find road brakes pretty poor, myself included. It was a 'game changer' off-road... but even as a disc fan, I don't see it as such a big enhancement on the road.

As for racing, they were also banned for Cross originally, but this was changed later. If the manufacturers want the racing rules changed so that it helps sell their products to the general consumer, the rules will be changed.

TBH, I think most riders would be more concerned about hitting tarmac at 30mph while wearing only lycra, rather than a hypothetical burn from a hot disc.

As per the previous thread (which was very long)... based on the weights of a 'full system' - difference in weight was around 100-200g.
I think the biggest stumbling block is cost (if you want equivalent weight) in terms of getting general acceptance, which I guess just like Di2, means it probably won't be mainstream for a while.

springtide9

dup!

Tom Butcher

I think it will become standard - manufacturers want to push new technology - they sponsor pro teams - pro teams ride what manufacturers want - we copy what the pros do.

Whether it is actually an advantage - I don't know as the only disc brakes I've ever used are on my cheapish Kona mountain bike. I think the possibilities for opening up carbon rim design in terms of weight and aerodynamics whilst improving braking especially in the wet could make it worthwhile. On the other hand with aerodynamics coming more to the fore how unaero are discs vs rim calipers ?

OffTheBackAdam

I can see the reason for them in MTB & X, better braking, rims won't wear away, but I can see no use for them on road bikes. Modern calliper brakes work so well, none of the old issues with rubber blocks not working on chromed rims in the wet.

Alain Quay

One clear advantage of disc brakes is this:

If you are on a continental sportive, stop on a steep mountain descent and listen. You will hear tyre tubes going 'bang' every few minutes. If I am correct, discs should eliminate that potentially dangerous risk from (usually) front tyre blowouts from anxious amateurs or those with over-inflated tyres overcooking the brakes.

That aside, it looks like the industry will push this as de rigeur, to keep the bike business ticking over.

badly_dubbed

on a purely aesthetic note.... i think they look fecking sexy!

AchillesLeftKnee

Alain Quay wrote:

If you are on a continental sportive, stop on a steep mountain descent and listen. You will hear tyre tubes going 'bang' every few minutes. If I am correct, discs should eliminate that potentially dangerous risk from (usually) front tyre blowouts from anxious amateurs or those with over-inflated tyres overcooking the brakes.

Scenarios like this are the ones that bother me. I'm sure pretty bog ordinary discs would work just fine under normal circumstances, but I worry about how even whopping great downhill MTB brakes would handle keeping a much freer rolling and, on average, faster moving road bike in check on seriously long descent.

Alain Quay

yes, they would want to be better. Any tandem riders out there who have ridden in the Alps on a tandem with disc brakes? If discs can survive that, they can survive anything.

snoopsmydogg

my interpretation was discs gave better feel and better braking in poor conditions so both get my vote. A little extra weight is a small sacrifice for more controlled stopping power.

with road bikes being lighter would it not be possible to fit a smaller maybe cable operated system to help save weight but still give the extra feel/power of a disc brake over calipers?

buddha

Many posts on the 1st page seem concerned with racing, and having a support vehicle with spare wheels. But I'll bet the closest most road bikes get to racing is their local Strava segment.
For the everyday cyclist, who doesn't clean their rims every 1/2 an hour (fnarr, fnarr) - discs will save your rims.

maddog 2

I already run discs on my commuter. Tons better than rim brakes. It's not even close. Once someone gets a decent carbon disc frame to market I'll be moving over for sure. There are some out there (Volagi, Colnago, spesh Roubaix, and now Parlee) but they are either ugly or stupidly expensive. It's just a matter of time and 2013 will see things moving that way for sure. It's already happening in CX.

NWLondoner

Carbon wheel manufacturers are looking forward to disc brakes becoming standard. They can then start using better composites for the wheels as they won't have to handle the issues with heat under braking.

NWLondoner

I was against them at first but apart from a cosmetic viewpoint and maybe the runniest added weight I think they are a win,win situation

MaxwellBygraves

It's a no-brainer for me - I'll be putting off buying a new road bike until discs are the norm, which I think will be 2 or 3 years.

APIII

They could be useful if you live in the alps I suppose but can't see any benefit for me. Industry thrives on innovation though so if they manage to persuade people of the supposed benefits they can shift more bikes.

Monty Dog

The big advantages of disc brakes are:
Lighter rims e.g. carbon and no need for heavier, sacrificial brake tracks and no worries about overheating rims / tyres.
As well as absolute brake power, modulation and control is better too - you can often brake mid-turn without it upsetting the bike handling.
They work, regardless of weather unlike rim brakes e.g. carbon rims in the wet are rubbish

Frank the tank

MaxwellBygraves wrote:

It's a no-brainer for me - I'll be putting off buying a new road bike until discs are the norm, which I think will be 2 or 3 years.

We'll see.

Somehow think it will be more than three years fella.