Disk or Rim

meemik10

People, any thoughts on this i.e. do you have them and like them or not, are they a passing fad or are decent rim brakes just as good? Was looking at a Giant Defy 0 and couldn't decide. Bike shop guy was non-committal and says it just what your preference is.

Cheers

Tashman

Interesting to see that the pro peleton has agreed to trial discs again next year.

fat daddy

I like disks on my mountain bikes and on my commuter ..... but for the lesser braking performance, I choose the weight savings and aero and asthetics of rim brakes on my road bike

so both for me !!! .. no on the same bike though

dj58

I wouldn't let the fact that the Giant Defy 0 has rim brakes put you off, if you upgrade the standard Shimano non-series calipers to Ultegra BR-6800 or 105 BR-5800 calipers and SwissStop BXP blue pads, you will have very good braking, though as with all rim brakes will eventually wear the rims braking surface away.

slowbike

Really is a depends ...

on my road bike - Rim brakes are absolutely fine - they work as well as I need them to. No need for disk brakes.
on my 29er - disk brakes are excellent - give much more control (percived) in wet & mucky conditions.
on my commute bike - I've got rim brakes that work for the most part, but would like the improved performance of the 29er brakes - especially when I've got my son in a seat or in the trailer on the back.

With the "road" bikes all sharing the same braking method I can swap wheels as needed - only the 29er doesn't have that luxury - unless I pinch my wife's wheels - however, as I only generally pinch wheels when I get a flat and I'm in a hurry it doesn't matter so much.

thegreatdivide

Please make this stop. It's like fu*king Ground Hog Day in here these days.

imposter2.0

thegreatdivide wrote:

Please make this stop. It's like fu*king Ground Hog Day in here these days.

Surely this is the first time this topic has ever been raised?

thegreatdivide

Imposter wrote:

thegreatdivide wrote:

Please make this stop. It's like fu*king Ground Hog Day in here these days.

Surely this is the first time this topic has ever been raised?

:oops: Looks like I've slipped out of that parallel universe where the same topics keep appearing in a cycling forum and the same people post the same answers over and over again. It's a horrible place.

Have any of you guys seen the prices of that Rapha stuff?????

fat daddy

dude ! ..... you know what needs to be done, quit whinging, learn to play the piano and woo Andy MacDowell

thegreatdivide

fat daddy wrote:

dude ! ..... you know what needs to be done, quit whinging, learn to play the piano and woo Andy MacDowell

Ah! I got you (babe).

svetty

Disk brakes for winter bike/commuter, Rim brakes for summer/fair weather bikes

/thread

Although whether you have QRs or TAs for your disks is a bit more contentious

Giraffoto

For a road bike that's going to be used on the road, don't let this be the reason to decide one way or another.

bbrap

Disk brake with TA on the front, rim brake with QR on the back, Rapha arm warmers to keep the cost down, whats not to like

grenw

DJ58 wrote:

I wouldn't let the fact that the Giant Defy 0 has rim brakes put you off, if you upgrade the standard Shimano non-series calipers to Ultegra BR-6800 or 105 BR-5800 calipers and SwissStop BXP blue pads, you will have very good braking, though as with all rim brakes will eventually wear the rims braking surface away.

Exactly this. I just swapped a Defy 0 upgraded with 6800 brakes to a full hydraulic disc braked bike. They each stop pretty much at the same rate. The disc brakes do however feel better - easier to modulate and work the same in all conditions. I've not regretted the choice especially as I ride mostly on the hoods and they are easier to control from there.

If you don't mind the weight and can afford the extra for hydraulic discs go for it but it's not a huge leap in performance for the most.

daniel_b

thegreatdivide wrote:

Imposter wrote:

thegreatdivide wrote:

Please make this stop. It's like fu*king Ground Hog Day in here these days.

Surely this is the first time this topic has ever been raised?

:oops: Looks like I've slipped out of that parallel universe where the same topics keep appearing in a cycling forum and the same people post the same answers over and over again. It's a horrible place.

Have any of you guys seen the prices of that Rapha stuff?????

halvis

If riding in a group, what brakes to the others in the group have? If you are the only one with discs, you could be frequently re-ended!! :oops:

mrb123

fat daddy wrote:

dude ! ..... you know what needs to be done, quit whinging, learn to play the piano and woo Andy MacDowell

Andie's brother?

rick_chasey

In fairness, all the arguments about 'what if people run into the back of me' was the same argument people used when they first introduced disk brakes in cars.

It's more about the money and the faff for what's a fairly marginal gain.

As ever, losing 5 kilos will make a bigger difference than which braking apparatus you use.

kajjal

It depends on the rider and where you expect to ride. In the wet, on loose surfaces and for heavier riders good quality hydraulic disc brakes offer better power, control and consistency of braking on the road. If you only ride in the dry on good roads and are lightweight the difference is not as marked.

Good quality disc brakes are easy to maintain and unless contaminated are pretty much a fit and forget component.

cycleclinic

disc brakes are better brakes full stop well the good ones are anyway. Rim brakes are adaquate to awful. I ride everyday on disc brake and on sundays race I could have done with disc brakes. I would have been able to brake later into the bends and maybe come out of the last bend a couple of places higher with a point or two more.

When BC says disc brakes are go I am selling my Look and replacing it.

