Disk Brakes a fad
 

Are disk brakes on a bicylce just a fad? I just notice that the 2013 Trek 7.5 is no longer available with disk brakes. I'm also seeing a few of the bike companies doing away with bicylces with disk brakes. If disk brakes are so great why are they not on the higher end bicycles. I'm new to disk brakes. I was thinking of buying a 2012 Trek 7.5 with disk brakes but I do not want to buy somthing that is just a fad.

Disk breaks have been around a while. It is one of those things that is "nice to have" but brake pads these days are all you really "need to have"

No, disk brakes are definitely not a fad. They are far more prevalent on mountain oriented bikes than road bikes. They appear on mountain bikes because they stop you faster -- especially in the wet. They do not appear on high end road bikes because those bikes are mostly concerned about decreasing weight in order to increase speed. Disks may offer superior braking performance -- but they add weight.

The Trek FX line is wierd becasue the orientation of the bikes change as you progress up the ladder...

The 7.2 has nice wide 700x35 tires with an aluminum frame and what Shimano classifies as a mountain bike derailer. The 7.7 has 700x25 tires with a carbon frame with all road bike components. They are very different bikes that will feel and handle much differently.

But, all of the bikes in that line are road bikes that are adapted to be more comfort and have a wider range of use. So you don't see much in the way of disk brakes in that line.

Conversely, the Trek DS line is primarily a mountain bike that can be used on the road. In that line you see far more disk brakes. Actually, the only ones that don't are at the low end of the line: the 8.1 & 8.2 have rim brakes. The rest (8.3, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6) all have disk brakes that progress from mechanical to hydraulic.

Perhaps the main reason for investing in disk brakes is their stopping power in the wet. If you expect to be riding in the rain or snow, then disks will do a better job for you. Otherwise, rim brakes can work well enough and save some weight.

The question is more about what do you want? A fast little sports car or an all-terrain Jeep? They are both good -- but each is better at some things than others. The hybrids (like the FX line) tend to split the difference between road and mountain.

I did a little more research and it looks like disk brakes are more popular on MTB's than on road bikes. I like the idea of my hybred having disk brakes. I just might get that FX 7.5 disk.

Where, when & how do you intend to use the bike?

If you like disk brakes, the Trek DS line has a far better range/selection of models with disk brakes. Both the FX ine and the DS lines are 'general purpose' hybrids. But they feel and ride much differently.

Whether disk brakes (they should not break) are a fad or not really should not matter when buying a bike. The question you might want to consider is whether they could be useful enough for the kind of riding you will do to warrant the extra cost and maintenance. For most riders who do not ride in watery wet conditions the answer is probably a no. However, advertising has convinced a good number of paved and hard pack road riders that they are a requirement so you are seeing them on more bikes at the upper prices. Their presence does generate sales.

They are coming to road bikes. For example:

http://www.bikerumor.com/2012/04/20/...hifter-levers/

I can understand the OP worrying about the fad issue. A few years back I bought into Specialized's 24mm axle size. Meh. That sized died fast, and I'm stuck with a fork and front wheel that don't mesh with anything else on the market today.

Disk brakes are mainstream though. No worries at all there, imho.

Disc's are the future just look at Colnago's most high end road bikes now with Disc brakes. The only reason road bikes have not has them up until now is because rules for racing never allowed them but that's changed.
A lot of development is now going to be put into them for road bikes making them lighter and more compact. As these new developments are made disc's of current grades will become cheaper and eventually all but the lowest end bikes will have disc brakes.

Hydraulic discs have been an important part of my main mtb/commute bike for almost 10 yrs now. A set of pads every 2-3 years(which are still available), one easy finger per lever regardless of how wet or muddy. For an everyday use bike the longevity and comfort are a no brainer, especially since I have carpal tunnel problems. Frankly it has amazed me how long it has taken the road side to embrace the technology.

It will be very difficult to add a disk brake to a bike (with all of its extra components) and not add weight. Road racers set the standard for road bikes and the only way they will put up with those extra grams is if, in some way (such as tighter corners), the brakes help them to get to the finish line quicker.

Mountain bikes are more concerned about handling than weight and have mostly converted to disk brakes.

Standing on 2 legs and coming down from the trees was a risk for our ancestors
but it caught on ,as a fad.

fair weather sport rider, and counting grams on that racer style bike ,
go with rim brakes .

daily transportation want the thing to stop even in dreadful weather ,
and not have to replace the rims in a few years as the aluminum is ground thin ,
by gritty water, get disc brakes ..

The 7.2 and 7.4 are still available with Disc brakes (according to Trek's website). One of the main differences between the 7.4 and 7.5 is the forks...7.4 and under have alloy. 7.5 and up have CF forks. This may have something to do with the choice of brakes, in addition to the extra weight.

It took many years for disk brakes to be incorporated into cars. At first they were only installed on high end performance cars. Then as they began to be installed on non-performance vehicles they were still only installed on the front of more expensive vehicles. Slowly, they worked their way down the food chain to all cars. And, even more slowly, they made their way from front brakes only to all four wheels. Today, I am not sure you can buy a car without 4 wheel disk brakes...

