Frame and Fork: Hongfu FM079-F with 15mm front/12mm rear thru axles built with Campagnolo Chorus, 160mm front and 140mm rear Shimano RT-99 rotors, and TRP HY/RD calipers (mechanical pull, hydraulic internals)

Frame details (size 50, S/M):
Chainstays - 410mm
Reach - 382mm
Stack - 526mm
Wheelbase - 983mm
Clearance for 28mm tires, maybe 30mm

So in comparison to a Cervelo R3D, it has 5mm longer chainstays, 13mm more reach, and 4mm less stack. Cervelo doesn't quote a wheelbase to compare. I am using a 110mm stem angled down right on top of the headset cap, so nothing 'endurance' about my setup. At 16.65 lbs. with pedals and cages, it isn't a feather but it's no 19-20 lb. gravel bike either.

I'm a disc fan after having started commuting on a bike with V-brakes and after ~10,000 miles and having gone through quite a few brake pads with frequent adjustments to keep them square to the rims I had worn the brake track to the point where I no longer felt comfortable riding those wheels daily. I built a new bike (well, two, but the first didn't last long thanks to an inattentive driver) and set it up with a front Avid BB7 road disc brake (cantilever rear) and Ultegra levers. I put something over 20,000 miles on that bike between 2009 and 2011 and had to swap pads twice during that time. Zero rim wear, including on the rear because I barely used it. I was sold. So when my LOOK KG386 needed replacement I knew I wanted a disc frame.

My experience has been nothing but positive. Caliper setup takes some time to get perfect but that's once and done. If buying off-the-shelf you wouldn't have near the issues I did, most of which were my own fault for trying to combine a Chorus group and discs. Braking is phenomenal, far more predictable and powerful than the Avid BB7 using the stock TRP pads. I don't live in a mountainous area but there are numerous short, steep hills and the road layout is such that you frequently find yourself stopping at the bottom, hauling the bike down from 35+mph to 10-0 for a stop sign or traffic light. It isn't a perfectly fair comparison as I do use the rear brake some now whereas I mostly always stopped with the just the BB7 before, but it really feels effortless to stop. I get the occasional 'ting ting ting' after some hard braking (same happened with the BB7) but it goes away quickly and, unlike a caliper brake rubbing, doesn't create any real friction.

Handling feels responsive and again confident, as noted by my sometimes-cycling partner who won't take turns at nearly the speeds I do. The Vittoria tubulars don't hurt here but I have to believe the geometry and general frame/fork stiffness play a part.

The only thing I'm missing for this comparison to be fully valid is riding a similarly spec'd modern road bike with caliper brakes. My LOOK was far from modern and my Trek is ancient. But given that I wanted deep carbon rims on this build, I can't see how I possibly made the wrong choice. There's lots of talk out there about how caliper brakes are 'just fine' even with (cheap) carbon rims but when you dig into the details at all that simply isn't the case. Pad shredding, howl-inducing rim textures, pad changes to accommodate carbon or aluminum rims, really expensive rims being required to get close to aluminum rim braking in the dry, sometimes scary lack of power with some moisture on the rims...no thanks.

Hope this helps.