Disc brakes: your greatest dreams, and fears confirmed.

[MoPho]

Which brake cleaner? Is it acetone-free?
After oil soaks into the pads, its new pad time....

CNC Brakleen and it has acetone. Used it quite a few times and never had any issues. Always use resin pads. The key is to sand the pads with fine grit sandpaper. 20k miles on disc and I've never had to replace pads for contamination, which doesn't happen often anyway.
That said, I typically use isopropyl alcohol now as it is less harsh.
And it takes me all of 5 minutes, but I know, so much "maintenance and complication"

[DaveS]

This thread is becoming humorous. Some of you need to lighten up. Buy what you like and enjoy it.

I'd bet that the vast majority of buyers don't participate in any sort of competitive event where they need disc brakes, or require extreme downhill braking, with a road bike. I shouldn't comment on carbon rims because I never have and never will own any. I don't pay any attention to the latest technology that would make carbon rims suitable for extreme braking. My comment about disc being the best choice with carbon rims just means that it takes the rim out of the equation.

I don't think there are many descents in Colorado that would really require extreme braking. The longest that I've been down is the 25 miles from the top of 14,000 ft Mt. Evans (6 times). The grades aren't too steep and the poor road conditions force you to not go too fast, but I have passed cars on the way down.

Now that I bought a new rim brake frame, I have to worry about it becoming obsolete? I don't think so. Rim brakes will be around for a long time. I notice that Campy makes a lot of very expensive carbon wheels for rim brakes. Some one needs to let the know that rims brakes are dead.

[skyliner1004]

Interesting to see that this is still a (hot) topic LOL

What is the number one importance when cycling ? Right, safety !

What do disc brakes deliver ? Right, more safety over rim brakes !

What do disc brakes deliver more next to better breaking ? Right, the opportunity to fit wider tyres = more safety again !

There is hardly no marketing BS around disc brakes. It is a logical evolution over rim brakes. Everyone that has ever ridden a MTB can only concur.

Less aero b/c of disc brakes ? Maybe marginally... but this is more weenies BS.
More weight b/c of disc brakes ? Maybe marginally... but this is more weenies BS (okay, okay, this is the weight weenies forum).

But think twice, with disc brakes you can ride your carbon wheels all year around without any rim wear.

When I had to replace my crashed CAAD10, I have not even considered a split second to go for rim brakes again.

Let the wise guys do their talk now, but please save your energy on convincing me on one single item why rim brakes should be better.

Oh, I am a coward when descending, even with disc brakes.

sounds like you want to ride a mtb: slow (safe), safe (safe), disc brakes (safe), wide tires (safe) just get a mtb, or better yet drive a car.

safety by way of the components on a bike is not the #1 concern on a bike. Safety is determined by my instincts, reflexes, handling, and forearms determine my safety.
Rim brakes work identically and can be interchanged with disc brakes for 99.9% of the road bikers out there. Who needs their road bike to stop on a dime? i've been biking 12 years and honestly say i never have, or else i'd be dead cuz my rim brakes wouldn't have been able to stop as good as my bike w/ disc brakes.

**yes, disc brakes are better than deep dish carbon rims, but they're not better than anyone riding on aluminum brake tracks. **
disc brakes are also better in the snow, but i dont ride in the snow, nor in the rain, nor on gravel, nor in mud.


They add about 1lb-1.5lbs to a bike, and that is a lot for a single component, something that is nearly impossible to upgrade to cut weight as the rotors dont really have lightweight aftermarket parts.

[Js2]

Everyone start riding track bike on mountains like Patrick Seabase. No brakes needed, no maintenance needed, no aero penalty, lighter than both disc and rim brake system. All you need are good legs, fresh tires and a solid chain.

[alcatraz]

Everyone start riding track bike on mountains like Patrick Seabase. No brakes needed, no maintenance needed, no aero penalty, lighter than both disc and rim brake system. All you need are good legs, fresh tires and a solid chain.

Do you work for Trek/Specialized/Cervelo? In that case I'll have three.

[Dan112]

I've had disc a 2019 tcr advanced pro and now have switched to a tcr advanced pro rim brake 2019.

