Originally Posted by
Joe Minton
The latest side-pull caliper brakes, like the new Shimanos, are powerful, fade resistant and provide excellent feel. They are almost as good in these respects as Shimano's latest hydraulic discs.
Hydraulic disc brakes will win the day if for no other reason than they do not require the attention of an enthusiast/mechanic like myself to keep them working at peak efficiency.
If the latest side-pull caliper brakes "are powerful, fade resistant and provide excellent feel" why bother changing to a design that will require a heavier fork design and a complicated hydraulic system if the brakes do what brakes are required to do? Pointless complexity and added weight with no real advantage for road riders and the end of the <20 second wheel change in racing.
You have to be kidding to propose that a hydraulic system with the requirements of bleeding & fluid changes versus a simple cable change would require
less expert maintenance and specialized equipment.
I'm not buying
any of it.
-Bandera