Experiences with disc brake adapters?
 

Hey there knowledgeable people! I live in Seattle and starting this coming winter I'll be riding around 60 miles per week and it rains very frequently here if you haven't heard. SO I am starting to see the appeal of disc brakes even if they're not as sexy & svelte as cantis.

But since I own a 90's frame I'd need adapters to have disc brakes on my bike. I've read bad things about disc brake adapters on 15 year old bike forum threads. Has the technology improved enough since W's first term to justify trying it out? Maybe just in front? Is it bad for the frame? I know nothing!

No I can't just buy a new bike otherwise I'd get a trek 520 disc and call it good.:beer:

A2Z makes/made a decent one for the rear. No experience with front ones.

Google "disc brake fork failure". The bike needs to be able to support the torque from the brakes. Keep in mind that discs stress the frame in different ways than rim brakes. You would need a new fork with disc specific blades and, if the brake is mounted on the seat stay, a support that would run between the seat stay and chain stay to resist bending the seat stay.

hahhaahahaha **** that I'm cool with cantis. maybe I'll just save my money and get that 520 in a year

Wait they actually make disc brake adapters for frames that don't support disc brakes?

That, my friends, is an idiotic idea. No way in hell I'm going to trust my braking to something that CLAMPS to my frame with hose clamps or similar.

Seriously guys, rim brakes AREN'T THAT BAD IN THE WET. It takes a full half second for the pads to clean the rim of water and then pretty much normal braking occurs after that. I HIGHLY doubt any of you are riding fast enough/hard enough to require disc brakes in the wet.

OP: They also make hub brakes which are great in the wet and would work with your frame, but you'd need to build a new wheel or buy one.

Try some drum brakes.

Try some Kool Stop salmon coloured pads for better rain stopping and regularly cleaning off your brakes/rims surfaces.