As GeorgeBMac notes, the FX line is weird, the spec is all over the place for brakes, with calipers, discs and Linear Pull (V's) in there. Unlike most brands, there is no constancy for the line.

For the being a fad, they were first around in the 1970's, but didn't take off properly till the late 90's, and are now standard on MTB's, and as soon as the UCI allows it, they will be common for road bikes.

For if they are worth if for you, Fietsbob has it for road riding , if you ride on the road, in the rain, then yes, if only in the summer / dry weather, then no.

The reason why they have disc brakes on mountainbikes is because they ride in the mud ... and with muddy rims the typical rimbrakes will have reduced efficiency because the rims will be muddy.
Discs are located at the center of your wheel and so are less prone to getting full of mud.
For normal riding, however, there is almost no difference between any of the available braking systems because all of those systems brake better than your tire is able to have grip enough not to slip ... which means that your tire will slip on the road way before your brake will slip on the rim.

It's not just about the mud. Many of us avoid mud. Disc brakes for me are about perfect consistency and timing, and also an excellent ratio of braking power received in return a given amount of finger squeeze--call it "leverage".

I do have a nice set of rim brakes on the bike I've been riding most this summer. They are fantastic for a lot of the cross-country type riding I do. But when the going gets steep and/or gnarly, that's when they show limitation. Sometimes on a sketchy downhill one is picking one's way amongst roots and rocks and trying to time the modulation of the front brake to coincide with usable patches of ground that might only be a few inches or a few feet long at most. One has weight back on the bike, hands on the grips, the mind is occupied with puzzling out the trail several steps ahead, and that is when the ability to squeeze the brake lever with a single finger and *know* with certainty what's going to happen and precisely *when* it will happen is critical. It is the difference between braking being a subconscious or a conscious activity.

The leverage from larger rotors helps too, in avoiding hand fatigue and allowing one to maintain a light grip on the bar. I have enough to do in those situations without having to suddenly reposition to put two fingers on the lever. Any mental bandwidth I'm forced to divert to braking is bandwidth lost from the much-needed route-finding that will get me safely to the bottom of the hill. The consistency, precision, and leverage from a good set of disc brakes allows speed-control to be relegated below the level of consciousness so I can focus on unlocking the trail ahead.

In a perfect, ideal, theoretical world one might get all the same advantages from rim brakes. With current parts on the market, I don't see that happening.

(There is also a "looks" factor. I readily acknowledge the role that appearance and style have played in the adoption of disc brakes. It is undeniable that many are drawn to them by their looks. I know I was at first, and looks are still a factor for me today. I admit it).

Disk brakes are heavy but awesome in terms of the control they give the rider. They permit the rider to control speed with a nuanced touch instead of having to grab the brake and to push hard. I prefer them, but a set of higher end rim brakes can also be quite nice.

You said in two sentences what took me about five paragraphs. :thumb:

I am 220lbs and have a child trailer and 2 kids (2 and 5) for an extra 100lbs pushing on the back of the bike.

Let me tell you how disk brakes are not a fad going down a hill with a decent speed....

Colnago doesn't do fads there trendsetters.

http://i950.photobucket.com/albums/a...iscmain123.jpg


No it's not a Cyclocross bike. http://i950.photobucket.com/albums/a...b/34-bart6.gif

Building road bikes which are lighter than the rules allow has been possible for quite a while now, and like many similar areas of engineering, racing drives the breed. Integrating the extra weight of disc brakes is therefore not really relevant excepting for how it might affect steering geometry, easily overcome by design. I'm thinking it's been more of an attitude-inertia question than a design one, especially when you consider the quantity of creative thinking devoted to reducing the aerodynamic disadvantage of rim brakes over the years. For sheer strength and ease of modulation, to me discs are obviously the better choice for braking. The changeover is gathering momentum, and I suspect that by this time next year it'll be a lot easier to find a production road bike or a replacement disc fork for a road bike (as I've recently anguished over) than it is today.

Edited to add a comment for the near-simultaneous above post (I weigh my words carefully, and it takes a long time to compose): That Colnago is dead sexy. Oh, yeah, I would.

Also disc brake development for road bikes will take a different path to whats seen on mountain bikes. They'll be lighter more compact and sleeker and will in no way be interchangeable with MTB brakes. The future is coming.

Exactly. Virtually every bike made today is in a sense over-braked because one can skid the tires without too much effort. Said another way otherwise comparable bikes equipped with disc and rim brakes will stop in the same distance as long as the brakes are dry. In my experience a good set of rim brakes allows as much "feel" or graduated braking effort as a good set of disc brakes. For those of us who ride in wet or muddy conditions disc brakes offer the obvious advantage of the braking surfaces being further away from the road. Beyond that the only remaining advantage is the undeniable attraction of having something new and different. And bike makers as we all know will add something new and different if it sells bikes.

In the 2013 lineip a lot of companies added disc brakes to their CX and touring and some hybrid models.