Commuting - Tell me how well your disc brakes work in the rain

I'm trying to convince myself that I should splash out on a bike with disc brakes for commuting to rainy Vancouver. I would normally avoid unneccessary cost/weight/complexity on a bike but I definitely need something better than rim brakes.

A few days ago I jumped on my Brompton (small wheeled folding bike) to ride the 3 miles to the station. It was raining hard and the first mile and a half is steeply downhill. It wasn't a good experience. By the time I got to the bottom of the hill one of the brake cables had snapped (first time in over 20 years!) and the brake blocks were worn out. So if I am going to start commuting regularly in this weather and over this terrain I think I need brakes that will stay drier and keep working, without wearing out the wheel rims.

So will disc brakes actually do what I hope they'll do?

Disc brakes will do what you hope they'll do, but I highly doubt that your Brompton will have the tabs necessary for mounting disc brakes. Your situation sounds like a classic case for disc brakes. It might well be worthwhile to buy a new, disc-equipped bicycle. Hey, any excuse for another bike is a good excuse, right? ;)

In the meantime, you might try some Kool Stop salmon brake pads. They work better in the rain than other rim brake pads, and probably won't wear out so quickly.

Disc brakes will do what you hope they'll do, but I highly doubt that your Brompton will have the tabs necessary for mounting disc brakes. Your situation sounds like a classic case for disc brakes. It might well be worthwhile to buy a new, disc-equipped bicycle. Hey, any excuse for another bike is a good excuse, right? ;)

In the meantime, you might try some Kool Stop salmon brake pads. They work better in the rain than other rim brake pads, and probably won't wear out so quickly.

Not too mention you'd have to buy a disc specific wheel. Discs are great in the rain/mud. Check out the Devinci commuter line or the kona dr. dew if you go the new commuter bike route.

Oh no! I wasn't planning on modifying the Brompton!

And none of my other bikes are built for disc brakes (mostly slender 531 steel frames). So it'll have to be a new bike. :D

I'm going to need a good range of gears too, which is a shame 'cos I like riding fixed. But the monster hill to get home is just too much for a heavyweight like me to get up on my fixie.

I use disk brakes - I don't think I could go back. Rain is no problem at all.

I know the feeling of having rim brakes here in Vancouver. Recently I rode a friend's disc brake equipped bike in the rain and the experience made me a believer in disc brakes.....Next week my bike is going into the LBS to be switched over to disk brakes.

Oh no! I wasn't planning on modifying the Brompton!

And none of my other bikes are built for disc brakes (mostly slender 531 steel frames). So it'll have to be a new bike. :D

I'm going to need a good range of gears too, which is a shame 'cos I like riding fixed. But the monster hill to get home is just too much for a heavyweight like me to get up on my fixie.
So the disk brake thing is really just a plan for getting a new bike. (Cool plan) :)

My last two bikes have had disc brakes and I no doubt my next one will as well. For urban all-weather commuting they make a tremendous difference.

I want disc brakes

Commuting in the lower mainland this last month im going thru pads, sliding thru stops, I had to bail on a 180 corner coming off queensburough bridge cause i couldnt slow down enough...etc.

If i can find a fork/disc combo for my Kona JTS that doesnt cost more than the bike itself im sold.,

Rain, sleet, slush, mud, my year round commuter's discs cut right through em. Not to mention you don't get that nasty black crap from your brake pads, my rims and bike stays CLEAN.
I have about 90% the same amount of stopping power in the rain as it does in dry weather, both my tires will break traction before the brakes fail.
Plus they last a lot longer in the rain.
Plus they look cool.

I use a Giant OCR Touring bike that I had bought used from eBay. I commute now both in rain and snow. Each day I climb over 800 feet to our research facility on the University of Utah campus. This is my first experience using disc brakes. Initially I had to replace the rotor for the rear disc brakes. They do rub occassionaly. All that said, I would not go back from disc brakes. With all the climbing and decents I do in addition to the weather I stand by these brakes. They are a pleasure to use compared to the cantilevers used.

