Originally Posted by
ItsJustMe
Well, sorta. There's less water splashing onto the hub in the center than on the rim. And though there is ice on the rotor, it strips off instantly (well, in a single revolution) when I squeeze the brake, because the disc brake pad edge is sharp and hard. I've watched it happen, when I squeeze the brake, the ice just flies off and the brakes begin working within a second. On the rim brakes I once had to dump into a snowbank and do a sort of half jumping Fred Flintstone stop after the brakes completely failed to do anything for many yards on the way down a hill.
If you are really talking about freezing rain, the issue isn't water splashing up. The water is falling from the sky and freezing on the bike, the brakes, the rotors (or wheels)
and the ground. The water freezing on the ground is the limiting factor on whether or not the bike stops well or not. Even discs aren't going to improve the braking power of the bike.