Originally Posted by
cyccommute
I am also a clyde who rides hard. I do have "full experience" with discs as well as with rim brakes, I mountain biked many years on cantilevers, then many years on linear and many years on disc. I do fully loaded bicycle tours...me, bike and touring load are probably dragging 300 lb...through all kinds of terrrain including fast steep descents on steep mountain roads in rain. In none of my experience has the a hub mounted disc brake made much difference. I can ride just as fast downhill and stop with just the same amount of lever force with any brake system I have...disc, linear or cantilever.
Brakes are more about how they are used than the mechanism.
I knew you were gonna chime in with this, I've seen it before. In YOUR EXPERIENCE, discs are no better; in mine, they are a MAGNITUDE better. As long as you express yourself from the opinion standpoint, no big deal. But you like to present this as fact, when it ISN'T.
A set of Avid SD V-brakes WILL outperform a Pro-Max disc, every single time; but if you have a set of SD's that are outperforming BB7's, you have set up the BB7's wrong. And it's not a "style" thing that has converted the majority of MTB'ing to discs, but superior performance. Hell, XTR is straight hydro now!
Oh, I missed this...300-lb touring? I top 300# on a grocery run. COMMUTES are @ about 290.....