I love my disk break! I want to get one for the front, but that's going to run me about $500. Just remember that if you have a rack and fenders it might be hard to do so, but here is a pic of what I did.

Nice, I have the last generation of OCR Touring before they discontinued it. I love it.

Oh yeah and discs dont suffer from heat as much on long descends. I wish they made really tiny thin carbon discs that glow at night when they get too hot.


I use a Giant OCR Touring bike that I had bought used from eBay. I commute now both in rain and snow. Each day I climb over 800 feet to our research facility on the University of Utah campus. This is my first experience using disc brakes. Initially I had to replace the rotor for the rear disc brakes. They do rub occassionaly. All that said, I would not go back from disc brakes. With all the climbing and decents I do in addition to the weather I stand by these brakes. They are a pleasure to use compared to the cantilevers used.

I love my disk break! I want to get one for the front, but that's going to run me about $500. Just remember that if you have a rack and fenders it might be hard to do so, but here is a pic of what I did.
$500? No way. Avid's are $80 a wheel A pair of Sun Rhynolites on Deore disc is under a $100 and if you need a fork you can get a Surly 1x1 with disc tabs for $62. That's less than half what you quoted.

Besides that why is your most effective brake on the rear wheel?
Please read this article if you don't know what I'm referring to
http://sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html

I feel a jealousy attack coming on from the disk brake porn. :p
Someday I'll upgrade to disk on the front, but since I don't have screamer hills to cope with, v cantis with koolstops work well.

I am going discs on my next commuter as well. In addition to reliable braking, I do not need to change my rims and pads so frequently. I needed to change a set of cant brake pads every winter and rims every couple of years. Adds up to quite a bit!

Now, if only I have enough dosh to shoot for a Rohloff..... you know, to save $$ on the drivetrain... ;-)

for rain, discs work great. go as fast as you normally go and you stop as quick (or quicker) as you normally stop. anotherwords you don't need to modify your riding for the rain.
and, the rims are always in good shape (no scratches from grit between pads and rim).
I use Avid road discs with full fenders and a carbon fork.

I too have the last of the OCR Touring bike with disk brakes. I would never go back. No fade,very precise. Most important for me, NO heating up of the rims on steep decents. (I blew a tire off the rim years ago and swore my next touring bike would have disks.)


Nice, I have the last generation of OCR Touring before they discontinued it. I love it.

Oh yeah and discs dont suffer from heat as much on long descends. I wish they made really tiny thin carbon discs that glow at night when they get too hot.

I too have the last of the OCR Touring bike with disk brakes. I would never go back. No fade,very precise. Most important for me, NO heating up of the rims on steep decents. (I blew a tire off the rim years ago and swore my next touring bike would have disks.)


Nice, I have the last generation of OCR Touring before they discontinued it. I love it.

Oh yeah and discs dont suffer from heat as much on long descends. I wish they made really tiny thin carbon discs that glow at night when they get too hot.

Disk brakes are great. I don't have them on my everyday commuter (too bad), but I do have them on my icebike/bad weather commuter. They make a huge difference in rain and slush.

Hrm...ok im sold. I'm tired of having to go half speed in order to reliably stop lately.

Avids i take it are still the king of discs? and are mechanicals still the way to go ?
Last i looked the rotors came in a variety of diameters, are they sized depending on bike? or what? Advantages/disadvantages to the different sizes ?

Now i gotta find a fork that fits a kona jts..

have all you people who complain of stopping power ever REALLY tried to adjust your brakes? use red pads with a softer compound?

i am just askin cause even for off road use v-brakes stop me (at a not so svelty 230lbs btw) as quick as i need every time. wet/dry dosen't make too much difference, i just apply the brake a split second earlier to clean the rim then the brakes work just like normal.

for commuting i don't even feel the need to upgrade to v's. cant's work OK (granted i'd like V's but don't wanna spend the $$$).

if you can't stop using your brakes i am betting they are just set up wrong....

but if you just need an excuse to spend money, you have my blessing. ;)

