Tour Mag. disc brake vs. rim brake test

[RussellS]

If you're on alloy currently, there's really very little reason to go to disc. It's everyone else on carbon that has a lot more to benefit. Carbon braking ranges from acceptable to atrocious, and even today it's a bit of a crap shoot what you end up with. The primary benefit of disc outside of wet weather riding is that you get to purchase any carbon rim and ride it anywhere and all the time. It decouples the braking from the wheel, giving you a consistent braking experience regardless of wheel manufacturer.

The reality is that none of my carbon wheelsets feel as nice to brake with as a good alloy wheelset.

That sums up my interest in disc brakes for a road bike. I want carbon rims in the future. But I've heard too many stories(good, bad, up, down, left, right, black, white) about rim braking carbon wheels. I want a super light carbon wheelset, clincher. And I don't want to worry about braking. So maybe disc... And as mentioned in another post, I don't ride mountains much, don't ride when its wet if possible, and don't need ultimate maximum stopping power of discs. I just want carbon light wheels that I don't have to wonder about braking.

[TiCass]

If you're on alloy currently, there's really very little reason to go to disc. It's everyone else on carbon that has a lot more to benefit. Carbon braking ranges from acceptable to atrocious, and even today it's a bit of a crap shoot what you end up with. The primary benefit of disc outside of wet weather riding is that you get to purchase any carbon rim and ride it anywhere and all the time. It decouples the braking from the wheel, giving you a consistent braking experience regardless of wheel manufacturer.

The reality is that none of my carbon wheelsets feel as nice to brake with as a good alloy wheelset.

That sums up my interest in disc brakes for a road bike. I want carbon rims in the future. But I've heard too many stories(good, bad, up, down, left, right, black, white) about rim braking carbon wheels. I want a super light carbon wheelset, clincher. And I don't want to worry about braking. So maybe disc... And as mentioned in another post, I don't ride mountains much, don't ride when its wet if possible, and don't need ultimate maximum stopping power of discs. I just want carbon light wheels that I don't have to wonder about braking.

Sooo... weight is a concern, but you're fine with a disc setup about 500g heavier? And you don't ride mountain or when its wet... and you're still considering disc as a solution?

[RyanH]

That's not to say it's not without its niggles.

About 1.5 kg worth of niggles, I'd say...

Actually, 638g (excluding frame/fork differences) penalty for Campag Disc. Breakdown is:

-Boras 50 Disc vs Bora 50 Rim +148g
-Wilier ThruAxle vs KCNC +50g
-SR EPS with iLinks vs H11 EPS with Hose/Fluid +93g
-eeBrakes vs Calipers/Rotors +347g

It's just that my frameset module and components are fat AF...

[Imaking20]

Now now, I'm not talking conceptual, I'm talking a certain DM build vs a certain disc build :poke

[Beaver]

People keep going on about disc brakes strictly in terms of the braking experience but for me there are other real benefits. The main one is the freedom the frame designer has to give good clearance. That allows wider tyres with concomitant benefits of better comfort from lower pressure, ability to cope with crap roads, while still maintaining excellent speed.

Most road frames fit up to 28mm tires now, also on wide rims, so 40mm real clearance. This should be enough even for heavy riders on really bad roads.

For gravel you need more and disc will help on loose ground (but with long reach calipers this could also be possible with rim brakes).

And for frame design, the Madone with integrated rim brakes looks very nice (if not even nicer than the disc model).

[hkgmatt]

This is a very interesting thread, thanks to the OP for mentioning this test. I feel at least somewhat vindicated. As I've posted in another thread, I'm decidedly unimpressed by the Dura Ace 9170 disc brakes - I'm having adjustment issues, and the rotor discolours and warps very easily. SRAM Centerline rotor is better but it also warps. I'm coming from 45 years of cycling with rim brakes, and was very happy for most of these years, except that I've had the front tyre blow out on two occasions on steep decents, almost certainly because of overheating. This was in Hong Kong with ambient temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius and with curvy steep decents with lots of cars so "letting it rip" was not an option. I have never had that issue in the Alps for example. I'm also a heavy rider at 90kg. This led me to get a new road bike for the specific purpose of having disc brakes. Having ridden with them, disc brakes allow me to ride with carbon wheels and certainly reduce the chance of a blow out, so this ticks the box, but the problems with warped disc rotors and brake rubbing is disappointing to put it mildly. I expected disc brakes to be far more solid and fuss free. The supposedly better braking performance of disc brakes is not really noticeable to me, as my old setup with alloy wheels (R-Sys SLR Mavic) with special pads brakes really well. I rarely ride in the wet. I have kept my old bike and so I'm able to choose between disc and rim brakes depending on the outing, but I find it ironic that I now tend to choose rim brakes if the ride is going to have very steep decents. I'm curious if Campagnolo's H11 or other disc braking solutions are better.

