So who's crossed to the Disc Darkside ?

DeVlaeminck

Not used them on a road bike but will be shifting to them on my next bike - probably a gravel bike to double up as a winter trainer/light tourer/tracks and trails machine. I think between discs and electronic shifting discs will take off faster and become more universal.

homers_double

I agree because there is an advantage at all levels wheras your average joe wont notice the benefit from Di2

andrewjoseph

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19627002#p19627002]Zak3737[/url] wrote:

As the OP, and a long time user of MTB's, even over in the Alps, I KNOW how good & much better Discs are than Rim brakes, so need no convincing there.
Its more a curiosity if anyone was having any issues at all, rubbing discs etc, - but perhaps on road bikes, the discs are virtually giaranteed to never get knocked while riding, and so same issues are not happening.
Plus, perhaps bike disc manufacturers have improved piston performances in discs, so sticking pistons on hydraulics are less common too ?

we got our disk braked bikes for touring and day rides. on a long descent, fully loaded, the disks can get so hot they warp (and start to melt the plastic parts on the bb7's). i changed from the avid rotors to generic 160 shimano rotors and the warping is much less, but still happens, especially on my wife's bike as she drags the brakes more.

I think you will still occasionally need to true rotors slightly, at least, i have to. i have now put spyres on the front of our bikes as the plastic parts of the bb7's were getting too out of shape.

veronese68

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19627160#p19627160]Ber Nard[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19627153#p19627153]Veronese68[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19627133#p19627133]Ber Nard[/url] wrote:

any "problems" associated with disc brakes can only be put down to poor installation.

Or poor maintenance, using spray lube near a disc is a bad idea. But agree with you in principle.

True. Without wanting to derail the thread, a lot is said about contaminating disc brake pads. Can the same not be said of rim brake pads?

Yes, but people know about rim brakes but aren't used to disc brakes on bicycles. Read the MTB workshop section and people are evangelical about not using aerosols near discs to avoid contamination. Possibly the materials in disc pads mean they absorb oil whilst rubber blocks can be cleaned more easily. Also car disc brake cleaners should never be used as they contain oil. Car braking systems are obviously vastly more powerful and burn off this light oil, bicycle discs can't.
Not really derailing, it's relevant as some may not get on with discs due to a bad experience caused by bad set up or poor maintenance.

diy

I will go disc on the next bike. In fact I've been holding off buying a new bike until some of the better aero bikes go disc. I would have liked to see some innovation though, rather than just mini mtb brakes. But looking forward to not wearing out a set of wheels so quickly and finding the cost of rims is the same as replacements.

homers_double

Does this raise the question about the quality of £4-500 disc frame sets available on ebay from china?

bendertherobot

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19627289#p19627289]diy[/url] wrote:

I will go disc on the next bike. In fact I've been holding off buying a new bike until some of the better aero bikes go disc. I would have liked to see some innovation though, rather than just mini mtb brakes. But looking forward to not wearing out a set of wheels so quickly and finding the cost of rims is the same as replacements.

What type of innovation, out of interest? MTB discs have had years to innovate but are pretty much the same. Ditto cars (ABS aside) I guess. It's a big disc with a grabby thing.

Do you mean in terms of placement or tech or, what really?

mfin

Anyone who's ridden lots of mtbs at lots of price points will tell you that you can get hydraulic brakes which are disappointing but work and ones that are fantastic, and that's with the same size rotors.

As for contamination, it is a right pain if it happens, as it can render a brake almost useless, I've witnessed it on 'a one finger pull and you stop like you hit a wall' bike turn into a 'grab all you can the bike just keeps going for 20 metres' (that's on the flat, forget stopping downhill). People try dragging the brakes to then get some improvement, it can take a long time. One thing you can do though is take the pads out and put them in the oven for an hour, that generally brings them back quite well and with no effort or riding a bike dragging the brakes a hundred times to sort them out.

Personally, disc brakes don't interest me, I don't ride in traffic and am not heavy enough to need any more braking power. If I did have them in years to come when they are on everything, I'd go with good ones, not ones that are entry level, no way, cos I've ridden them on mtbs and they can be crap at braking and crap feeling.

mfin

Veronese68 wrote:

I think people have lopped the ends off fingers with discs whilst working on bikes.

Same people who electrify themselves sticking a knife in a toaster.

veronese68

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19627373#p19627373]mfin[/url] wrote:

Same people who electrify themselves sticking a knife in a toaster.

