Disc or Rim brake for a new bike ?

Alejandrosdog

Use whatever you’re most comfortable with or want to try it really makes no odds, top end rim or disc brakes work.

Edit. If you don’t know how to ride a bike stick with disc and get some stabilisers too. That way if I see you out I can avoid you.

Matthewfalle

Alejandrosdog wrote:

Kajjal wrote:

A fair accurate test is difficult but this is an attempt by GCN.

https://youtu.be/uHFSSXOSnxs

It’s an attempt alright

something like that. its definitly special.

utterly unscientific and fairly pointless, but an attempt.

webboo

Folk who complain about the poor stopping power of rim brakes, should try riding on Weinmann 500 side pull brakes. These were standard for bikes in the 1980s. It didn’t matter whether it was wet or dry as they didn’t work in either conditions.

Matthewfalle

or those 1980s safety brake things that came on racers.

#lethal

meanredspider

Matthewfalle wrote:

yet again you are wrong and Rick's post is excellently well presented with all valid and true points.

if you also look through various threads on here you'll find that a lot of very experienced ridets also agree completely with Rick

#Rickisright

#don'tbelievethehype

#SameShitDifferentDay

Matthewfalle

#tellusaboutit

Alejandrosdog

#spethal

#beefer

Matthewfalle

if it helps the discussion, the majority in today's Giro stage seem to be on rim brakes so perhaps they may not be that bad

#goodenoughforPROs

norvernrob

I’ve got both. Discs are great for dirty conditions and off road stuff, which is why I have them on my commuter. My ‘best’ bike has rim, and there simply isn’t a reason for me to change.

Matthewfalle

Ineos are using rim if that helps decide about marginal gains - they seem to be the "go to" for kit advice for some people on here.

#don'tbelievethehype

Matthewfalle

disc brake man doesn't seem to have burnt off rim brake men on the descent either.

#oh

kajjal

Matthewfalle wrote:

disc brake man doesn't seem to have burnt off rim brake men on the descent either.

#oh

Interesting you mention that, when I switched from an Ultegra rim brakes bike to a 785 disc brakes bike I was faster on long descents as I found I stopped faster with more control on the disc brakes. The same was true off road mountain biking, my early 1990’s MTB had calliper brakes which were awful, next came v-brakes which were a lot better and then XT hydraulic disc brakes which were again a lot better. In both cases for my riding hydraulic discs work best and I ride all year round.

What do you think makes Rim brakes much better for you ?

hypster

Matthewfalle wrote:

if it helps the discussion, the majority in today's Giro stage seem to be on rim brakes so perhaps they may not be that bad

#goodenoughforPROs

But the first across the line was on discs so perhaps they may be useful (even to a sprinter).

#goodenoughtowin

whyamihere

Disc vs rim is basically religion at this point, don't expect the arguments of the other side to make logical sense to you.

Alejandrosdog

If you’re doing your own brake servicing get disc because you can fill a syringe and pretend it’s complex surgery.

Matthewfalle

hypster wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

if it helps the discussion, the majority in today's Giro stage seem to be on rim brakes so perhaps they may not be that bad

#goodenoughforPROs

But the first across the line was on discs so perhaps they may be useful (even to a sprinter).

#goodenoughtowin

may be useful. yes, this.

but according to some people on here without them you will die. but the rest of the peloton seems to still be breathing.

#shocker

#maybe

imposter2.0

hypster wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

if it helps the discussion, the majority in today's Giro stage seem to be on rim brakes so perhaps they may not be that bad

#goodenoughforPROs

But the first across the line was on discs so perhaps they may be useful (even to a sprinter).

#goodenoughtowin

You don't win a sprint because you've got the best brakes...

Matthewfalle

Kajjal wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

disc brake man doesn't seem to have burnt off rim brake men on the descent either.

#oh

Interesting you mention that, when I switched from an Ultegra rim brakes bike to a 785 disc brakes bike I was faster on long descents as I found I stopped faster with more control on the disc brakes. The same was true off road mountain biking, my early 1990’s MTB had calliper brakes which were awful, next came v-brakes which were a lot better and then XT hydraulic disc brakes which were again a lot better. In both cases for my riding hydraulic discs work best and I ride all year round.

What do you think makes Rim brakes much better for you ?

this is where you are missing the point of the argument, much like the braking point.

no one - unlike disc users -is saying that rim is better: they are just as good as disc without the hassle and expense.

disc users have bought into the marketing hype that you will die without them shops push this because its where the profit margins lie. clubbies push this because they are clubbies.

rims work just as well without having to buy new bikes and wheels and bleeding kits and pads every 6 months and shifters and stuff but shops don't make money otherwise and clubbies can't say their mate at the shop told them unless they get the discs.

re ypur increase in speed - it sounds like ypu have jumped over that learning curve of smooth braking/fast cornering (slow in, fast ou) that fast descenders use and now you pile up to a corner, slam on yoyr brakes, wobble around, pedal off. its a common thing with disc riders so you're not alone.

its that rim brakes are just as good which is why every pro team still uses them - their sponsors also chuck them discs so they'll use them but judging on the Giro and Monuments turn outs they are exactly clamouring for discs.

which should tell everyone eomething

#justasgood
#ohwell
#apexvanishingpoint

Matthewfalle

hypster wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

if it helps the discussion, the majority in today's Giro stage seem to be on rim brakes so perhaps they may not be that bad

#goodenoughforPROs

But the first across the line was on discs so perhaps they may be useful (even to a sprinter).