[jlok]

I've had the front tyre blow out on two occasions on steep decents, almost certainly because of overheating.

In your case you either get disc rub or the above. Your choice.

I'm an average descender and I find disc brake improved my confidence a lot in the descents and wet riding. It makes perfect sense to ride in HK with disc brake esp when you could have one single bike only.

[RussellS]

If you're on alloy currently, there's really very little reason to go to disc. It's everyone else on carbon that has a lot more to benefit. Carbon braking ranges from acceptable to atrocious, and even today it's a bit of a crap shoot what you end up with. The primary benefit of disc outside of wet weather riding is that you get to purchase any carbon rim and ride it anywhere and all the time. It decouples the braking from the wheel, giving you a consistent braking experience regardless of wheel manufacturer.

The reality is that none of my carbon wheelsets feel as nice to brake with as a good alloy wheelset.

That sums up my interest in disc brakes for a road bike. I want carbon rims in the future. But I've heard too many stories(good, bad, up, down, left, right, black, white) about rim braking carbon wheels. I want a super light carbon wheelset, clincher. And I don't want to worry about braking. So maybe disc... And as mentioned in another post, I don't ride mountains much, don't ride when its wet if possible, and don't need ultimate maximum stopping power of discs. I just want carbon light wheels that I don't have to wonder about braking.

Sooo... weight is a concern, but you're fine with a disc setup about 500g heavier? And you don't ride mountain or when its wet... and you're still considering disc as a solution?

YES. If the part does not work, then it really does not matter what it weighs. That Gunther Mai with the world's lightest bike had an old French friction rear derailleur and downtube shifters. Super lightweight. But I haven't seen too many people bragging about how they are convertig to downtube friction levers. Maybe because the functionality of current shifters is superior to any weight savings.

[RussellS]

That rim brake Madone looks super good. I just wish they could have put the same front brakes on the back. Incorporate them into the seatstays like they did on the backside of the fork. Then it would look amazing. Why doesn't that picture have a front derailleur? Its a double crank so not a single ring. Looks stupid without a front derailleur.

[themidge]

Why doesn't that picture have a front derailleur? Its a double crank so not a single ring.

Compound image innit, they just put it together in photoshop. It has to be said though, that is a pretty poor example .

[MoPho]

Yup, CGI






.

[cunn1n9]

That rim brake Madone looks super good. I just wish they could have put the same front brakes on the back. Incorporate them into the seatstays like they did on the backside of the fork. Then it would look amazing. Why doesn't that picture have a front derailleur? Its a double crank so not a single ring. Looks stupid without a front derailleur.

Well I must say that this does look amazing. The Madone disc was actually the first disc bike I thought looked good. Something about the lines seemed to gel with it. But the rim brake looks even better. Apart from the rear brake which is very discreet the brakes are invisible. Might start saving...


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[Calnago]

It’s nicely photoshopped, seeing as how there doesn’t seem to be any skewer nuts holding the wheels on either. Does look good though, if you’re into that sort of thing.
woops... meant this post for the Madone thread, but since the same pic is posted here, good enough.

[C36]

For those who read German what is Tour feedback regarding bikes behaviours in dynamic? As posted above, leCycle reported “poorer” behaviour , something matching my 2 tests of SS evo2.


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[Beaver]

For those who read German what is Tour feedback regarding bikes behaviours in dynamic? As posted above, leCycle reported “poorer” behaviour , something matching my 2 tests of SS evo2.

Madone pics came from here: https://www.behance.net/gallery/6655737 ... Madone-SLR

The wheels also look much better than with a Bontrager logo.

Riding dynamics have not been mentioned in the Tour test. What did you experience with the disc bike compared to rim brake?