Agree with Ti Habanero, not really needed unless wet conditions, or on a touring bike descending a mt. pass in Colorado. My rim brake road bike stops every bit as well as my disc road bike. Kind of a moot point though as very few road bikes are being built with rim brakes, so it's what you get so you deal with it. Disc pads are much easier to swap out than rim pads, so there's that one advantage. I as well have never had to change hydro fluid or hoses, so that's an easier maintenance item. But I didn't need to change out rim brake cables and housing much either.