Originally Posted by
spare_wheel
the numbers quoted on this thread are for fair weather flat-land commuters who live in dry areas. on average i wear out 1.5 chains, 0.5 cassettes, 1 set of tires, and three disc pads each year. the three disc pads are from exclusively using the front disc brake (using your back brake is pointless). i stopped using rim brakes because i got tired of paying $400 for new wheels every 3 years. riding in heavy rain with tons of grit and sand on the road will eat through a drive train and wheel rims like butter (no matter how anal you are).
A lot of what you say is true, except the bit about the rear brake. Brake wear, like all component wear, depends largely on the conditions you ride in and where you ride.
For off-road riding, or riding on snow, ice or wet roads, the rear brake is used much more frequently, where you want to slow down and not risk a front wheel skid. I usually wear out the rear disc pads faster than the front because most of my hard braking is on steep downhills where I rely on the rear brake far more. This is on both my commute and weekend rides.
For straight line braking on dry roads, the front brake has much more stopping power and is used more frequently.