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Recommendations for a commuter bike w/ disc brakes?

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Recommendations for a commuter bike w/ disc brakes?

Old 05-27-15, 08:19 PM
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Originally Posted by matimeo
The Motobecane Fantom Cross Comp from Bikesdirect is one heck of a bike. Titanium frame, 105 group and bb7 disc brakes for $1400. Save Up to 60% Off Titanium Cyclocross Bicycles | Road Bikes - Motobecane Fantom Cross Team Titanium | Cross Bikes

I have basically the same bike but with the SRAM Rival group. Makes one sweet commuter for these PNW winters.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Same setup. In Socal there's no need for fenders so I'll run 42mm tires for the occasional fire road weekend run.

The bike comes with rack and fender brazeons, or you can get it down to the 19-20 lb range if you run skinny tires and a striped down toolkit. With fat tires, a Brooks saddle and a full toolkit it comes in under 25 lb.
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Old 05-28-15, 04:55 PM
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Originally Posted by sam_cyclist
OP is riding in seattle, where road salt and snow are not a factor.
Yes,I know(read my first sentence). I was responding to your comment about commuting distance making discs unnecessary. Sorry if multiple quotes confused you.
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Old 05-28-15, 05:01 PM
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Originally Posted by sam_cyclist
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.
I think others would disagree:
Originally Posted by 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.
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Old 05-29-15, 12:34 AM
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no intention of using panniers, but the frame was set up to use them out of box (front and back). I replaced the fork and added drops, but there are several versions of this bike (diamondback haanjo). I got the cheapest since I had parts laying around, with the purchases, still came out to significantly less than the high end model.
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Old 05-29-15, 12:06 PM
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Originally Posted by sam_cyclist
What we're really talking about here is consumer addiction, shopping fetishism, masquerading as "need."

some commuters do not need brakes at all. does this give them permission to lecture others who do in this kind of demeaning manner? (just because you personally do not need disc brakes does not make it so for others.)

i descend ~900-1000 feet at relatively speeds just about every day -- for transportation -- and have done so for almost 20 years (lived on the top of capitol hill, seattle and now work on marquam hill, portland). moreover, it is not snow or salt that killed my rims; rather, it was sluicing through a soup of harsh grit that represented and represents my riding conditions for a good part of the year. now i merely recycle my ~$6 taiwanese* stainless disc brake rotors once every 6-9 months.

as for consumer addiction, my switch to disc brakes had a huge impact on my wasteful and unsustainable consumption of rims.

*a democracy with better protection of workers and less inequality than the usa.
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Old 06-01-15, 11:54 AM
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Originally Posted by dynaryder
I think others would disagree:
Try wiping down rims and pads after each ride. This doesn't take very long. If you have time to lock up and unlock a bike, you can wipe down pads and rims.
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Old 06-01-15, 03:00 PM
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Originally Posted by matimeo
The Motobecane Fantom Cross Comp from Bikesdirect is one heck of a bike. Titanium frame, 105 group and bb7 disc brakes for $1400. Save Up to 60% Off Titanium Cyclocross Bicycles | Road Bikes - Motobecane Fantom Cross Team Titanium | Cross Bikes

I have basically the same bike but with the SRAM Rival group. Makes one sweet commuter for these PNW winters.
That does look like an amazing deal, that's in my top two for N+1, but currently they are all sold out (and for the past month or two they've only had tiny sizes).

My other main contender for N+1 is Volagi Viaje 1x10, same price. $100 more for Tiagra 2x10, $1745 gets SRAM Red and hydraulic.
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Old 06-01-15, 03:36 PM
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Originally Posted by sam_cyclist
Try wiping down rims and pads after each ride. This doesn't take very long. If you have time to lock up and unlock a bike, you can wipe down pads and rims.
Second time you need to work on your reading comprehension.

Originally Posted by spare_wheel
i descend ~900-1000 feet at relatively speeds just about every day -- for transportation -- and have done so for almost 20 years (lived on the top of capitol hill, seattle and now work on marquam hill, portland). moreover, it is not snow or salt that killed my rims; rather, it was sluicing through a soup of harsh grit that represented and represents my riding conditions for a good part of the year.
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Old 06-01-15, 04:14 PM
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Originally Posted by dynaryder
Second time you need to work on your reading comprehension.
I've found on bikeforums it's almost futile to attempt to educate the uninitiated on rim wear (especially in everyday, in-traffic commuting) in the PNW climate. Nobody can fathom the idea that I can go through a rim in one winter of commuting and that disc brakes might actually be necessary.
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Old 06-01-15, 07:51 PM
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Wow I left the thread and I came back to quite a debate!

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, I've been writing them down and I'll narrow it down when the time comes for me to buy a new bike.

For now, my solution is to ride my bike around town until I feel that my Kool-Stop salmons don't give me the adequate braking power I need. Then I'll go to my LBS and see if they can switch out the fork to give me disc brakes in the front or perhaps get a new bike then. But since I don't know the terrain or the path I'll be riding, I'll hold off on purchasing anything as @sam_cyclis pointed out that I may just be confusing "want" w/ "need."

