Originally Posted by
noodle soup
the difference is about $12 a pair for pads(disc vs rim), but the braking performance difference is huge(wet or dry).
Do you really worry about about spending an extra $75 per year on stuff like this?
Well, retired on social security, no pension, living in an SRO, actually yes.
To be truthful, when I was first looking into a folding bike (because it fits in my tiny SRO), I wanted the cool one with discs but wasn't willing to spend twice the price. We have some long hills here and I was worried about the 20" rims heating up. But I've checked them after descents and they are fine. Later, I learned of the higher cost. But upon test riding a newer folder with mechanical discs, the wheels locked up incredibly easy, as the discs were designed for 26"+ wheels, not 20". Smaller road discs and hydraulics I think would be a necessity, but that ads complexity and field serviceability issues.
On the other hand, after about 5 years on the bike, the rim sidewalls are noticeably concave from brake wear. These are cheap rims, single wall, no hard anodizing, and several times a year I need to clean embedded aluminum bits from the brake pads, it think due to galling.
Discs would be nice. But if I ever get them, I'm going to use ones that have the most common, low cost pads, with good material selection.