does road bike disc brake make sense?
07-21-15, 11:02 AM
#53
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 437
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Well then if you are "constantly fiddling with them" sounds like you need a better bike mechanic. I set my two up and have been riding with no issues. Both bikes, both types cable and hydro many miles, wheels off and back on, summer, winter, rain, dry, mud, snow, salty slushy roads that layered the rims and bottom end with crusty ice and the like. Those darn crappy near useless disk brakes forgot who they were and just worked.
YMMV. Seems to me the opinion you have about disk brakes is quite well known and you likely have persuaded any and all you could and are now entering the comic zone.
YMMV. Seems to me the opinion you have about disk brakes is quite well known and you likely have persuaded any and all you could and are now entering the comic zone.
07-21-15, 11:03 AM
#54
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 437
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
07-21-15, 11:05 AM
#55
Senior Member
07-21-15, 12:11 PM
#57
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,664
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Well then if you are "constantly fiddling with them" sounds like you need a better bike mechanic. I set my two up and have been riding with no issues. Both bikes, both types cable and hydro many miles, wheels off and back on, summer, winter, rain, dry, mud, snow, salty slushy roads that layered the rims and bottom end with crusty ice and the like. Those darn crappy near useless disk brakes forgot who they were and just worked.
YMMV. Seems to me the opinion you have about disk brakes is quite well known and you likely have persuaded any and all you could and are now entering the comic zone.
YMMV. Seems to me the opinion you have about disk brakes is quite well known and you likely have persuaded any and all you could and are now entering the comic zone.
07-21-15, 12:23 PM
#59
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,246
Mentioned: 211 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18420 Post(s)
Liked 15,564 Times
in
7,333 Posts
07-21-15, 12:29 PM
#60
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,246
Mentioned: 211 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18420 Post(s)
Liked 15,564 Times
in
7,333 Posts
07-21-15, 12:40 PM
#62
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Denver, Co.
Posts: 107
Bikes: 2012 BMC FS02, 2012 Aventon Mataro (Custom), 2014 Scattante XRL Team (Custom), 1999 GT GTB.
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Playing with my lady's new Kona Rove AL with mechanical disc, the front wheel is extremely annoying to get on and going without sound. It's like adjusting your rear fixed wheel for chain tension every time -- but more finicky. Could this be because they're not hydro? Maybe. Could it be the frame? Maybe. But, my front wheel with rim brakes has never needed adjustment. Toss on and go. So, don't care for the disc yet and I'm OK with the rim brakes on road bikes.
07-21-15, 12:51 PM
#63
Senior Member
Playing with my lady's new Kona Rove AL with mechanical disc, the front wheel is extremely annoying to get on and going without sound. It's like adjusting your rear fixed wheel for chain tension every time -- but more finicky. Could this be because they're not hydro? Maybe. Could it be the frame? Maybe. But, my front wheel with rim brakes has never needed adjustment. Toss on and go. So, don't care for the disc yet and I'm OK with the rim brakes on road bikes.
07-21-15, 01:13 PM
#64
serious cyclist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Austin
Posts: 21,147
Bikes: S1, R2, P2
Mentioned: 115 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 9334 Post(s)
Liked 3,679 Times
in
2,026 Posts
07-21-15, 01:24 PM
#65
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Columbia, SC
Posts: 2,977
Bikes: 2014 Cannondale Synapse Carbon 4 Rival; 2014 Cannondale Trail 7 29; 1972 Schwinn Suburban, 1996 Proflex 756, 1987(?) Peugeot, Dahon Speed P8; 1979 Raleigh Competition GS; 1995 Stumpjumper M2 FS, 1978 Raleigh Sports, Schwinn Prologue
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 213 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
4 Posts
I'm firmly a retrogrouch. Maybe one day I will have a bike with discs, but the added cost of the bike itself, any replacement wheelset/hubs and shifters do not make me want to even come close to them. Maybe in a few years if they completely catch on and everyone starts using through axles and there is proper beefing up where the fork and frame needs it, I'll look. Then again, that will be the time to buy all those terrific wheelsets people can no longer use.
07-21-15, 01:30 PM
#66
Senior Member
Front quick releases are terrible for disc brakes. Basically, you need to center the wheel, then tighten the heck out of the QR, then adjust the disc brakes. If you ever need to remove the wheel, you pretty much repeat the entire process. If you're lucky you can sometimes get it to come back. If you don't have the quick release tight enough the wheel will shift under braking.