Indeed, people shouldn't need telling. Stupid enough, but not serious enough to result in a Darwin award.

pippi_langsamer-2

For me, the advantage of disc brakes will be more evident on any bike that's ridden thru the winter- be it CX bike (obv), or "Winter", training bike. Rim brakes and Winter road paste really does chew thru normal rims. You obviously wont have this with discs, and cost of new pads/ rotors is less than cost of new wheels and pads, or new rims and rebuild costs.

Other than my MTB, I don't have a bike with discs but I'll probably get one next as my current Winter bike is pretty much had it. Probably go for a Crux with TRP hybrid hydraulics, or full hydro 105's...

the_hundredth_idiot

I'm thinking about a new bike at the moment (probably no more than about £2k).

I've decided to hold off for a couple of years and see how disc brakes develop. It's not so much that I think disc brakes will be a fad but more that the technology will improve at the top end and trickle down to the mass market.

kajjal

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19627576#p19627576]The Hundredth Idiot[/url] wrote:

I'm thinking about a new bike at the moment (probably no more than about £2k).

I've decided to hold off for a couple of years and see how disc brakes develop. It's not so much that I think disc brakes will be a fad but more that the technology will improve at the top end and trickle down to the mass market.

Good road bike hydraulic disc brakes are currently about four times the price of their MTB equivalent. I would just wait as the prices will drop.

the_hundredth_idiot

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19627579#p19627579]Kajjal[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19627576#p19627576]The Hundredth Idiot[/url] wrote:

I'm thinking about a new bike at the moment (probably no more than about £2k).

I've decided to hold off for a couple of years and see how disc brakes develop. It's not so much that I think disc brakes will be a fad but more that the technology will improve at the top end and trickle down to the mass market.

Good road bike hydraulic disc brakes are currently about four times the price of their MTB equivalent. I would just wait as the prices will drop.

Exactly.

cookeeemonster

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19627583#p19627583]The Hundredth Idiot[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19627579#p19627579]Kajjal[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19627576#p19627576]The Hundredth Idiot[/url] wrote:

I'm thinking about a new bike at the moment (probably no more than about £2k).

I've decided to hold off for a couple of years and see how disc brakes develop. It's not so much that I think disc brakes will be a fad but more that the technology will improve at the top end and trickle down to the mass market.

Good road bike hydraulic disc brakes are currently about four times the price of their MTB equivalent. I would just wait as the prices will drop.

Exactly.

The 105 version is out in the next month or two - should be a lot cheaper than the current shimano ultegra hydraulic offering...

Monty Dog

I saw my first road bike in 2001 - custom steel - built my own in 2002 using a custom titanium frame - effectively a P-X Kaffenback with bigger clearances / discs as no stock frames available. Only brakes available were BB7s and anyone who says they are poor is a mechanical numbtie. Did some great years service in all conditions including a few traverses of the Southdowns Way. Eventually sold it about 5 years ago - I have 2 other CX bikes with cantis and too many pairs of wheels to want to swap to discs. My last three bikes have been MTBs but if I do go for another road frame, expect it will be discs.

bendertherobot

BB7's are fine, horrible, great, terrible in equal measure. As monty said, if you are a numpty, they are a pain. What they need is some patience and they work very well. But they are now completely overshadowed by TRP offerings.

BB5's however are the work of Satan.

luv2ride

I still have issues with my TRP Spyres on my CX bike, despite changing discs and pads (to rule out contamination issues). Think its primarily a lack of compressionless outer, after looking at a similar equipped Condor bike at Bespoke Bristol where the brake action was very light and short travel. Have more recently been riding my roadie with new carbon clinchers (non alu brack track) and braking is better on that than my discs :shock:

I'll wait a while before going full in to hydro road discs....

wide phil

Every mountain biker I speak to has at least 1 finger missing due to getting them chopped off whilst maintaining their discs

dodgy

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19627710#p19627710]CookeeeMonster[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19627583#p19627583]The Hundredth Idiot[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19627579#p19627579]Kajjal[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19627576#p19627576]The Hundredth Idiot[/url] wrote:

I'm thinking about a new bike at the moment (probably no more than about £2k).

I've decided to hold off for a couple of years and see how disc brakes develop. It's not so much that I think disc brakes will be a fad but more that the technology will improve at the top end and trickle down to the mass market.

Good road bike hydraulic disc brakes are currently about four times the price of their MTB equivalent. I would just wait as the prices will drop.

Exactly.

