^^^^good point, mostly magnesium chloride put on roads around here. It's corrosive stuff for sure but it's never had an effect on my stopping power.

As I stated, I ride on gravel roads, and if it's wet at all my rims are constantly coated with sandy mud, and it grinds rims down quickly. No problem with the discs.

Rims work pretty well most of the time, and I think they may be better off in cities where you're using them more. However, on my ride I often go 30 minutes without touching the brakes, and in freezing rain that means that the rims get coated with ice.

My observation is that disc brakes are the new "must have" item in order to sell a bike. As a result more and more bikes that have no legitimate need for discs are showing up with discs, often making the bike worse.

Here is what Thorn (maker of high end touring bikes) says about disc brakes:

“V” brakes

There is no doubt that hydraulic disc brakes are
preferable to V brakes in the deep, muddy
conditions often found in UK mountainbiking.
They are, however, very easily damaged
(especially in transit) and a bent rotor is much
more difficult to straighten than an “out of true”
wheel. Indeed, if the rotor is warped enough, the
wheel will not even turn! Don’t compare the 8 to
10mm thick, cast rotors, found on modern cars
and motorcycles, with the 2mm thick, stainless
steel plate, rotors found on bicycles.

For everything, apart from full-on
mountainbiking, we prefer the
simplicity, ruggedness and ease of
maintenance of V brakes. We even
prefer the “feel” of top quality V
brakes. We have rims available, with
a tungsten carbide braking surface,
which provides fantastic braking
combined with exceptional longevity

Please don’t ask for a
disc brake on steel forks,
we simply won’t do it!

We use raked blades, these are exceptionally
comfortable, they will withstand the forces of
cycling (and have done so for generations) but
raked forks will not withstand the forces
generated by a disc brake, which are very
different to the forces generated by V brakes,
even at the same rate of ***********. We have
seen 3 ways that other manufacturers have
“accomplished” this, they all seem stupid to us
(1) We have had customers complain that a
well known custom builder’s raked steel forks
have permanently bent under braking.
(2) We have seen hideously uncomfortable,
thick walled, straight blades used by another
manufacturer, these forks don’t fail, but I
expect that an owner’s hands and elbows
soon would!
(3) The most ridiculous “solution” of all, is a
heavy left blade and lighter right blade. The
different blades must have different elastic
properties (isn’t that supposed to be the
point?) and therefore the axle must twist, when
a bump is hit. If the axle twists, then so must
the front wheel. If the front wheel twists, then
the bike consequently alters course.

Isn’t hitting bumps comfortably and safely
the main function of a bicycle’s fork?
Why compromise comfort and safety, in
order to fit a brake, which is inferior, in the

conditions that the steel fork will be used in?

I have a Kona Dew Plus. My only complaints with it are:
- cheap paint quality - with daily locking it looks rather beaten
- disc brake install on them are not that great by design, they have some flex to them, and the fix suggested by the LBS was too expensive to bother with. So probably just stop as well as decent rim brakes. However the advantage of not wearing out your rim in crappy weather is a bonus.

Disc brakes aren't just helpful in bad weather. The pads last much longer,require fewer adjustments,and are often easier to change. Discs don't wear your rims and work the same if you knock your wheel slightly out of true in a pothole. You don't have to open/close disc brakes when removing/installing a wheel,which is a bonus for people who remove their front wheel to lock up,and also means you'll never forget to hook the brakes back up when reinstalling a wheel.

You know they're kinda retro-grouchy,right?

This is completely wrong. To make a statement like that shows they are just trying to promote their style of cycling above all else.

I've had two discs get warped from shipping,and one from playing polo. Fixed them all easily by simply bending the rotor back to true. I purchased Park Tool's 'tuning fork' disc tool,but I could've also done it with and adjustable wrench. BTW,I've also had rims/spokes messed up by shipping and polo. Guess what? To properly true a rim requires alot more skill,and special tools,than trueing a rotor.