07-21-15, 01:51 PM
#67
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: In the foothills of Los Angeles County
Posts: 25,296
Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8281 Post(s)
Liked 9,053 Times
in
4,479 Posts
07-21-15, 01:55 PM
#68
Vain, But Lacking Talent
Well, I might as well ad my worthless input while I'm at it.
For me, a go-fast-have-fun road bike has to have rim brakes. It's mostly tradition. Besides, modern rim brakes are freaking awesome. This makes me a future retrogrouch.
But I am looking to build my next commuting/adventure type bike, and I talked myself in and out of discs several times over, finally landing on discs (for now
). My main reasons are wet weather riding (which I've survived plenty of times on rim brakes), keeping my wheels clean (scrubbing off black gunk sucks), and because I intend to offroad it and I'd rather be in a situation where a broken spoke isn't something that can strand me.
None of those reasons make any sense for a road bike intended for fair weather and relatively short outings. And should I plan a big 5-8 hour day on the road bike and get caught in the rain? Big deal. It's not something I plan on making a regular thing, so washing the road bike after a nasty ride isn't as huge of a deal as keeping my commuter/adventure bike clean.
They both have their places and it's up to the individual to decide if it makes sense for them or not. The idea that discs are a "necessity" because they are the latest and greatest and safest? That's dogmatic, simplistic, and idiotic.
For me, a go-fast-have-fun road bike has to have rim brakes. It's mostly tradition. Besides, modern rim brakes are freaking awesome. This makes me a future retrogrouch.
But I am looking to build my next commuting/adventure type bike, and I talked myself in and out of discs several times over, finally landing on discs (for now
). My main reasons are wet weather riding (which I've survived plenty of times on rim brakes), keeping my wheels clean (scrubbing off black gunk sucks), and because I intend to offroad it and I'd rather be in a situation where a broken spoke isn't something that can strand me.None of those reasons make any sense for a road bike intended for fair weather and relatively short outings. And should I plan a big 5-8 hour day on the road bike and get caught in the rain? Big deal. It's not something I plan on making a regular thing, so washing the road bike after a nasty ride isn't as huge of a deal as keeping my commuter/adventure bike clean.
They both have their places and it's up to the individual to decide if it makes sense for them or not. The idea that discs are a "necessity" because they are the latest and greatest and safest? That's dogmatic, simplistic, and idiotic.
07-21-15, 02:37 PM
#69
Senior Member
Now that I've tried a mountain bike with through-axles, I will never buy disc brake bike with QRs. The funny part is that in a effort to remedy the QR flaw, many manufacturers put HUGE lawyer lips on the fork, and as a result, the through-axle is actually FASTER to remove than most disc QR forks.
07-21-15, 04:47 PM
#71
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Tichborne, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 324
Bikes: Trek 5200, Giant Rainier, Devinci Destination,Motobecane CF, Bike Friday family tandem, Bike Friday NWT
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 15 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
Lets see. My 2004 Trek 5200, 30000km or so, ^60% original brake pads in a very hilly area. I guess I need discs!!!
07-21-15, 05:01 PM
#72
Junior Member
Now that I've tried a mountain bike with through-axles, I will never buy disc brake bike with QRs. The funny part is that in a effort to remedy the QR flaw, many manufacturers put HUGE lawyer lips on the fork, and as a result, the through-axle is actually FASTER to remove than most disc QR forks.
07-21-15, 05:14 PM
#74
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: SE Minnesota
Posts: 12,275
Bikes: are better than yours.
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
3 Posts
I find that the "bad weather" that requires disks is a pretty narrow band consisting of slushy snow. Rain: disks not necessary. Ice/Snow below about 20*F: disks not necessary.
__________________
Telemachus has, indeed, sneezed.
Telemachus has, indeed, sneezed.
07-21-15, 05:24 PM
#75
Senior Member
I was not referring to the Trek issue. There is an inherent flaw with QR and disc brakes, the forces on the disc lever the wheel OUT of the drop-out. Under hard braking this results in the wheel shifting in the dropout and the brakes rubbing. As a result manufacturers are putting bigger an bigger lawyer lips on, so that the QR lever is better located, and it is impossible slip. A better solution is a through-axle which consistently positions the wheel and doesn't allow it to slip. This is only an issue on the front, for the rear, the brake location is better and the forces are different.