Originally Posted by
cyccommute
The two brake thing works well for rims because the rim caliper opens up. Fork mounted calipers don't. About the only option you'd have if you have a rotor that can't be straightened out is to remove the caliper or the rotor. It's not as simple as just releasing the cable.
I think this is a spurious argument. If you've damaged your bike so much that one of your brakes is completely non-functional does it really matter than you've got to loosen two bolts so you can remove the caliper? Honestly, in that situation the fact that I can release a canti or V-brake cable in 2 seconds isn't going to change my mood: I'll likely still be miffed that my bike is damaged.
For the kinds of riding and touring I do, it doesn't make sense to try to optimize for a condition that occurs exceedingly rarely (in my experience).
I take some issue with your statement "As usual, I think you're over-stating the fragility of disc brakes". It's difficult for something to be 'usual' when this is the first instance of me mentioning it.
Apologize for making it sound like you, personally, were habitually posting about the fragility of disc brakes. I know that isn't the case. What I meant was "As usual
for people who post against disc brake usage, I think you're over-stating the fragility of disc brakes." In retrospect, I realize that this wasn't terribly clear. Sorry!