Vslowpace

halvis wrote:

If riding in a group, what brakes to the others in the group have? If you are the only one with discs, you could be frequently re-ended!! :oops:

Only if you are a complete idiot not paying attention and have poor braking technique.

imposter2.0

thecycleclinic wrote:

I ride everyday on disc brake and on sundays race I could have done with disc brakes. I would have been able to brake later into the bends and maybe come out of the last bend a couple of places higher with a point or two more.

Presumably all riders were on calipers and it was the same for everyone - which makes that argument completely redundant.

mugensi

I have Ultegra rim brakes on my carbon bike and theyre excellent even with carbon wheels. Its my 'good' bike and so I only use it during summer/dry weather and have no need for discs or better brakes.

My 29er has disc brakes and theyre excellent and absolutely needed on it, theyre so sharp and light to use.

My winter/wet bike also has rim brakes. I've upgraded the pads to swissstop greens and they offer good braking even in the wet but I would love disc brakes on that bike as it gets used exclusively in the wet and during winter.

I'm eligible for the BTW scheme again in January and may replace the winter bike with something with hydraulic disc brakes...The 2017 Felt VR30 being a strong contender at present.

Tiesetrotter

My hydraulic discs feel like the best caliper brakes in the dry, wet, shitty weather of London Town and the shitty dirty lanes of Kent Surrey and Sussex. But I'll be sticking to rims in the summer, why change a carbon rim will last for years.

Rear ending I ask you! You're a plonker not paying attention. I can ride an old set of Roval Alpinista's with a braking surface polished to glass in the wet and never do that.

As to the same posts. Well we get on a bike, pedal it and then stop pedaling it ............... close the forum, a crime has been committed that somebody wants to discuss something.

I am waiting for my moment ..... Campagnolo V's Shitmano thread. You know you only buy Shitmano because you can't bear the fact your choice is driven by a conglomerate buying it's market share.

darkhairedlord

I would go with rim brakes, every time. The disc brakes don't fit on my bike so i'm kind stuffed other wise.
However, if you have a disc compatible frame set then I would suggest fitting discs instead of rim brakes.

meemik10

Thanks for the replies , sorry if it has been re-hashed a few thousand times but not all of us are hardened road warriors. If it does bother you simply ignore the post and choose not to read it and let it bother you.

Toodle-Pip

ZMC888

I'm still on the fence with this one.
Some background: I've got 3 mountain bikes with hydraulic disk brakes, two with Shimano on SLX and one XT, plus another with Avid Juicy. Got a CX bike with Avid BB7 mech disks and a road bike with 105 rim brakes.

Why I like rim brakes:
1. Surprisingly good stopping power in the dry, and good modulation.
2. Light weight.
3. Loads of wheel options like Zondas etc.
4. Lack of rub.
5. Easy to set up and work on.

Why I like disk brakes:
1. Heat dispersed into disk instead of into wheel, no brake fade, less wear on rim.
2. Stopping power in wet conditions.
3. Reliable and easy to bleed.
4. More space for wider tires.

Something I would say is about mechanical disk brakes, their performance isn't generally as good as a good rim brake these days.

meanredspider

ZMC888 wrote:

Something I would say is about mechanical disk brakes, their performance isn't generally as good as a good rim brake these days.

Are you basing that statement on the performance of your BB7s (a design, I understand, that was a hand-me-down from MTB years ago)? Modern mech disc brakes, whilst not quite as good as full hydraulic, are very very good. I have Ultegra rims on the Foil, a hybrid of HyRd (front) and BB7 (rear) on the Volagi and Shimano hydraulic on the Jamis. Whenever I have an extended spell on the Foil and swap to the Volagi, I'm always reminded how much better the discs are. If I swap to the Jamis, I simply question the sanity of anybody that thinks discs aren't better than rims.

stueys

thegreatdivide wrote:

Please make this stop. It's like fu*king Ground Hog Day in here these days.

Shame, I'll miss those threads where a load of people who haven't ridden disc brakes argue that they are pointless

To the op, disc's are better. They perform consistently well in all conditions, something rim brakes don't do. The only drawback is the relatively small selection of wheels available (which will change over time) and the slight gain in weight (which is already being nullified as the engineers work their stuff). My winter bike has discs, I'll be very surprised if my next nice bike doesn't but that's probably a couple of years away (or five years if you ask the missus...).

Alex99

Imposter wrote:

thecycleclinic wrote:

I ride everyday on disc brake and on sundays race I could have done with disc brakes. I would have been able to brake later into the bends and maybe come out of the last bend a couple of places higher with a point or two more.

Presumably all riders were on calipers and it was the same for everyone - which makes that argument completely redundant.

Are you suggesting that a rider can't take advantage of better braking or grip in a race?

imposter2.0

Alex99 wrote:

Imposter wrote:

thecycleclinic wrote:

I ride everyday on disc brake and on sundays race I could have done with disc brakes. I would have been able to brake later into the bends and maybe come out of the last bend a couple of places higher with a point or two more.

Presumably all riders were on calipers and it was the same for everyone - which makes that argument completely redundant.

Are you suggesting that a rider can't take advantage of better braking or grip in a race?

What advantage is there when all riders are currently required to be on the same brake type? If everyone had been on discs, the issue would be exactly the same and he would still be no better off. He would only have an advantage if he was the only one riding discs and everyone else was on calipers, which is currently not within the rules as they stand.