matimeo

So I live in the rainy Pacific Northwest and the rims and brakes are wearing out to fast on my winter bike (Windsor Cyclo from BD). I'm too lazy to clean off the rims after each ride and I tore through the first set of pads in just over 500 miles of wet riding and the wear line on the rims is almost gone after about 1300 miles. With winter coming up, I'm considering a bike with mechanical disc brakes and selling off my current summer bike and using the Windsor for dry riding.

Is there anyone out there (with experience in this type of climate) that would talk me out of this move?

This is what I'm look at if I they get my size in and I can convince my wife of the price Save Up to 60% Off Titanium Cyclocross Bicycles | Road Bikes - Motobecane Fantom Cross Team Titanium | Cross Bikes

alan s 

Don't like the rear spacing at 130, as the standard is 135. Otherwise, looks like a good commuter bike. Get it, ride it and let us know how it works out. Get a couple good locks, too.

tsl

Four-seasons, all-conditions commuter since 2006, owner of a disc-brake commuter bike since 2007. (It also has Avid BB-7s.)

No. I won't talk you out of disc brakes.

I made the switch for exactly the same reason. I figured brake pads should last for more than a couple of weeks in the winter, and rims should last more than one winter.

Should I ever need to replace my disc-brake commuter, it will be with something very similar, but with a titanium frame. When I commute or run errands on my Litespeed, I like that when I lock up, I don't leave paint behind, and that everyone sees the plain, unpainted, brushed finish as boring and undesireable. That's exactly what I want my bike to be when I lock it up--undesireable. My painted bikes are seen to be exciting and desireable and always start a conversation. I worry constantly while I'm in the store then.

So no, I won't talk you out of Ti either.

Bike Gremlin

Do you ride in hilly areas? My city is flat and I don't see much rim damage from V-brakes in the winter. I ride about 20 km every day for commuting.

matimeo

At least where I am, it is somewhat hilly and I commute through lots of areas where it is stop and ago.

fietsbob

Brake pad wear adjustment is Your job. hydros do it for you.

Many Do ... But you may not like the brakes BB7 Road , but they can be changed.
cable-hydraulic swap to the TRP Hy Rd is pretty easy ..

tsl

It's not a matter of flat vs. hilly. It's a matter of wet with salt and sand. We get snow daily, thus the roads are salted and sanded daily, often several times a day. We don't get lots of cold--it stays in the 20s F, (minus single-digits C) so it stays wet, which turns all that salt and sand into grinding paste on the rims.

For the record, here on the ancient lake bed, east-west is dead flat, and the city rises at a steady 1% heading south from the current lake shore. Living and working in the city, my 9.6-mile (16 km) round trip includes 47 stop signs or stoplights. That's one every 1,000 feet (270 meters) or so. I brake a lot.

What's your winter like in Serbia? I can look up climatology, but that doesn't tell me what it's like daily in the street.

spare_wheel

Agree but it might not be a problem. You should ask BD whether it is really 130. Many new metal frames listed as 130 are actually 132.5 and can accomodate both hub sizes. Even if it's 130 it's possible that it can be safely opened up to 135. Once again ask BD -- they are super knowledgeable.

spare_wheel

Can't speak for the OP but I live in the same area and I would go through a rim every 18-24 months before I switched to discs.

TGT1

Won't talk you out of it.

Bought the same bike in December. (last years with the 10 spd Rival) and have over 2500 miles on it now.

When it showed up it had the top brake levers and at first I thought "Now there's a gimmick I'll be removing"

Not true! For heads up riding on the tops in traffic or descending a steep single track keeping your CG back, they can't be beat. Gives you a lot more power and control than the hood levers as well.

Setting up discs is a bit more of an art than calipers and there's a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, no problem.

I did end up replacing the metallic front pad with organics to cut down on the brake squeal. The rear doesn't seem to be near as noisy.

There really is a stealth aspect to Ti as well. No one expects a 19-20 lb bike to have a shiny chrome finish like a Walmart special.

