Originally Posted by
12strings
I'm looking at entry level $1,000 and under road bikes...should I immediately eliminate any with disc brakes? That's my inclination, since I know nothing about them or how to service themAnand don't know about quality differences Between entry level and High end discs...are they any more or less likely to fail I cause accidents?
My attitude this far has been, "well that's nice, but it has disc brakes..."
Am I being unfair not giving them a chance?
There are pros and cons to disc brakes.
Pros: They stop better than rim brakes. Especially in wet conditions. A lot of bikes with disc brakes can take a wider variety of tire widths.
Cons: They cost more than rim brakes. They're heavier. They may not be as aero.
Disc brakes should not need any more maintenance than rim brakes. Some might argue that your bike may need less maintenance on the rims with disc brakes.
With most bikes, once you choose one type of brake, you can't switch. Because Disc brakes take special mounting points on the front fork and on the rear of the frame. Some bikes with disc brakes may be able to mount rim brakes if they have the mounting points.
I just got back into biking, and I was looking for an intro bike. I was in a bad bike accident in college, where more braking ability may have lessened my injuries, so I decided that disc brakes would be a plus on a new bike.
I was able to find a good intro bike with disc brakes for <$1000.
Fuji Sportif 1.3 C - 2014
It is an AL bike with a carbon fork. Tiagra level components (10-speed). Disc Brakes (
ProMax Render-R mechanical disc for road, 160mm / 140mm rotors). I'm a clyde, so theh 28/32 spoke wheels is a plus for me. My cost was $800 (plus tax). Plus I was able to hit a sale at Peformance Bikes where they gave me 20% back to buy accessories (it's normally 10%) through Team Perfomance. And I joined the e-mail list before I bought, and got a coupon for 20% off up to $200 of accessories. I did have to order it, but I was able to road test another bike with the same frame, but a different component set. It took 1 week to get in.
Of course, my advice would be to road test as many different bikes as possible at different shops, and with different geometries. For example, with Fujis, the Sportif is the intro endurance geometry, and the Roubaix is the intro race geometry. See if you can find the following brands to road test, as they are all respected brands for intro bikes: Fuji, Specialized, Trek, Giant, Cannondale, Raleigh, Jamis.
GH