I currently have a "beater" fitness bike with mini-Vs, a road bike with dual pivot brakes, and an "everything" bike with hydraulic discs. I far prefer the hydraulic disc brakes.
The mini-Vs seem to do almost nothing for much of the pad-to-rim contact until I'm really squeezing the levers, and then it's a very small window where I can control my threshold braking. I've acclimated, but I'm not a fan. I don't like the brake feel and power I get with my dual pivot brakes from the hoods either. They feel good from the drops, and to be fair if I need to shed a lot of speed I'm already in the drops anyway. Initial brake bite goes out the window in wetter conditions. I don't like having to regularly clean the rims and pick crud out of the pads to keep braking performance and wear in check. And once in a while I have to recenter the calipers, which is a little annoying. I also don't like that the brake "disc," a wear item, is the rim itself, and that rim trueness affects braking. If I rode expensive CF wheels, that would really bum me out.
As for the hydraulic disc brakes, I resisted for a while, but got them on my newest bike after some lengthy test rides. I love the feel and the ease of modulation. I love the braking power I can still comfortably achieve from the hoods. On sketchier surfaces I love that I can keep more fingers on the bars and still confidently brake with just a finger. So far I've been very happy with the consistency in all conditions. I love that the pads stay perfectly centered around the rotors. Inspecting and replacing pads is criminally easy and can be done in less than a minute, and without any fiddly alignment. And when the braking surface is worn, I'm out a couple of rotors, not a couple of wheels.
I'm not as concerned with weight and aero, and to be frank I think the real world impact of disc brakes on frame/component weight and aerodynamics is often overstated. The real concern with hydraulic disc brakes to me is that they're not really field serviceable if something goes wrong with the brake lines. Don't know how much of an issue that really is in the grand scheme of things.
Anyway, I certainly wouldn't suggest rim brakes and mechanical disc brakes are made obsolete by hydraulic disc brakes, but I have my preference. To each his own.
Originally Posted by
cyccommute
I also feel that hydraulics aren't any better than a cable disc brake. In fact, I took the hydraulics off on bike and replaced them with mechanicals. The problem I've had with hydraulics is that they aren't what I would call "modulated" as everyone else gushes about them. To me that were extremely grabby and difficult to "modulate". They were either on or off which is the exact opposite of "modulation".
I apparently have the dainty, weak grip strength of a millennial, so I have exactly the opposite experience. But you certainly put in the time to find what works best for you.