We don't get a lot of rain around my part of Texas...so I don't get a lot of practice in the wet. Even more to the point though, neither do the cagers. My rain/beater bike has discs and they really help keep me out of trouble given the conditions and the yahoos. By comparison to what I experience on my training rides or events out in the rain on my other bikes, there is no comparison. I get a lot better result from the discs, no question. And yes max, my brakes are adjusted properly with optimal pads and contact surface. :p

My V-brakes were set up wrong. They were set on my bike. They should have been set on the shelf for used parts in my basement. I've since corrected the set-up problem with a set of discs. :)

Seriously, ice, water, mud on the rims, or big downhills heating things up, on-road or off, discs are unmatched. Dry conditions, weight concerns, keep the rim brakes.

have all you people who complain of stopping power ever REALLY tried to adjust your brakes? use red pads with a softer compound?



Yes. The problem I had with rim brakes was that I had to adjust my brakes once a week in order for them to be reliable. It often included trueing the wheel as well. I ride in urban traffic in all weather and I use the brakes a lot, and the environment is hard on the brakes and hard on the wheels. The disc brakes also have no tendency to fade in the rain, which was a serious problem with the v-brakes.

It's not about stopping power, it's about reliability. V-brakes stop fine under the right conditions..

have all you people who complain of stopping power ever REALLY tried to adjust your brakes? use red pads with a softer compound?


Trust me, I adjust them a lot. I get practice since i have to replace them every 6 weeks or so. I've also had them shop adjusted on occasion when i had an lbs replace the pads..

I have canti brakes not V. But i live on the side of a mountain in a rain forest pretending to be a city. Heading downhill, a steep downhill, in the pouring rain at 40 mph and having a light go red currently is causing me concern. Im having to slow down in order to be able to stop if the light switches, i prefer going fast :p

Don't forget to check out cyclocross bikes., they usually have a disc brake option.

I don't regret disc brake option. Another option, if the bike will handle the increased forces, is to get something like a zipp 404 rim and have a LBS built it up for disc brakes. But 1. the fork must be able to handle the increased force, and 2. the frame must be solid enough. Since so many bikes are now sold on weight instead of durability. this combo is not always available in the bike you want.

Good luck.

What I want is a disc wheel with disc brakes with a shroud around the disc brake calipers on the disc wheel.

have all you people who complain of stopping power ever REALLY tried to adjust your brakes? use red pads with a softer compound?Yes, however Discs provide more reliable stopping power in ALL conditions


i just apply the brake a split second earlier to clean the rim then the brakes work just like normal.Not always an option in traffic, but your technique is sound


for commuting i don't even feel the need to upgrade to v's. cant's work OK (granted i'd like V's but don't wanna spend the $$$).$50 for levers and calipers is too much? You could get a pair of Shimano BR-420's for $30 at the LBS and any of the generic levers (see Nashbar) will work them


if you can't stop using your brakes i am betting they are just set up wrong....Actually some of the V brakes I've see have just been sad. Granted these were off brand Tektro's and Promax's


Avids i take it are still the king of discs? Yup

and are mechanicals still the way to go ?For ease of middle of nowhere service and cheap reliable stopping power the Avid BB7's can't be touched.
Edit: For a JTS you'll need the Avid Road Calipers. they're the only discs I know of that are compatible with road levers


Last i looked the rotors came in a variety of diameters, are they sized depending on bike? or what? Advantages/disadvantages to the different sizes ?They're sized based on application; for commuting you don't need anythingbigger than a 160mm



Now i gotta find a fork that fits a kona jts..Kona Project 2 http://www.konaworld.com/shopping_cart/FrontEnd/Products/not_bikes_category.aspx?categoryid=207#forks
Dimension Cyclocross http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=6995&category=633
there are a bunch more out there

A nice way to upgrade your brakes on your Brompton: buy Kool Stop Salmon pads. You will notice a slight performance gain in the dry, but a dramatic one in the rain. Maybe not as all-weather proof as a set of disc brakes, but the price is nicer!

