Bottomfeeder

There's A LOT of hype, and missinformation me thinks, concerning disc brake applications for road, commuter and touring bikes. Most heavy dudy touring riders say no. Then again, quite a few of them swear up and down that cantilever's have been 'state-of-the-art' since their inception and evey other type of brake is a pointless exercise in futility. And I can understand gram conscious racers sticking to rim brakes to save weight. But can anyone offer genuine, factual pro's and con's

Pro's: great stopping power, good wet weather performance, no rim wear

Con's: heavier, more expensive (depending on model), fewer compatible racks

I am alos interested in exactly what forces disc brakes feed into the wheel, as opposed to rim brakes, and whether or not they are necessarily harder on wheels in that respect. Do wheels need to be laced differently for disc brakes than they do for rim brakes?

Thanks. DanO