If the Pros don't use discs, surely I don't need them?

FitzM

Thankfully I'm one of the N+1 and hoping to add another to my stable. Amongst my bikes I have 2 Cervelo (S3 and a Soloist) and 2 Boardman (SLR, SLS). Both great bike brands and this Summer I keen to buy another bike. While I'm prepared to go back to Cervelo (R3) or Boardman with another SLR. But I think it’s time to branch out.

As the consumer market is moving towards disc wheels, I’m tempted to buy a disc bike, with the Specialized Roubaix Expert currently top of my list. However. at 8.5kgs it weights almost a kilo more than most of my current bikes.

Maybe I’d be better spending my money on a lighter bike near 6.5kgs. Surely a bike weighing 2kgs less than a Roubaix will be more of a benefit over a 100 mile Sportive?

myideal

Well does weight make that much of a difference to the amiture? I'm convinced it has become a bit of a fad really and doesn't mean much to the average cyclist.

Will you really be setting record times or needing the few seconds that a lighter bike provides?

My problem with disk brakes on a road bike is the look. It's just not right. The look and the style is so much smarter with the old calliper style and again I suspect if you buy a decent brake set, pads , wheels etc you get similar if not near identical stopping to the disks.

The pros seem happy without them and the manufacturers are pushing them as it's a good way to get people upgrading i guess.

Shuggy76

FitzM wrote:

Thankfully I'm one of the N+1 and hoping to add another to my stable. Amongst my bikes I have 2 Cervelo (S3 and a Soloist) and 2 Boardman (SLR, SLS). Both great bike brands and this Summer I keen to buy another bike. While I'm prepared to go back to Cervelo (R3) or Boardman with another SLR. But I think it’s time to branch out.

As the consumer market is moving towards disc wheels, I’m tempted to buy a disc bike, with the Specialized Roubaix Expert currently top of my list. However. at 8.5kgs it weights almost a kilo more than most of my current bikes.

Maybe I’d be better spending my money on a lighter bike near 6.5kgs. Surely a bike weighing 2kgs less than a Roubaix will be more of a benefit over a 100 mile Sportive?

Obvious question deserves obvious answer, No you don't need them. Don't join in with the sheeple if you don't want too, like you say, it's a consumer push, they're not actually solving a problem that there isn't already a solution for. But hey, do what you want, accept that if you have disc's for braking, you'll have a bike that weighs more. You don't get something for nothing

fat daddy

are you a pro ? .... do you do what pros do ? ... you don't really need to restrict yourself to a bunch of strange rules that the UCI have decided upon.

as for buying a bike .. why buy another bike that is the same as your current rides ? .... get a disc bike, they are great for crap weather ... if its hot and sunny take a lighter bike with rim brakes

this is the joy of n+1

summer bike, winter bike, SS, MTB, CX, summer bike that you can leave in a rack, bmx, folding bike, tourer, etc,etc,etc,etc,etc

inseine

I've only one road bike with discs and it's about 2kg heavier than my other bikes. Definitely slower even after buying a nice set of Hunt wheels which shed 1kg off the weight. Discs are great if you want the possiblity of running reeeally wide tyres, but then it will probably be a cyclocross or gravel bike so definitely slower. good fun though.
There are loads of compatability issues with discs and the market hasn't yet decided on a standard so if you're like me you end up with two sets of wheels and there isn't much choice.
If you're heavy, ride in bad weather or want to do a bit of light gravel riding go disc (just never mechanical discs).

northpole

Stating the obvious I know, but adding a disc bike will take away opportunity to swap wheelsets around your current fleet which could prove more than a little inconvenient that morning when you discover a flat just as you're about to head out!

Peter

fenix

What will be the USP of your new bike ? You seem to have 4 nice summer bikes already ? Any winter bikes ? Cross bike ?

5 summer bikes seems a bit OTT. (says he with about 5 bikes - but for different purposes)

apreading

northpole wrote:

Stating the obvious I know, but adding a disc bike will take away opportunity to swap wheelsets around your current fleet which could prove more than a little inconvenient that morning when you discover a flat just as you're about to head out!

Peter

Surely if that were a problem then given the number of bikes the OP has, they would just take a different bike, or fix the flat?

apreading

Methinks you would be well placed to experiment and discover if disc brakes are really worth having. That voyage of discovery would probably be quite interesting for you, no? If you dont get something at least a little different then what is the point buying another bike anyway?

FitzM

Fenix wrote:

What will be the USP of your new bike ? You seem to have 4 nice summer bikes already ? Any winter bikes ? Cross bike ?

