If you wanted a bike for commuting to work or travelling, would you go for a simple mechanical bike (friction shifters, mechanical disc or rim brakes) or electronic shifting & hydraulic disc brakes. If you go mechanical, which would you choose between mechanical disc, V-brakes or caliper?

Friction shifting? Seriously? You meant index shifting, I hope.

'All mechanical' FTW. Easier to fix/patch/MacGyver by the side of the road.

I don't see enough difference between electronic shifting and cable pulled shifting to deter me from a bike, if it's the bike I want. However I wouldn't want friction shifting nor levers on the down tube unless it was just for a old retro bike to ride at times when nostalgia played more for the moment.

Hydraulic will always be my preference over cable pulled disc brakes. But still not the determining factor.

There isn't really any way for me to answer your poll. None is a deal breaker. It all depends on the other stuff the bike has and what intention I have for the use of the bike.

Be warned, once you have electronic shifting, it is very hard to get mechanical shifting on your next purchase.

Hydraulic disc brakes are a good thing. There is a reason why any decent mountain bike has them.

Mechanical disk brakes are best avoided.

There are very good mechanical rim brakes, but disk brakes are best made with hydraulics.

Here we go again!

I commute on six different bikes. None have hydraulics. One is mechanical disc brakes. Two are caliper brakes. Two are V-Brakes. One is calipers up front with a band brake in the back. They all work well with the band brake being the least effective, and the V-brakes being the most reliable, and most powerful. The disc brakes are modest and on a pair with the caliper brakes. I suspect better mechanical disc, and especially hydraulic discs would be best of all. I ride in the rain and snow and out of my bikes the v-brakes and discs work best in those conditions, with the V-brakes being the best.

I have a mix of indexed and friction shifting. I have friction shifting on a 7- and a 6-speed derailler. With any more gears, I'd want indexing. All my indexed shifters are reliable and un-fussy, with a mix of down tube, and thumbies. The only ones that ever broke were the cross-fire MTB Shimanos, which have been replaced with thumbies.

The only shifters I hated and replaced were the twist grips on my folding bike.

If I were commuting (and I have been for 32 years) I'd go with whatever's reliable, and un-fussy.

For commuting, I prefer mechanical shifting (indexed) and hydraulic disc brakes.

I do get by OK with mechanical disc brakes on many of my bikes, though.

I actually have 2 commuter bikes from which to choose:

1. Aventon Level.2 - This is the best one for commuting. Efficient street tires, electric assist when wanted, hydraulic brakes. I don't arrive sweaty, even on a hot summer day.
2. Priority Apollo 11 - This is a gravel bike with mechanical shifting (via internal geared hub) and cable-actuated hydraulic brakes. I don't take it on hot days, though, or on a day after a club ride when my legs are sore.

With electronic shifting, the feel is better, but it's only a matter of time before a dead battery is going to stick you in one gear.

I understand that with hydraulic brakes, there is a concern that there could be an issue that would strand you or leave you without brakes, but I consider that to be an outlying case for commuting. (less so for mountain biking)

Hydraulic disc brakes for sure. Just more consistent in all weather and minimal maintenance.

I probably would go with electronic shifting too, but for a commuter I might well consider a belt-driven IGH or a simple 1x mechanical group like Ekar.

I mean my electric shifting has generally been set and forget same thing with hydraulic disc brakes. No cables to fray or get gummed up or replace. My Di2 system from 2015 still works today and aside from maybe once a year updates in E-Tube (which truthfully I haven't done in over a year or two) and a chain, cassette and pad replacements I haven't really done anything beyond normal cleaning and lubrication. Really it has generally been a hop on and ride bike and never have done anything to the shifting beyond initial set up.

My mechanical bikes in terms of shifting have generally need a touch more work (not by a whole lot mind you but a little more). In terms of braking my hydraulic brakes have been pretty reliable my old daily commuter really didn't need much more than pads and then a rotor once as I was favoring my rear brake a bit too much on the bike but the electronic shifting was flawless and still is.

A thread on the relative merits of disc versus rim brakes, electronic versus mechanical shifting, and all that? Wow, we are really treading new ground!

Technology might have changed ... since last week.

