spare_wheel

I used kool stop salmons but after having to trash ~10 rims/wheels due to wear I switched to discs brakes. Switching to disc brakes has easily saved me $3000 over the years.

dbikingman

I've test rode the Trek Crossrip LTD and enjoyed the ride. I like the options on the bike and it is high on my list. Another bike I really liked was the Novara Gotham, this bike comes with fenders, rack and variable internal hub and includes a belt drive. I was impressed with and it appeared to be low maintenance. Depending on your commute and conditioning this bike might fit your needs.

I'd wait until you get to Seattle to decide on a bike. My opinion is Seattle downtown is hilly, if you are going West/East. If you are going North/South not as much and if you get outside of the downtown it seems to flatten in general.

dynaryder

Never rode in Seattle,but I've been there twice. They've got some decent hills. YMMV,but I'd want a derailleur drivetrain there. The only issues I've ever had with ders has been from all the salt they cake our roads with here;I don't think they salt in Seattle.

Discs would work just fine. Look at my sig,how much time to you think I put into maintaining my fleet? Not much. Discs really don't require much regular maintenance,esp hydros. And for all the people who're going to chime in about bent rotors,I've only had rotors get knock out of true under two conditions;being shipped and playing bike polo. I've had plenty of stuff get screwed up in shipment on bikes from the internet,so that's not specific to discs,and I've also had plenty of stuff get messed up while playing polo. Never had one get messed up from commuting or locking up. Note,they make disc guards for polo use,these would make them pretty much user proof on share bikes.

And an expert weighs in. My old commute was 4.5-5 miles each way,depending on the route. I got about a year out of the front pads on my disc all weather bike. I burned through a set of V brake pads in a month once my first winter. Lots of hills,with rain/snow/road salt means heavy brake wear. So my experiences are quite different from yours.

Ray Lovinggood

Agree with spare_wheel: I would switch to disc brakes if I were looking for a new bike. City riding is "pedal-brake-pedal-brake" over and over and over whereas road riding is just pedal and pedal for miles and miles and never touch the brakes until the rare intersection comes up. The braking that occurs so often over short distances in the five mile commute take their toll on the wheel's rim.

Go for a bike with disc brakes!

Another option: The Raleigh Tamland. It's a steel framed cross bike with eyelets for racks and fenders.

Mr IGH

76.5% of all statistics are made up on the spot....

blakcloud

Comments like this just boggle my mind. It doesn't matter if he/she has to stop once or ten thousand times, the brakes have to work in all conditions. Distance doesn't determine what type of brakes are needed to stop safely, especially in wet climates such as the PNW.

UberGeek

Amazingly, even in wet conditions, I can lock up my tires when braking... Seems traction is key, rather than the braking mechanism. But, to each their own, I suppose.

tarwheel 

I've been extremely pleased with my Soma Saga, which I use for commuting, riding on greenways and loaded touring. Mine is the canti-brake version, but Soma also sells a disc version in a nice orange color. I bought the Soma because the geometry was perfect for me and I wanted a bike that could handle loaded touring with room for larger tires and fenders. I couldn't be happier with my choice, particularly considering the price.

Saga Disc Frame Set | SOMA Fabrications

Leebo

The hydros on my mt bikes work great. The BB'7 on my commuter and touring bikes work great as well. Sometimes choices area good thing.

Leebo

So, OP, my 2 cents might be a Surly straggler. Other thoughts to narrow down your selection. Flat bars or drop bars? Widest tire you would be looking to run? Low gearing issues for hills? Need a triple crank?

sam_cyclist

Comments like this boggle the mind. Caliper brakes work under all conditions.

sam_cyclist

OP is riding in seattle, where road salt and snow are not a factor.

hueyhoolihan

good point. skidding out of control is an indication of excessive not insufficient braking.

cwar

I have road bikes with caliper, mechanical disc, and hydraulic disc brakes. All three options work fine in Seattle with the rain and the hills, but without a doubt, when riding in the wet, I prefer hydraulic, then mechanical, then caliper. When carrying a load the disc brakes are very nice when stopping in the rain on a decline. The mechanical disc brakes do require a little more maintenance, but nothing that would prevent me from getting them again.