5 summer bikes seems a bit OTT. (says he with about 5 bikes - but for different purposes)

Should i be embarrassed to reveal yes I have those 4 nice summer bikes. But I also have 2 other nice (if older) Summer bikes, a Winter bike and a MTB :P

apreading

inseine wrote:

I've only one road bike with discs and it's about 2kg heavier than my other bikes. Definitely slower even after buying a nice set of Hunt wheels which shed 1kg off the weight. Discs are great if you want the possiblity of running reeeally wide tyres, but then it will probably be a cyclocross or gravel bike so definitely slower. good fun though.
There are loads of compatability issues with discs and the market hasn't yet decided on a standard so if you're like me you end up with two sets of wheels and there isn't much choice.
If you're heavy, ride in bad weather or want to do a bit of light gravel riding go disc (just never mechanical discs).

This is a great comparison from someone who has tried it and formed their own assessment.

Although its a bit misleading to say its 2kg heavier but you then shed 1kg by getting rid of what must have been some rubbish wheels. Better to just say its 1kg heavier. I do wonder though, if the wheelset you got initially were that heavy (presumably 2.5kg) then does that suggest that it was a low end bike?

I think they key for normal riders in what you say is bad weather. In the dry, good caliper brakes can be OK although they dont give as much feel and adjustability and are usually harder to pull from the hoods. In the wet, even the best caliper brakes are just poor by comparison.

craigus89

My problem with them is not being able to remedy problems with the braking mechanism myself. Caliper brakes are the simplest thing ever and probably one of the first things people learn to service themselves.

micrographia

I was choosing between an R3 and an R3 disc around this time last year. Went for the rim brake version in the end, mainly because I wanted a lightweight summer bike I could fettle myself. If I was in a position to get another summer ride I'd go rim brakes again, either a full on aero bike or an italian steel cafe cruiser.

I'd find it difficult to go back to rim brakes on a winter bike though.

grenw

No you don't need them. Like you don't need a carbon frame etc. But they function better in pretty much every way. Better in the wet, better modulation, less tiring on long descents, easier 1 finger use from the hoods. They are also heavier, more expensive and more difficult to maintain. And yes I've had road bikes with both.

My current disc braked bike weighs a little over 7kg for the same money as the Roubaix so the differences are getting smaller.

dodgy

I think I've posted something along these lines in over 1.5 trillion * disc threads.

For me, the benefit of discs isn't better braking, better modulation, looks (bad or otherwise). I chose them because I measure the rims on my bike and they get thinner after every outing. Because I buy my own kit, I want it to last longer and be safer for (much) longer.

Nothing to do with what the pros use, I couldn't care less what they use or wear.
* may be an exaggeration

meanredspider

The answer to "should I buy a bike with disc brakes?" normally gets summarised to the following points:

1. Are you the weight of an anorexic school-girl? If you are, you probably don't need discs.
2. Do you only ride on the flat? Then you don't need discs
3. Do you only ride in the dry? Then discs have less advantage
4. Are you mechanical incompetent? If so, then discs may not be for you

Generally I think the weight of the brakes is a red-herring. I have the Foil Team Issue HMX on RS80s (rims) and I have a Volagi Liscio on alloys (cable discs) - both running Ultegra Di2. There's absolutely no speed difference between the two and, when faced with 6x up Alpe d'Huez in a day, I took the Volagi.

Ultimately it's horses for courses, personal preference and a big chunk of prejudice.

pblakeney

Elephant in the room - Pros don't choose what they ride, they ride what they are given. Mostly.
I would buy a disc bike if I was doing stop/start cycling in cruddy weather to remove rim wear.
Otherwise, I'll wait for an industry standard.

inseine

apreading wrote:

inseine wrote:

I've only one road bike with discs and it's about 2kg heavier than my other bikes. Definitely slower even after buying a nice set of Hunt wheels which shed 1kg off the weight. Discs are great if you want the possiblity of running reeeally wide tyres, but then it will probably be a cyclocross or gravel bike so definitely slower. good fun though.
There are loads of compatability issues with discs and the market hasn't yet decided on a standard so if you're like me you end up with two sets of wheels and there isn't much choice.
If you're heavy, ride in bad weather or want to do a bit of light gravel riding go disc (just never mechanical discs).

This is a great comparison from someone who has tried it and formed their own assessment.

Although its a bit misleading to say its 2kg heavier but you then shed 1kg by getting rid of what must have been some rubbish wheels. Better to just say its 1kg heavier. I do wonder though, if the wheelset you got initially were that heavy (presumably 2.5kg) then does that suggest that it was a low end bike?

I think they key for normal riders in what you say is bad weather. In the dry, good caliper brakes can be OK although they dont give as much feel and adjustability and are usually harder to pull from the hoods. In the wet, even the best caliper brakes are just poor by comparison.