The best way to conduct your survey is to see what people are commuting on where you plan on riding. Find a popular commuting corridor that reflects the commuting you plan on doing, i.e. to a university campus or an urban work environment and survey what people are using. What is the distance? Are you mechanically competent? Do you have secure storage and onsite changing facilities? All weigh heavily on the choices you need to make. The question you are asking has very little to do with the ideal equipment for your type of commute as all can perform reliably once properly setup. But as a member for 15 years and having almost 2000 posts, you already know this.

Sure. You can't fix your electronic shifting on the side of the road, just like you can't fix your electronic fuel injection or variable valve timing in your car. If it never breaks, it's irrelevant. When I was riding motorcycles, I knew people that wouldn't have a bike without carburetors and points cause they could fix them on the side of the road....and they were often fixing them on the side of the road.

I've got over 10k on my Di2 bike now and have yet to do any maintenance or repair related to shifting. No cables to replace/adjust or break. I ride in some very remote areas and have zero worry about it stranding me. I would not hesitate for a minute to use it on a commuter bike.

Mechanical will still work in 30 years (subject to wear and tear), electronics is less predictable. My heavy ebike is the only one I would not have confidence in lesser brakes than the hydraulic disc.

Not voting as the choices are odd to me.... i.e why lump mechanical disk and rim???

i don't see why any of these technologies would not work for commuting or travel

Key to commuting is being able to handle any issues your self, so if you know how to work on the tech, you should be fine.

tire and tire technology selection is probably more important than shifting and braking choices

I have historically commuted on my nicest road bike.....because it puts a bigger smile on my face and is more efficient for longer commutes. and made sure my latest bike had a rack, as a prefer not to use a backpack

I am all mechanical (indexed and friction) and rim brakes, but have nothing against electronic and disc...and could well have them on a bike some day

my commuter and do everything (because not enough bike pics in General)

Well, my commute is about 2.4 miles, mostly flat, and I'm not allowed to bring a bike into the building, so I'd have to lock it in the "secure" tenant bike parking area. With that in mind, were I to commute by bike, I would not need much in the way of shifting, nor much in the way of brakes, not would I want to use a bike that was worth a whole lot, either to me or to the market in general.

With that in mind, I'd probably fix up my old Cannondale hybrid from the mid-90s, with mechanical shifting, and cantis.

Agreed.

Lael Wilcox is trying to beat the record for an around the world trip and guess what she is using SRAM Red AXS for her world record trip.
https://www.cyclingabout.com/lael-wi...ecord-attempt/
I mean if she thought that mechanical was more advantageous she would go for that. She is trying to beat a record here and go AROUND THE WORLD. For commuting electronic shifting is ideal because you are more than likely near bike shops or going to be in cities and suburbs not in remote areas. However if electronic shifting didn't work well it wouldn't still be in major use and have people all over having used it for decades people would go right back to mechanical shifting.

What about air brakes [CO2] & linkage shifters? That could result in an exciting ride!

That’s a recent article. Is she just starting out? I consider the current unsupported record to be utterly amazing. She hopes to cut it by two weeks.

Otto

A 1995 Cannondale H300 is what I use for about 60% of my riding. With aero bars, fenders, and a low-rider front rack, it's about as versatile as bikes get. I wouldn't mind a lighter bike with some of the modern conveniences, but I'm happy.

Mine's a 1994 H400. It was the first bike I bought as a grown-up, when we moved to a mile or so from my workplace. It got me back into riding, after a hiatus of a couple decades. But it's been years since I rode it.

I believe so. Yeah super amazing but Lael is an absolute beast. There is probably nothing she cannot do in terms of cycling.

Why? I use friction shifting and love it. My newest bike came with indexed bar end shifters, but the indexing gave out, so I switched the shifters over to friction until I could replace the shifters. I discovered I preferred friction. I replaced the shifters with the friction only Silvers from Rivedell, and have been happy ever since. I made that switch in 2015. Just becaise you don't like them, doesn't mean they aren't a viable option for someone else. They have advantages, and for touring and commuting I prefer them, especially in hilly areas. I can sweep from the smalles cog to the largest in one motion rather than clicking one at a time. I have nothing against indexed either, it's great, as are the newer electronic shifting setups. All have their use.