Disc pads don't require toe-in. They also only adjust in and out. No height,no yaw.

Thorn should talk to Kona. Nothing wrong with the Project Two fork. Nothing wrong with Surly's 1x1 fork either. And I'm not even mentioning the various custom builders' offerings.

Oh,and for the OP,Giant also has their Seek line of disc-equipped hybrids. Something else you may want to check out.

I have a Kona dew a like the disc brakes, I was also able to mount a standard rack on it with a slight bend here and there.

Yeah, lots of "wrong" in there. Disc brakes are FAR, FAR easier to properly adjust and maintain than rim brakes. I probably don't touch my disc brakes for 3 or 4 months at a time, and when I do, it's a quick look and a few clicks on the dial, maybe 20 seconds, and it's perfect.

My rear wheel is still rim brakes, and to even get out the tools to do a small adjustment to it takes a few minutes, then twice that time to get the adjustment right. Toe-in can be particularly difficult to get right.

Also, as was mentioned, cheaper to run. I buy my pads off eBay for $6 per pair, and they last about a year. The replaceable rim brake pads that I use are about $4 a pair, and when I was using them up front I'd go through 2 or 3 sets a year.

That's not to mention the $60 rims that I'm no longer destroying at a rate of one every couple of years (now I'm only destroying the rear wheel every 2 years).

Having just ridden home with my rim brakes in the rain, I can safely say I MUCH prefer disc brakes for rain riding. The rim brakes are great in dry weather but the performance is notably worse in wet weather. Disc brakes are more consistent :)

i've never had a problem with rim brakes in 3 years commuting through rain and snow. personally i think it's just a way to rationalize the disc brake purchase. disc brakes are sexy and work well, so if you want them, get them. if you want to save $100 you'll be fine rolling rim brakes.

Definitely easier to setup/maintain. My Avid BB7s have been "set and forget" brakes.

I give the dial a click every...4-5 months?...to account for pad wear. Maybe not even that long. I just replaced the stock pads after 3 years because I wanted to try a quieter compound...not because they were too worn.

That U.K. article is interesting. I have a Surly 1x1 steel disc/canti fork that has been used for 5 years as disc, and recently moved over to a V-brake bike. The feeling is the same, and the fork is raked. Never had an issue with Steel - Rake- Disc. This seems odd to me.

This article would make more sense if they replaced 'steel' with 'carbon'. I wouldn't trust a carbon disc fork under heavy load.

I'd sooner trust a carbon disc fork provided it's designed for the purpose.

Steel will have to be built like a tank and just as heavy, or it will flex by the caliper mount at the dropout, and bad things can happen. I had a steel disc fork without flex problems, but it was absolutely tank-like.

My CF disc fork is tank-like for CF, which means it has big burly legs that shrug off those forces, is easily as heavy as any alloy fork, yet manages to come in lighter than the steel one. ZERO flex, and not a sign of flinching in 3 years.

Good disc brakes are worth what you pay for them and provide excellent year round all condition braking and their best feature is that they preserve your rims which is important to those who live in wetter climates like the PNW.

With that being said, good quality rim brakes can also offer great braking in almost all conditions if they are set up properly and the right pads are used... have discovered that at -40C not too many brake pads work as well as they did at warmer temps.

I ride year round and do not have a bike fitted with disc brakes.

I wil defend Thorn's position on not using disc brakes on their custom steel forks as I work with a frame builder of great repute who prides himself on making a beautiful riding fork who's ride quality would be negatively impacted by the application of a disc brake.

He is presently looking at designing a suspended rack that does not interfere with the fork's design and does build a steel fork with disc mounts for his tandem bicycles... these forks have to be much stiffer and stronger and on a tandem good braking is essential due to the loads and speeds tandems experience.