I've got the ROSE PRO DX CROSS-2000. It comes with Mavic Crossroads which are 2kg, but add on 33mm Racing Ralf knobblies (sometimes i run slicks but they are even heavier) and associated inner tubes compared to Hunt 4 season wheels which are around 1550 with Conti 4n 28mm. I made the mistake of going for mechanical discs since it was 450 more with hydraulic, but they are very average in normal conditions but I went for disc for the wheel clearance not the braking power.

arthur_scrimshaw

I've got two best bikes, a Cannondale 6 and a Synapse disk, both carbon, both Ultegra - the 6 is lighter and more racy with nice wheels but I've set my best climbing times on the Synapse on the stock Aksiums. The bikes feel very different due to the geometry but the Synapse feels just as sprightly, ironically, given the superb braking on the Synapse, my fastest downhill times are on the 6. This is not scientific and proves nothing I guess other that in my case the extra weight has no effect at all.

dannbodge

The reason the Roubaix is 8.5kg is the wheels are heavy.
Get some decent light wheels on and it will be easy to shift 1kg off its weight

slowmart

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The best bike I've ever owned. Besides that it looks quick just standing still and I love the clean line that discs can provide.

kajjal

Test ride a bike with good hydraulic discs and see what you think.

I am 6ft7, 100kg and came to road biking from mountain biking. I found caliper brakes under powered and lifeless with little feel or modulation. Better calipers with decent pads were a marked improvement but still nowhere close to good hydraulic disc brakes especially in the wet, on loose surfaces and on fast steep downhills. My latest bike has hydraulic brakes similar to my xc mountain bike and for me it is a huge improvement.

thegreatdivide

meanredspider wrote:

Ultimately it's horses for courses, personal preference and a big chunk of prejudice.

Which you've clearly proved in your post.

We get it - you bought a bike with disc brakes. Move on.

stueys

I've 2 disc bikes and 2 rim bikes. Ultimately discs are better in every aspect of braking performance, the only downside is a smidge more weight and a marginal hit on aero (which some of the manufacturers are now saying is negligible).

I genuinely can't see that I would be replacing my nice bike with another rim braked option when it comes time to swap, why would you go for something that performs less well? If I was replacing now I'd look hard at disc options before discounting.

Ignore what the pro's ride, (a) they ride exactly what the sponsors tell them, so it's an indication of marketing budget not performance, and (b) they ride very quickly in packed groups on closed roads with a daily choice of equipment and support cars, their requirements and priorities are somewhat different than ours....

ugo.santalucia

Disc bikes are a bit dead uphill... there is benefit in running discs when the roads are wet or dirty... other than that it's the same. Discs are also good for touring and massive mileage audaxing, but if you are more into half day rides pushing hard, then rim braked bikes are more responsive and generally better suited.

Here in Italy nobody use them... Italians generally don't ride in the wet, unless they do a granfondo and that day is wet, but discs are not allowed in the circuit anyway, so they make no sense at all over here.

inseine

In all the years I've been riding it's rare I've really longed for better brakes. The only time is sometimes on wet, gritty roads when the noise and feel of road paste eating the rims sets my teeth on edge. I have discs so i can run fat tyres, that's the only reason.

Matthewfalle

FitzM wrote:

Thankfully I'm one of the N+1 and hoping to add another to my stable. ?

As an aside, why are you keeping your bikes in a stable? Do they not get damp in there or has it been converted?

Just wondering because it sounds like you'll have lots of room to spanner on them.

FitzM

Matthewfalle wrote:

FitzM wrote:

Thankfully I'm one of the N+1 and hoping to add another to my stable. ?

As an aside, why are you keeping your bikes in a stable? Do they not get damp in there or has it been converted?

Just wondering because it sounds like you'll have lots of room to spanner on them.

Neigh, I don't really keep them in a stable, they're in my garage :roll:

Matthewfalle

Aaaah. Get it now.

But what's in the stable?

Sorry, it's been a long day in the sun but am now confused.

DeVlaeminck

I'm not convinced by discs, I'd get a few rides on disc brakes road bikes and see what you think, some people do seem sold on them and maybe I'm yet to try one with decent brakes well set up but even when they've been strong I haven't found the feel of them better than rims, if anything I find them slightly dead and lacking in feel. In addition when they aren't working well the problem isn't always easy to diagnose.

w00dster

The only time I've wanted better brakes was when I was going down a very steel narrow downhill on Mechanical Disc Brakes (Avid BB7's I think), a landrover overtook me then 50 metres later decided he was turning right, I had two options, hit the back of the landrover or ditch it in someone's garden - I took the latter option.
I've never had any issues with rim brakes in the wet. Winter bike has hydraulic discs, apart from the odd squeeling in the wet they're pretty awesome for the winter. Nice wide tyres and confidence in stopping, bike is heavy but I'm not at any disadvantage speed wise when running the appropriate tyres.