Things I found discs work better in terms of power, modulation and in wet conditions as most of us know.

However why I switched to rim was due to continuous hassle with the brakes (they where R8020 the latest ultegra version) my main reason for going to rim brake (I've had disc since I started road) was in 18 months I've had 2 leaks both from the master cylinder (replaced under warrenty) the first leak happened while the bike wasnt even in use. The 2nd leak while I was on a sportive on a desent the internal seal popped and I lost my brake, with fuild all over my hand and hood.

Maybe I've been unlucky but after speaking to a few people including my cycling insurance with bikmo they see it quite often with shamino levers.

Now I have the tcr advanced pro 1 rim brake bike with giants own wheels and pads I cant really say in terms of braking there is any real big difference (in the dry) but I can say the tcr rim brake feels much more like it just wants to go where as my disc bike did feel a little more dull even though my disc bike had better wheels and tyres on (Reynold assault with GP4000RS and supersonic tubes) compared to giants own slr1 wheelset and tyres which have 60ml of sealant in a wheel atm from the store!

As I use a trainer in the wet to me rim just makes more sense these days.

Its lighter and feels more responsive, it's also cheaper and I can finally service my own brakes without needing my lbs to do it.

Another thing for me although its personal the levers on the rim brake bike feel a lot nicer.

If i was riding in the wet or using it 4 work I'd still have my disc bike. But I ride on club rides and do the occasional sportive I honestly prefer not to have that hassle again.

It really is horses 4 courses but if u dont find yourself riding in wet conditions often I'd stick to rim brakes for ease.

[Lewn777]

I've had disc a 2019 tcr advanced pro and now have switched to a tcr advanced pro rim brake 2019.

Things I found discs work better in terms of power, modulation and in wet conditions as most of us know.

However why I switched to rim was due to continuous hassle with the brakes (they where R8020 the latest ultegra version) my main reason for going to rim brake (I've had disc since I started road) was in 18 months I've had 2 leaks both from the master cylinder (replaced under warrenty) the first leak happened while the bike wasnt even in use. The 2nd leak while I was on a sportive on a desent the internal seal popped and I lost my brake, with fuild all over my hand and hood.

Maybe I've been unlucky but after speaking to a few people including my cycling insurance with bikmo they see it quite often with shamino levers.

Now I have the tcr advanced pro 1 rim brake bike with giants own wheels and pads I cant really say in terms of braking there is any real big difference (in the dry) but I can say the tcr rim brake feels much more like it just wants to go where as my disc bike did feel a little more dull even though my disc bike had better wheels and tyres on (Reynold assault with GP4000RS and supersonic tubes) compared to giants own slr1 wheelset and tyres which have 60ml of sealant in a wheel atm from the store!

As I use a trainer in the wet to me rim just makes more sense these days.

Its lighter and feels more responsive, it's also cheaper and I can finally service my own brakes without needing my lbs to do it.

Another thing for me although its personal the levers on the rim brake bike feel a lot nicer.

If i was riding in the wet or using it 4 work I'd still have my disc bike. But I ride on club rides and do the occasional sportive I honestly prefer not to have that hassle again.

It really is horses 4 courses but if u dont find yourself riding in wet conditions often I'd stick to rim brakes for ease.

I think your story is going to be an often repeated experience. I'm sure Shimano will eventually get it right, a shame becuase their MTB brakes where ahead of the pack 10 years ago. I really think disk brakes will be the default choice with no issues in about 5-10 years, but for now I would counsel people to keep buying rim brakes unless they really need the advantages of disk.

[robertbb]

A mate of mine just touched down from overseas, for a month or so down here. Brought his bike of course.

He went for a ride this morning then called me at work "Hey I need to get my brake checked... it's rubbing now and doesn't feel right and I can't fix it on my own. Where are the good LBS' here?"

Will leave it to everyone's wildest imagination... rim brake... or disc brake?

[XCProMD]

Shimano, as per Dan112’s experience.


