maddog 2 wrote:Marin wrote:
Braking distance is limited by tire traction, not brake type, ..
The nugget that keeps on giving Braking distance is down to the rider's ability to modulate braking power. For front end braking (in the dry) this isn't anything to do with tyre traction, as you'll go over the bars before you lock up the tyre. So it comes down to how close you can get to lifting the rear wheel, and discs modulate much better than rim brakes in doing this. Rim brakes are harder to hold on this balance point, and the blocks get hot and so their consistency suffers.Marin wrote:and I can brake hard enough to lift my rear wheel on almost all of my bikes, rim or disc.
I wouldn't dispute this. But you can hold it at this point with more control on discs.
Sorry but I don't understand this point. Simply on a road bike you have a tiny contact patch. You can easily lock up either wheel with any road bike with a well maintained rim or disk brake on any dry road. You can also modulate that perfectly well with either brake type. I could do a 'no way endo' with any kind of modern rim brake or disk brake on a good dry road surface, and that is all down to understanding how to pull the brake lever correctly. The point should be made however that a 5800 brake or above will help as will new pads and a very good quality brake track. For example in nearly every way I prefer my Campy wheels to my DT Swiss, except that I massively prefer the modulation feedback on the DT Swiss rims. There are so many variables that making bold statements about how rim brakes behave is liable to hideous generalizations.
Yes, all things equal I prefer disk brakes, but alas they add somewhere between 600 grams to a kg to your bike. Last time I switched my heavy 1900 gram wheels for 1300 gram aftermarket wheels kit changed the entire feel of my climbing bike, something a cold day in hell before I add that weight back on to my wheels whilst adding probable brake rub and increased maintenance.