The 105 version is out in the next month or two - should be a lot cheaper than the current shimano ultegra hydraulic offering...

The current Shimano road hydraulic system is 'non-series', it's not Ultegra. But I see what you mean, looks like they're about to start having groupset series for disc brakes just as they do now for gears, pedals etc.

kingstonian

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19626797#p19626797]kayakerchris[/url] wrote:

SS cable for commute and full hydraulic Di2 for best bike.

Would not go back ever.

Wet, muddy descent in peaks with discs is so much more enjoyable than on rim brakes.

Full hydraulic Di2 for me also. Absolutely brilliant, cannot fault it.

awavey

also a happy TRP Spyre user so far,still getting used to them fully as I tend to plan my braking ahead alot further ahead as Im also running clipless and want to make sure I dont find myself flapping at the last minute, but certainly confident enough in them to be virtually only using the front brake now.

whereas on my hybrid rim brakes a really strong stop requires both brakes,the only slight rubbing Ive noticed is when Im wheeling my bike around back into the house and it squeeks abit, rest of the time dont notice it at all

I know a colleague at work had real problems on a CX bike with hydraulic disc brakes, but that seemed entirely a sweet point setup thing and the LBS didnt have a clue how to do it, and involved months of return to manufacturer type fixing, but once in the sweet spot they were apparently ace, it just never lasted more than a ride at a time, which is why I avoided the hydraulic option.

the_cyclist_of_catan

What I'm reading here is lots of rim brake users who feel that their rim brakes are adequate, who feel that discs are fiddly to setup/maintain, or who don't see the point of changing.

I've not heard from a *single* disc brake user who would prefer to go back to using rim brakes.

Which probably settles the "argument".

Me, I use rim brakes because that's what my frame fits. As and when I get a new bike, I expect it'll have disc brakes.

But note that I am thinking that by then we'll have a Holy Trinity of tech upgrades in four parts. Hydraulic disc brakes, which need more space in the shifters, (almost) mandating the use of (wireless) electronic shifting, and allowing carbon rims, which make tubeless tyres more reliable (no rim temperature issues if the braking surface is a disc). All seems to make perfect sense to me - three or four technologies that don't quite work on their own but put together add up to something I'd like to have on my bike.

NeXXus

I guess you're not aware that Shimano Di2 is available with hydraulic brakes then?

But yes, wireless would be interesting

Ber Nard

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19629712#p19629712]awavey[/url] wrote:

I know a colleague at work had real problems on a CX bike with hydraulic disc brakes, but that seemed entirely a sweet point setup thing and the LBS didnt have a clue how to do it, and involved months of return to manufacturer type fixing, but once in the sweet spot they were apparently ace, it just never lasted more than a ride at a time, which is why I avoided the hydraulic option.

Out of interest; which brakes?

bikingjohn

Got a Domane 4.5 Disc here. Satisfying braking performance during descending and raining, without hurting my carbon wheels. Wouldn't go back to rim brake.

tjm160

I've moved my 2014 Giant Defy 1 Aluxx to my wet/winter bike, replacing with a Giant Defy Advanced 1 as my best bike. I confess I was expecting better from the brakes, even though 'only' mechanical. They're definitely a positive step up from the rim brakes on the Aluxx Defy, but nowhere near as good as even the entry level hydraulics on my (2013) Giant XtC Composite 29er. They're powerful enough, but feel very 'jumpy' (I imagine that the poorer modulation in comparison with hydraulics?) and are very noisy. Unless in a position to add that +1 really really best bike, with better wheels and hydraulics, in due course, once there are more hydraulic options and at realistic prices, I shall definitely upgrade.

stueys

Rival 22 on my winter, CX bike (hydro discs) and DA 9070 on my lovely best bike. Hydro discs outperform calipers in every way, but it's especially pronounced in the wet or the crappy, grime covered conditions we get in winter. To be honest the only people arguing that discs aren't better are those who haven't ridden them.

Having said that I wouldn't plunge into an expensive bike with discs yet. Standards aren't yet broadly aligned, the kit will get lighter/more aero and I'd like to see a bit more usage of discs on long mountain descents before I got completely comfortable in that environment on them. Having said that I passed a few guys riding discs on stelvio last week so I'm probably being overly cautious there.

In 2-3 years time we'll all be eyeing up a lightweight bike with discs, sitting on carbon wheels with ultra light rim weight and fully aero shaped to the tyre wondering who the luddites were who preferred callipers....