Originally Posted by
sam_cyclist
Show me the data. Do clipless pedals make riders any more efficient? No, they do not.
Do discs offer shorter stopping distances? No, they do not.
Do discs offer better "modulation?" Quantify it, test it and show me the results.
Do discs work better in the wet? I don't go for rides in the rain very often. Don't care.
Do discs work better in the snow? Don't care.
No data, here is what I know to be fact from my riding.
Do discs offer shorter stopping distances?
My LWB Recumbent Tour Easy by design made the rear brake do 75% of the stopping, the front was too lightly loaded.
On hi-speed grab it and squeeze hard stops I had to use all four fingers and squeeze very hard to stop the bike in a reasonable distance.
Locking the rear wheel was not always possible, there needed to be a loose surface. On good old hot sticky black asphalt rear wheel lock up was not possible, just not enough braking power with my properly adjusted rim brake even with new quality pads.
On went the Avid BB7 mechanical disk brake with the 180 mm cut rotor and a teflon coated cable (The teflon was good for the extra long run)...
I now could lock the rear wheel at will on hot sticky asphalt and only needed TWO fingers for great modulation and control,,problem soved
BTW my Tour easy is 36 pounds stock, running in gear weight is 41 lbs.
As for shorter stopping distance, YES because I could modulate and hold them just before lockup with no variables like wet rims or slippery road surfaces getting the best of me.
Ok so that's not Lab data but I think It proves disk brakes are far superior and OFFER SHORTER STOPPING DISTANCES,
AT THE EXTREMES OF BIKING but may be overkill for light fast roadbikes with super skinny shoes, Plus they don't wear out your expensive rims..
Do discs offer better "modulation?" Quantify it, test it and show me the results.
You got me there,,,See above,,,
Do discs work better in the wet? I don't go for rides in the rain very often. Don't care.
To those that do care, yes they do....
Do discs work better in the snow?
Not a clue, If It's that cold I'm on the couch with my bunny slippers on and a cup hot chocolate in one hand an a good book in the other...
I don't know or care about data I just ride bicycles but still,,,I hope that helped,,
I know I KNOW locking is loosing control,, I was just making a point,,
FYI I road clipless for two years on my mountain bike, got pretty good with them.
I'm back on GOOD flat pedals with shoes that are made for them and Strava say's I got faster as soon as the the flat pedals wen't on.
I can pull faster top speeds on my Recumbent clipped in tho,, Strava Is my only data on that subject,,again hope this helped