$500? No way. Avid's are $80 a wheel A pair of Sun Rhynolites on Deore disc is under a $100 and if you need a fork you can get a Surly 1x1 with disc tabs for $62. That's less than half what you quoted.

Besides that why is your most effective brake on the rear wheel?
Please read this article if you don't know what I'm referring to
http://sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html

What's the problem was trying to find a fork, with disc tabs and eyelets. I use this bike for touring/commuting. Also I am very hard on a bike. I have broke frames in the pasted. So they don't install anything that I could brake.

Super Geek

What's the problem was trying to find a fork, with disc tabs and eyelets. I use this bike for touring/commuting. Also I am very hard on a bike. I have broke frames in the pasted. So they don't install anything that I could brake.

Super GeekIf you can break ANY of what I mentioned while commuting or touring I'd be seriously impressed. You don't have to spend $500 to upgrade to discs/ Heck you don't have to spend that much to do it front and rear.

So why did you put the the most effective brake in the REAR? You never did answer me

I have the last generation of OCR Touring before they discontinued it. I love it.


+1

Highly recommend the Avid BB7s. Saved me too many times. They seem to work the same wet or dry, just a bit of a squeal when first applying the brakes when wet. Easy adjustment and pad replacement. And they work just fine with my Shimano Ultegra road brifters.

sorry to hijack this a little but Raiyn:

these Shimano BR-420's are v-brakes that work with normal levers?

the only ones working solution i have found are the diacompe 287v levers which go for like 60-80 bucks a pair and then you still need the brakes.

v's on the crosscheck would give me more than enough stopping power! in fact i think i'd keep my canti's, but my GF with weaker hands v's would definitely be nice!!!

$500? No way. Avid's are $80 a wheel A pair of Sun Rhynolites on Deore disc is under a $100 and if you need a fork you can get a Surly 1x1 with disc tabs for $62. That's less than half what you quoted.

Plate-o-shrimp! :eek:

I just bought an Avid BB7 front for $77 and a set of disc Rhynolites for $105 off eBay.

Jarery: doesn't your JTS have a Project 2 fork? They make a disc version for like $80 or so.

I commute in Vancouver (Deep Cove to Downtown). Disks to me were a must. I rode 2200 km before I had to change pads. Stopping power is good in all conditions and you don't have to worry about going through wheels. For our type of weather disks are a good option.

As far as sizes are concerned you don't really need very large rotors for street use. Mine are 6" and they do well. If you are planning to do some serious downhill trail riding then consider 8".

I ride a Kona Dew Deluxe, I find to a reasonable bike at a fairly low price.

I commute on a 7300fx with disc brakes, Moisture is not a huge problem here in Denver but sud-freezing temps can be hell on pads. After converting from flat bar to drop bars it's a perfect commuting machine.

I'm loving my discs. I didn't even intend to get them, but I bought the upgraded model of my bike and they were included in the package... but holy cow. Fantastic stopping power especially in the rain. And my wheels get out of true (I abuse 'em pretty good) and it doesn't affect the brakes.

If you can break ANY of what I mentioned while commuting or touring I'd be seriously impressed. You don't have to spend $500 to upgrade to discs/ Heck you don't have to spend that much to do it front and rear.

So why did you put the the most effective brake in the REAR? You never did answer me


So why did you put the the most effective brake in the REAR? You never did answer me[/color][/QUOTE]
:D

What the ****?

What about drum brakes?

What about Fred Flintstone brakes?

What about Fred Flintstone brakes?

i used those the other day cause i got lazy and kept putting off adjusting my canti's for pad wear. the hard plastic soles on my spd's didn't make the best stoppers, but at least i avoided flying into traffic. ;)

What about drum brakes?

I've heard they're not very effective. I can tell your from my motorcycle experience that they suck compared to discs;AFAIK,only like one model of motorcycle readily available in the US(Honda 250 Nighthawk) has a drum on the front.