Perhaps you just try your bike out when you get to Seattle, then decide?

UberGeek

Are you not able to lock your caliper brakes when wet? If not, have you adjusted your calipers for proper braking? As said previously, I can lock my caliper brakes up, even when wet, going downhill. Traction is more important, IMO.

cwar

I can lock them when wet. That doesn't mean they work as well as disc. Disc work much better in the wet.

Andy_K 

I've never really understood the ability to lock the wheel being used as a measure of satisfactory braking. I understand that's the point where the braking force has exceeded the tire traction and so maximum possible braking force has been achieved. There is a lot more to braking than that. Measuring braking performance by reference to an undesirable situation just isn't useful.

Can I lock the wheel? Sure, so what? Can I consistently make a predictable and controlled stop within an acceptable distance? That's more useful. Can I apply strong braking without fear of accidentally locking the wheel? That's important. Does the brake respond the same way whether it's wet or dry? That's nice.

I'm not saying rim brakes can't do most of this. I just think disc brakes, particularly hydraulic disc brakes, do it better.

Robert C

The other part that makes little sense is when the poster says:
It is true, for similarly equipped bikes, one with discs does cost more; but seldom more then $200-$300. Having commuted on both, I think the discs are worth it. If they really did cost $2150 I would really think harder about them; but, they don't. As such, th answer for an all weather commuter is simple.

asmac

Brakes are machines that convert kinetic energy to thermal energy and thus slow you down. When the wheel stops turning the machine stops working and the brakes have failed. Some brakes produce more heat in a more controllable fashion given a constant source of motion -- i.e. the tire on the road. I pack too much weight and my Shimano XTs stop me efficiently and smoothly in all conditions and require very little maintenance and adjustment.

sam_cyclist

OP doesn't have the option of spending an extra $300 on discs. He wants to buy a new bike instead of swapping pads. At $2K, it doesn't make much sense, even if OP rides in the rain.

Others are factoring in non-existent/irrelevant variables such as road salt and snow in order to entice OP, which is just ridiculous.

You're not going to wear out rims by using calipers. Just wipe off the pads and rims off after each ride. Extremely simple. Shouldn't take more than a few seconds.

What we're really talking about here is consumer addiction, shopping fetishism, masquerading as "need."

Andy_K 

Right. That's what I'm saying. I've got XT's on my mountain bike and they're like magic. My commuter has TRP Hy/Rds and they're very good. My road bike has Ultegra dual-pivot calipers and they are excellent but still finish third on this list. In the rain if I'm going down hill I've got to give them a pretty tight squeeze to get maximum braking out of them.

jaxgtr

Seriously??? the TRP Spyres I use are excellent.

spare_wheel

Compared to what? I suspect that people defending mechanicals simply don't have much experience riding decent hydraulics. Heck, my ancient deore lx disc brakes sitting in the parts bin have better modulation than trp hy/rds which are, imo, the best cable-actuated disc brake available.

UberGeek

That's not very odd at all. I adjust my calipers to give me the maximum amount of braking action with the maximum amount of depression on the levers I'm comfortable with.

That doesn't mean they're inefficient. It means they're not adjusted to where you want them: Less depression for max brake application.

Locking your wheel is when max braking is applied. If a set of brakes can lock a wheel, the brakes are acceptable for use. Maybe, if you're riding routinely at 30-50 mph, you need extra engineering for your brakes, and maybe even discs (Which is why cars lean towards discs) due to heat.

If you're not stopping where you'd like, when maximum braking has already been reached, that means you've lost traction, not that you need better brakes: You've already applied 100% of the possible braking action possible. You need to look at your tires, not your brakes.

UberGeek

The ability to lock the wheel isn't a measure of effective braking action: It's a demonstration that you have applied 100% of the possible braking action on a wheel. If you're locking your brakes, or experiencing poor braking action, chances are you need to look at your tires, not your brakes.

Even control of braking is possible (Easily) with pretty much any brake style for road riding. Disc brakes come in hand when you're dealing with mud, mainly. Because, on a road, you largely are concerned with moisture reducing possible braking. Protip: Water gets on discs too.

No brake system behaves the same in wet/dry conditions. Its what cars have things like all-wheel-drive, and anti-lock brakes.