Originally Posted by
DBordello
The salesman was trying to talk me into disc breaks. I have to do some research, but my gut instinct tells me they are not necessary ($100 upcharge on the 7.2). Thoughts?
I'll quote myself from a previous post to reply to this.
tl;dr If I was going to get into disc brakes I wouldn't bother with cheap mechanical ones unless you absolutely need the extra performance in the rain.
The following is an opinion.
The only reason to have mechanical disc brakes is if you ride in wet or unfavorable conditions on a regular basis and need the reliability of disc brakes but can't afford a bike with hydro's. People will still trot out some arguement about rim brakes ruining your rim to justfiy mechanical disc brakes under any conditions but i've never had a rim ruined from the brakes. You'll probably sell the bike for a new one long before the rim ever wears out.
Hydraulic disc brakes have peripheral advantages that go beyond pure stopping power, namely that the lever actuation feels really good. You can apply the full force of the brakes using just a finger or two, and the hydraulic levers are extremely smooth. The practical advantages in wet conditions all still apply. I've said this before but disc brakes are not something I would do on a budget. You can get a nice bike with a well rounded component group and traditional rim brakes, or you can get the cheapest bike you can find that has disc brakes and sacrifice component quality in other areas to offset the expensive cost of the braking system.