I've got 2 bikes with Nexus hubs and brakes(one modern 8sp,one older 7sp). I'm not sure if those are regular drums or not;none of the manuals on Shimano's site say anything about what's inside or if there are any drum shoes. In any case,I wouldn't want to rely on a set of these for braking. For rear-only appilcations,they're fine. But they lack the power needed for a front brake. The 8sp's brake is ok,about the same as a side-pull road brake,but the 7sp's is only really useful for holding the bike at a stop or scrubbing speed.

Ok, i ordered a nashbar carbon cross fork with disc mount. Was on sale :)

My bike is supposed to have a deore disc front hub.

http://www.konaworld.com/shopping_cart/FrontEnd/Products/product_detail.aspx?productid=352&parentid=253

But looking at my front hub....there is no where to mount a disc. has no bolt pattern.
So i guess i need to get a hub too.

Oh well, more toys !

My bike is supposed to have a deore disc front hub.

But looking at my front hub....there is no where to mount a disc. has no bolt pattern.
So i guess i need to get a hub too.

Unfortunately,Kona's site isn't always accurate. The site says my Dew Deluxe is supposed to have 48/38/28 front rings when in actuality,it's got 52/40-something/30-something.

Fortunately,the bikes are better than the site. :D

My bike is supposed to have a deore disc front hub.

But looking at my front hub....there is no where to mount a disc. has no bolt pattern.
So i guess i need to get a hub too.



Shimano has a style of discs called "Center Lock" where the disc goes on splines instead of bolts. It might be that style.

i used those <fred flintstone brakes> the other day cause i got lazy and kept putting off adjusting my canti's for pad wear. the hard plastic soles on my spd's didn't make the best stoppers, but at least i avoided flying into traffic. ;)

I used to use my feet for brakes a lot in montreal when it was snowy. My brakes wouldn't hold my rims much, and even if they had, the tires wouldn't have had much traction.

I am going discs on my next commuter as well. In addition to reliable braking, I do not need to change my rims and pads so frequently. I needed to change a set of cant brake pads every winter and rims every couple of years. Adds up to quite a bit!

Now, if only I have enough dosh to shoot for a Rohloff..... you know, to save $$ on the drivetrain... ;-)

I have regular disc brakes and they are fantastic. And a Rohloff. In fact, I believe that my bike is the perfect commuting bike. It can stop, start and change gears brilliantly. It is actually a bit sad as I can't think about what bike to buy next as mine is so good...

I commute in Vancouver (Deep Cove to Downtown). Disks to me were a must. I rode 2200 km before I had to change pads. Stopping power is good in all conditions and you don't have to worry about going through wheels. For our type of weather discs are a good option.

As far as sizes are concerned you don't really need very large rotors for street use. Mine are 6" and they do well. If you are planning to do some serious downhill trail riding then consider 8".

I ride a Kona Dew Deluxe, I find to a reasonable bike at a fairly low price.

I've often worried about disc brake power causing my bike to go into a skid on asphault. Slick tires in the wet while coming down a hill - grab handfull of disc brake (especially ones like avid cables or hayes which are on/off) and I bet I'd cut the tires loose.

I mean - we're all talking about the power gain above and beyond rims brakes: is this not the danger zone for putting slick tires into a skid (a more dangerous situation)?!

I guess we have to ask ourselves what kind of commuter we are - do you ride like a downtown bike couriers and go flat out all the time to see how fast you can get to work? If so, maybe you need disc brakes.

I commute over the Queensborough each day and know the 180 corner the other poster spoke about, and I just gauge my speed first and can make the turn no problem on my 10 year old cant's.

I want to keep riding and leaving the car behind, so instead of training for the tour de france, I ride a relaxed pace. I reduce my risk of collisions/falls so there is more chance I can continue to ride w/o being sidelined in the car by an injury. I can brake in time for everything in rain with canti which don't put me into a skid and don't wear my rims out half as fast as v-brakes. My canti's brake pads cost a whopping $2 at mec and don't squeel eithers.

I love my Avid Juicy's on my mtb, but for road commuting on steep hills with slick tires.....I have to wonder about bike skidding out from under me.