Originally Posted by
msu2001la
If you're braking so hard into corners during a crit race that the stopping power of disc vs. rim is a factor, you're doing something wrong.
Oh yea, naturally - but my interest in discs really came from improved modulation - not stopping power.
I have rim brakes on my crit and commuter bikes - I find they don't do that much when lightly touched, not having any effect on speed until the lever force is a bit higher - when they start to dramatically cut the speed. This to me is not great modulation, at least when compared to my CX and mountain bike hydraulics (shimano SLX and Sram Rival) which have fantastically fine grained modulation by comparison.
I also really like the way on hydraulic discs I can make fine adjustments to speed with minimal hand strength, allowing me to worry less about hand position and how much weight I am putting through the bars, instead of concentrating on putting my hand into the best position for hard squeezing.
I haven't had a good stint on mechanical discs for a long time. So unsure if they have that modulation any better than rim brakes. My holiday rental bikes were mechanical discs, but no name single piston ones. I have a spare flat mount TRP spyre, so expecting better things!