PaulH

I lived in Seattle for four years while going to school. I can't recall there being enough sand on the road to cause significant rim wear. However, that was the era of steel rims, and I recall always riding the brakes to dry them. The national trend is to massively treat roads, so I'm not surprised you have wear problems now. Here in the DC area, where grit is king, I gave up on rim brakes fourteen years ago. I also only drive my car on dry days because of all the corrosive salt they spread along with it. Personally I use drum brakes and do not know how discs compare in turns of maintenance requirements.

spare_wheel

mineral oil hydraulics are pretty much maintenance free for 5+ years if set up correctly. and decent ones can lock up wheels with pinky strength and have more modulation than an opera diva.

the sci guy 

How do you know when it's time for new wheels?

lanahk

I don't live in your climate, and I don't know anything about disk brakes.

Here's what I know: n+1

Buy the bike.

Motolegs

You will love disc brakes. I was horrified at the idea of them at first, but the stopping power in the wet cannot be beat. And fixing a flat is a breeze.

tsl

Some have wear indicators--generally a groove etched into the brake track. When the groove disappears, it's time for new rims.

Most, however, don't have this feature. Instead, feel the brake track. Most brake pads are a smidge narrower than the brake track itself. Thus, the brake track becomes more concave with wear. I can't tell you how concave it should be when you replace--maybe someone else can. I went with my gut. When it was worn enough to make me nervous (instead of simply curious), I replaced it.

I have been on a ride with someone whose rim finally gave out due to a worn brake track. There was aluminum shrapnel everywhere. Worse, on one side, the brake track peeled off the rim, getting caught in the fork. That stopped him PDQ.

tsl

/thread

Mr. Hairy Legs

Disc brakes are much better in this part of the world. Also, n+1. Do it.

spare_wheel

been there done that in the 80s.
rim asplodes, gets caught in fork, and cyclist flys for a second or so.

borosen

Disk breaks any time. I'm really happy with mine.


I would not buy this bike though as it has SRAM Rival shifters.
They use the same lever for up and down shifting and mistakes are easily done and frequent.
YMMV.

kickstart

No experience with discs, but I really like the drums on my 1935 Raleigh sports.
Talked to someone recently who has discs, he really liked them for all the reasons mentioned, though he did say pad life isn't that good and they are expensive. Didn't think to ask if that was from off road use or in general.

Bike Gremlin

Good question. Not wanting to argue, just writing my experience, since I really don't understand the necessity of disc brakes:

We get about 30 to 10 days of snow. When it snows, there's lots of sand, mud and TONS of salt in the streets. The rest of the winter (and autumn) is rainy, with TONS of mud and sand on the roads, at least where I live. So my rims get very dirty, all year long. Riding alongside river, 10+km one way to work and back (21 km at least roundtrip), I'd get a lot of sand blown by the wind, whenever there's rain it would stick to the bicycle.

Lots of stop and go as well, in the city. But I never had any problems with rims. No signs of wear after 3 years on my last commuter (that got stolen). So I really don't understand all this disc brake hype. Disks brakes have calipers, don't they? I find those succeptable to rust in salty conditions. Need cleaning and oiling - on motorcycle at least. Didn't plan going through the same thing on a bicycle. A new rim is around 8 euros, and a new whole rear wheel cost me 15 euros just 2 days ago - having a car run over the old one, while the bicycle was parked DAMN!


I did seriously consider putting a front disc brake, but after several winters found no need for such thing.

TGT1

They use the same lever for up and down shifting and mistakes are easily done and frequent

sound like operator error to me.

I actually got the SRAM instead of the Shimano because having the shifter integrated into the brake lever (brifters) is as far as I'm concerned, a bug not a feature.

The SRAM setup only took a few seconds to get used to.

s

borosen

Great.

I did not get used to them in two years. Actually it got worse as the time passed.
Never again.

spare_wheel

Descending hundreds of thousands of feet each year when the road is covered in wet grit, sand, grime, and mud kills rims. People who race a lot of cross in wet climates will go through a rim in a season or two.