Originally Posted by
joel1952
Debating whether cantilevers are "fine" or "a viable option".is fine for experienced riders who are willing to ride with wholly outdated brakes.
The OP asked a noob question. He wants to tour, not ride around the block. He could find himself on a 2 mile long 6% decent.. He asked if he should upgrade. Under the circumstances, it would be irresponsible to tell a noob that he is ok with cantilevers.
joel1952...I never asked if I should upgrade... I wanted to get opinions about disk brakes to see what people who tour feel about them. I am fairly new to touring but I don't consider myself a noob as you put it. Maybe the question is a noob one to you but I don't think you and I are on the same page. I have a bike with cantis and I've never toured with a fully loaded rig. I think my bike is good for the area I'm cycling in and I'm a curious person. It seems that most of the people here agree on canti's being good for the job. I would like opinions from experienced riders and here is a forum full of them.
I don't think that disk brakes are as great as you think they are. They may not work well in colder climates or at high elevations. Cantis will. There is a fair amount of adjusting for disk brakes and as people have noted they can be difficult to contend with when changing a flat. The world isn't as black and white as I feel you think it is. Disk brakes may be the popular choice now but they're not perfect. Maybe it's a generational thing but I'm comfortable adjusting cantis and they worked for mountain bikes I rode on without problems.
I look forward to hearing your input on various topics and hope to glean some information from your experiences.