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[99donuts]

Interesting thread (...finally made me register). I'm *still* in two minds about it on the road, which annoys me! I bought a "do-it-all" carbon gravel bike a few years ago, with some disc aero carbon clinchers as an extra wheelset thinking it'd be great for road. It's certainly enough for me on straight/flatter sections, but I miss my old road bike. I'm sure a significant aspect is the geometry (road bike was crit-style geo, gravel bike is quite slack/long wheelbase) but the extra weight and what I perceive as the change in feel/springyness from the disc fork (and frame?) make me think I'd like to get a nimble rim brake road bike again! I also ride fixed gear sometimes and it reminds me of how my road riding used to feel. Actually even for CX races I had a SS pitbike with a mini-V up front and it was fine (and lighter).

The problem is now I'm used to hydro discs for most of my rides - I'm not sure I want to go back, and my nice wheelsets are mostly disc. Guess to decide I really need to test ride a light, aggressive geo, disc brake road bike that isn't $6000 and way out of my budget. Oh wait...

(I actually started disc-on-road about 7 years ago with a QR mech disc CX/commuter bike - accidentally locked up the rear wheel on the road a few times when I first got it! Had to grow up with the industry and had many of the experiences listed here: rubbing rotors when out of the saddle, shimming wheelsets, hydro failure on a descent, QR to 15 to 12 TA, squealing rotors, etc. For gravel/MTB I think hydro disc wins easily, esp for descents in wet, and can double duty for nasty weather commutes, but just not so sure about road.)

[Alumen]

, but i dont ride in the snow, nor in the rain, nor on gravel, nor in mud.

They add about 1lb-1.5lbs to a bike, and that is a lot for a single component, something that is nearly impossible to upgrade to cut weight as the rotors dont really have lightweight aftermarket parts.

Dude, good for you ! But for those riders enjoying their bike the whole year around and have to deal with different weather conditions it is a different story, go figure !

After 30 years of riding competitions and triathlons I now have the brake conditions as on my MTB and I love it on the road too, disc brakes on a road bike is just a natural evolution of bike technology. Like happened with mankind, well, most of us....

So safety is the total package, bike and your instincts. Safety not the #1 concern on your bike ? Well go out and visit a youth training once I would say....

Regarding the weight, for an average groupset like Ultegra, from rim brakes to disc brakes it is only 0.7lbs or 300 grams. Yes, people are paying a fortune here to shed that of their bikes, but safety comes with a price.

[Alexbn921]

I was descending our local mountain yesterday and on one of the straightaways to a 90 deg corner there was a 20mph tailwind. Instead of my normal 39-40mph top speed I was going 49.2mph. Needless to say, my normal brake point was nowhere near where I needed to start slowing down. I immediately knew that I wasn't going to make the corner with a cliff on the other side. It felt like it took forever to scrub the speed and I ran out of road with only 2 feet of gravel to save me. Without disks I would have never been able to stop. Still a bit shaken.

[montana05]

Own a tarmac sl6 superlight and thought about buying a new disc brake: shop owner let me test ride his pina dogma disc . Rode the bike in the hills around Ascoli and I didn't think it adds to my riding especially with all the descending around: it didn't make me descend faster and or safer. The rubbing and noise while braking made me decide to go for another rim brake bike.
Anyway think about riders like Coppi, Hinault back in the days : their brakes were of lesser quality then mine and I bet they descended just fine.

[RossLB]

A couple of days ago I spent a few hours working on my disc bike.

I was trying to true two brand new Dura Ace rotors which were warped and rubbing the pads on their first ride. Then I cleaned them to remove whatever was causing them to squeal.

Then I changed the brake pads, which were already worn after a couple of months since the last time I changed them.

Then I spent some time trying to get air bubbles out of the front brakes which were feeling a bit spongey.

Now I am about to take the bike out for its first ride since working on it to see if the brakes are still noisy, rubbing, ticking and spongey. If so, it will be another few hours trying to fix it. Whatever happens, it will still feel heavy, solid and overly stiff.

Or I might just ride my rim bike which feels lighter, livelier and works perfectly and silently every time.

[TheRich]

Meanwhile, mountain bikers around the world are baffled by the problems that roadies are having with disk brakes.