#goodenoughtowin

and weren't discies saying how marvellous discs were in the rain & downhill compared to rims so we all thought the discies would be so far ahead there wouldn't need to be a sprint and all the rimmies would be in a big crashed heap?

oh

#discies
#don'tbelievethehype

taon24

Surely the other big advantage of discs over rims is that you never have to chuck away wheels because the brake track is worn?
New bearings and a new disc mean a set of nice disc wheels should last for ages (barring crashing).
Same cannot be said of rims, where the braking surface will go after a certain amount of braking.
Currently have a disc braked commuter/winter bike. Wouldn't go back to grinding down rims in crud.
Summer bike is rim braked cos when I was last looking they hadn't decided on a 'standard' (and still haven't), while most rim brakes i'm aware of are 100mm/130mm QR.
The next summer bike is going to be discs. I'll splash out of an expensive set of wheels and know that other than if I have an accident I can just buy a new brake track in a couple of years.

Matthewfalle

this post exactly beggars the question wtaf are you lot doing to mash your rims so quickly?

#seriously

taon24

Matthewfalle wrote:

this post exactly beggars the question wtaf are you lot doing to mash your rims so quickly?

#seriously

Riding for a few years? Doing reasonable mileage? Doing it and not cleaning the bike religiously after every session?
I don't want to replace expensive wheels every few years. I don't want to have to change the brake pads to change from training aluminium rims to 'race day' carbon. Disks mean I don't have to worry about these things for a clear advantage.

kajjal

Matthewfalle wrote:

Kajjal wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

disc brake man doesn't seem to have burnt off rim brake men on the descent either.

#oh

Interesting you mention that, when I switched from an Ultegra rim brakes bike to a 785 disc brakes bike I was faster on long descents as I found I stopped faster with more control on the disc brakes. The same was true off road mountain biking, my early 1990’s MTB had calliper brakes which were awful, next came v-brakes which were a lot better and then XT hydraulic disc brakes which were again a lot better. In both cases for my riding hydraulic discs work best and I ride all year round.

What do you think makes Rim brakes much better for you ?

this is where you are missing the point of the argument, much like the braking point.

no one - unlike disc users -is saying that rim is better: they are just as good as disc without the hassle and expense.

disc users have bought into the marketing hype that you will die without them shops push this because its where the profit margins lie. clubbies push this because they are clubbies.

rims work just as well without having to buy new bikes and wheels and bleeding kits and pads every 6 months and shifters and stuff but shops don't make money otherwise and clubbies can't say their mate at the shop told them unless they get the discs.

re ypur increase in speed - it sounds like ypu have jumped over that learning curve of smooth braking/fast cornering (slow in, fast ou) that fast descenders use and now you pile up to a corner, slam on yoyr brakes, wobble around, pedal off. its a common thing with disc riders so you're not alone.

its that rim brakes are just as good which is why every pro team still uses them - their sponsors also chuck them discs so they'll use them but judging on the Giro and Monuments turn outs they are exactly clamouring for discs.

which should tell everyone eomething

#justasgood
#ohwell
#apexvanishingpoint

What hassle have you had with good quality hydraulic disc brakes as you sound very frustrated by them ?

No one has suggested anyone must upgrade or buy a new bike to get disc brakes just people find they work better than rim brakes. The reason for this is there is no cable stretch giving consistent action, you are not braking on the wheel rims which attracts all the muck etc on the road, the actual braking force is several times greater give more control for less effort. Rim brakes will stop you happily enough but on looser surfaces, wetter weather and for heavier riders the benefits of disc brakes are very useful, this is why they dominate mountain biking.

I still have my v brake mountain mountain bike and ride it up mountains in the summer as it now lives abroad at a relatives house. It is fine and safe enough to ride but compared to disc brakes they feel wooden lacking feel and power.

You mention bleeding, mine have been setup initially and then only had a pad change each year, no bleeding or other maintenance except when I upgraded the disc rotors to better quality MTB ones. My mountain bikes are the same.

Matthewfalle

cable stretch? seriously? like seriously?

what ate you lot doing to your bicycles? do you really believe everything you are told?

#seriously

DeVlaeminck

At least now we are getting to the truth of the matter - disc brakes don't wear your rims down, you can swop between carbon and alloy wheels (why would you though if you aren't wearing your rims), you can run wider tyres more easily etc etc - it's not about a performance advantage because there is none.

A decent set of rim brakes offer sufficient stopping power to lock up even in the wet - perhaps especially in the wet - and modulation is as good unless maybe you are coming from a MTB background and are just more used to the feel of discs - personally I prefer the feel of rim calipers. For all that I might still get a disc braked bike as my next race bike - or I might not depending on what's out there at the time - but I don't expect it to make me go downhill any faster.

Matthewfalle

they won't make you faster downhill - only you can make yourself faster downhill.

keef66

Matthewfalle wrote:

they won't make you faster downhill - only you can make yourself faster downhill.

By eating lots of pies. It's annoying when the fat buggers get a helping hand from gravity and I'm having to pedal to keep up as they freewheel...

Matthewfalle

keef66 wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

they won't make you faster downhill - only you can make yourself faster downhill.

By eating lots of pies. It's annoying when the fat buggers get a helping hand from gravity and I'm having to pedal to keep up as they freewheel...

as i type this i am eating a mahoosif pain au chocolat - you know the size of a normal sandwich.

i'm gonna be unbeatable.

shortfall

keef66 wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

they won't make you faster downhill - only you can make yourself faster downhill.

By eating lots of pies. It's annoying when the fat buggers get a helping hand from gravity and I'm having to pedal to keep up as they freewheel...

Give us fatties a break Keef, going downhill is the only time a bit of weight gains us any advantage and the other 90% of the time it works against us.

Alejandrosdog

speaking as a fatty I love leaving a skinny guy behind as there little legs flail around in a down hill section.

Im less happy when the road goes up