I won't have my space in Seattle so I'm trying to minimize "stuff" (and spending) so having two bikes is less than ideal. So purchasing an additional bike would not be good
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Old 06-01-15, 08:13 PM
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Originally Posted by 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. .
More accurate to say locked wheels demonstrate that braking action has dropped to zero.
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Old 06-01-15, 09:25 PM
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Originally Posted by mrwheezy117
Wow I left the thread and I came back to quite a debate!

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, I've been writing them down and I'll narrow it down when the time comes for me to buy a new bike.

For now, my solution is to ride my bike around town until I feel that my Kool-Stop salmons don't give me the adequate braking power I need. Then I'll go to my LBS and see if they can switch out the fork to give me disc brakes in the front or perhaps get a new bike then. But since I don't know the terrain or the path I'll be riding, I'll hold off on purchasing anything as @sam_cyclis pointed out that I may just be confusing "want" w/ "need."

I won't have my space in Seattle so I'm trying to minimize "stuff" (and spending) so having two bikes is less than ideal. So purchasing an additional bike would not be good
You have plenty of time to decide on your options.

It's june and should be dry for months and months.

Ask local riders and shops once you're there what type of brakes they use.

You might be amazed to discover that most everyone has been riding with caliper brakes (shock, gasp) for eons without issue.
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Old 06-02-15, 01:55 PM
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Originally Posted by 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."
I have worn out lots of rims, maybe 5 or 6? Try pedaling in New England or some place that gets lots of rain year round. Try mt biking off road in sloppy conditions. The rims DO wear down.
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Old 06-02-15, 02:07 PM
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Originally Posted by sam_cyclist
Try wiping down rims and pads after each ride. This doesn't take very long. If you have time to lock up and unlock a bike, you can wipe down pads and rims.
So, Sam, where do you pedal ? FL or CA, you need not apply. After my nasty commutes, I get large amounts of nasty dirt, mud and black ground down aluminum, off the wheels, rims and frame. I then scrub with a brush (used toothbrushes work great) and dish soap, plus pick out the grit from the pads with a pick. Or when I use my disc brake bike, change the pads once a year. You chose. Realize in New England and the PNW, disc brakes work well, YRMV.
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Old 06-02-15, 06:34 PM
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Originally Posted by asmac
More accurate to say locked wheels demonstrate that braking action has dropped to zero.
Wrong. It means you have applied 100% of the braking force available. After that, the work is on the tire.

As long as you are able to lock a brake system, any other improvements will come from an increase in traction, not by changing brake technology.
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Old 06-02-15, 09:22 PM
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Originally Posted by UberGeek
Wrong. It means you have applied 100% of the braking force available. After that, the work is on the tire.

As long as you are able to lock a brake system, any other improvements will come from an increase in traction, not by changing brake technology.
Not really. Better brakes provide more braking with the same traction.
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Old 06-02-15, 09:33 PM
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For a commuter I ride a Trek District. Has 160mm discs and feels great for my 8 mile ride to school!
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Old 06-03-15, 02:58 AM
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Originally Posted by Leebo
So, Sam, where do you pedal ? FL or CA, you need not apply. After my nasty commutes, I get large amounts of nasty dirt, mud and black ground down aluminum, off the wheels, rims and frame. I then scrub with a brush (used toothbrushes work great) and dish soap, plus pick out the grit from the pads with a pick. Or when I use my disc brake bike, change the pads once a year. You chose. Realize in New England and the PNW, disc brakes work well, YRMV.
I hear ya man. I'm in cali, and almost always ride in dry conditions with my road bikes. I don't mind riding in wet, muddy conditions off road. I'm pretty darn good about wiping down rims and pads, but again, I'm in cali and don't ride much in the wet.

I still think OP should ask around when he is in seattle and ask around with riders and shops. He's got months of dry weather riding ahead of him, so it's not an immediate issue.
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Old 06-03-15, 04:08 AM
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My winter commuter is disc braked and is awesome.

Before this I rode 6 years on a rim braked hybrid with kool stops, in that time I did 25k miles and I got through 3 sets of wheels.

The biggest difference is in the winter when it is around freezing. I find rim brakes deeply unsatisfactory when the rim surface is covered in ice.
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Old 06-03-15, 12:25 PM
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At the end of the summer I'm hoping to pick up next year's Breezer Beltway:

Breezer Bikes - Beltway Elite - Bike Overview
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Old 06-05-15, 11:26 PM
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Have you heard of Vanmoof? The primarily make city bikes. Their S3 comes with disc brakes, fenders, Alfine 8 speed rear hub and a front hub with a built in Dynamo to run the front and rear lights that reside in the fore and aft of the top tube. They also make a good sturdy rear rack and a front basket that is mounted on the frame rather than the forks.

S3 - VANMOOF Commuter Bicycles | OFFICIAL WEBSITE
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Old 06-06-15, 06:24 AM
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Vanmoof S3

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Old 06-06-15, 07:57 AM
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My Sturmey-Archer Drum brake Hubs are 25+ years of trouble free service , same Drum shoes , will last past My Expiration Date.
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Old 06-06-15, 08:16 AM
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I ride a specialized diverge , check it out, very pleased with it. would provide photo but due to image size restrictions on this site am unable.
(you would think a modern site could handle this)

cheers!
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Old 06-08-15, 07:19 AM
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Originally Posted by sam_cyclist
I hear ya man. I'm in cali, and almost always ride in dry conditions with my road bikes....
Another "internet expert"! Thanks for playing....
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