For my braking needs on the road, hydraulics would be way cool, but total overkill. Heavier and more expensive than rim brakes; more expensive and maintenance intensive than cable discs.

And just for fun:

Compare a disc brake rotor to a BMX mag wheel in context to the "rim brakes are/are not disk brakes" argument. Mag wheel ain't no hoop.

Conversely, full floater disc brake rotors very much more resemble a hoop, especially since they are even more loosely attached to their carrier than rims ever are...

:innocent:

This is completely wrong. New pads on new or used rotors benefit from bedding in and braking performance improves thereafter.

Sometimes I think he says stuff like that deliberately just to vex people who know better. It's funny how NONE of his disc-brake experience matches up with factory recommendations, professionals' experiences, or the majority of current disc users.

definitely more expensive for now. however, hydros paired with a disc rim are now weight competitive. moreover, a good set of mineral oil hydros are basically service free for years (other than replacing the pads).

yeah...

It will still be a few years before road hydraulics get to the point where they are generally affordable and available. For 2014, it's Red and Ultegra Di2. When we get to 105/Apex hydro with mechanical shifting, is when more than the few get on board with it.

Mechanical disc road systems just aren't quite there yet. IMHO. The TRP HyRd is a step in the right direction.

A flat bar road bike w/ Shimano brakes is reasonable and fantastic right now; drop bar discs, not so much. Couple years.

Please come out of the dark ages. Every mountain bike over $400.00 sold in the last 5 years comes with disk brakes. Why? They work better in the nasty conditions like mud, rain, slush and snow. Your experience may be different. For me as well as the 99.5 percent of the other users, they are a better brake. If you live in AZ or FL, nobody cares. Yes , rim brakes do an OK job. I like the less work and mess with disc brakes. Try some BB7'S or new XT's or some nice avid elixers. You might be surprised.

I've been running disc brakes on my commuter for the last 2 years. They are far less fiddly, and far more consistent in varying weather conditions than the v-brakes and canti's on my other bikes. No doubt about it. For the most part, I never have to do much other than a tiny adjustment on the front brake every thousand miles or so, to account for pad wear. Heck, I'm still on my original rear brake pad, and it's not even close to needing to be changed. My first front pad lasted for 5,000 miles before I needed to change it.

I love that I never have to think about my disc brakes. Is it raining? Who cares? I have disc brakes. I know that it'll take the same distance to stop today, as it did on the sunny day yesterday. I can't say that about V-brakes or canti's, in my experience. At least not with a straight face.

V-brakes and canti's are for people that like to fiddle with their bikes constantly. Discs are for people that like to actually ride their bikes. Weight weenies exempted, of course. :lol:

Actually disc specific hoops typically drop 50-60 gms per rim so at the top end we are talking 50-100 gms. Even less if you use a carbon rotor.