Even then, many tandems stillget fitted with cantis or V's up front and have an additional disc brake in the rear in additon to the primary brake to function as a drag brake or secondary as the application of force here has less effect on the bikes ride and handling while under periods of prolonged braking.

Will disagree that the rear rim is always the one that wears out fastest... if one uses proper braking technique the front rim will wear out before the rear one does as this is where 90% of properbraking happens.

I guess my Surly 1x1 fork is built like a tank, so it's ok. I can see where the problems might occur on a less sturdy fork.

It isn't so much about sturdiness as a Thorn fork is hella strong but is also a great riding fork... disc forks have to be extremely stiff to withstand braking forces and the disc tabs and brazing also affect the steel.

It is a great point of pride to be able build a strong fork that also improves the overall ride quality of the bicycle.

The Surly 1x1 is tandem worthy and bikes fitted with these rely on some high volume tyres to provide a quality ride and to dampen road buzz... my hybrid runs a monster of a steel fork that is stiff as hell and the bike cannot run on narrow high psi tyres if you want any kind of ride quality.

Get to riding 100,s and 100's of bikes and you will be able to see the difference between a so so fork and one that has been carefully and skillfully made... the Carlton made forks on many Raleighs are wondrous as you can run very high pressure tyres and still get a beautiful ride.

The fork on my handbuilt Ron Cooper is a masterpiece in this respect and is by no means weak and the frame is stiff and responsive... but with 130 psi tyres the ride is still amazing. If a disc tab was added much of what makes that fork so good would be lost.

I've used a few different types of caliper, linear and cantilever brakes for commuting and riding around Seattle, and just recently got my first disc brake bicycle, a 2010 Jamis Aurora Elite.

My answer: yes.

Even in dry and perfect conditions the braking power is considerably higher. In the wet, the difference is amazing. I have to careful riding my road bike in the wet if I've been on the Aurora for the most part because the Tektro calipers and Kool-Stop Salmon pads feel like nothing is happening after being used to the power of discs.

They can definitely be a bit more trouble to get dialed and in set up (my front disc is still screaming like a banshee after a month, despite my shop resurfacing the rotor and both pads). They add weight. The make installing racks and fenders a pain. Etc and so on. But the difference in stopping power is astonishing.

You can get by fine with rim brakes in anything but icy conditions, but discs make emergency braking far less terrifying.

I have to warn people when they ride my hybrid as besides having reversed levers the XTR cantis provide some massive stopping power which some folks may not be ready for. I use it for towing an 8 foot trailer that has had as much as 300 pounds on it and never found the braking to be lacking.

Have ridden a lot of single track and off road and used to run a front disc and a rear V which was an excellent set up... the modulation from the disc was excellent.

Yeah, I read Thorn's bit about using heavier steel for the disc brakes and how the four horsemen cometh... i've ridden a steel disc fork(Kona's p2 3x butted) for a while and won't complain. It does flex under threshold braking, but that I suspect is only because of an un-true rotor. No "noodling" on the descents and it tracks straight. As for vibrations and small bumps, that is best dealt with by using the proper size tire at a reasonable psi - not by using a special rigid fork.

Not everybody "needs" them. I could get by without them. But this last Winter has been a lot easier in the maintenance department. I haven't had to wonder once about the brakes working. And I haven't had to adjust then more than once, and that was just the cable. You don't want them, fine. I'm figuring out how to change my old tourer to disc for backup duty.

In my experience, disc brakes are not an improvement over caliper brakes for commuting. They are an improvement over maladjusted cantilevers :).

As the OP, I think it's safe to assume anything I ride in the dead of winter is going to be slightly maladjusted in some way or another.

I commuted year-round without disc brakes just fine for decades - but I sure do like using them now and the improvement in both bad-weather braking and pad/rim wear is noticeable.

I replaced the carbon canti fork on my Fuji World with a steel Dimension disc fork (twas the only disc fork I could find with a 1" steerer) - the bike still rides just fine (not tank-like), just with better braking.