Everything You NEED To Know About Disc Brakes
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- čas přidán 2. 09. 2021
- the one thing that's great for consumers but maybe not for pro cyclists.
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Also don't forget that in wet weather, a disc brake can be used as an improvised horn to warn people you are stopping
hahaha 🤣
Can not argue with that point tough
Now i have loud “horn” by touching my disc rotor
You need to oil them to stop them squealing :P
🤣🤣
ha. I left some WD40 near my diScs and descending into a valley at night I woke all the local wildlife for miles with a phased deafening two tone shriek that went on all the way down until the stuff burnt off
Worth noting you can generally fit wider more comfortable tyres onto a disc set up too.
hm I can fit 28mm tires on my rim road setup which gives me enough comfort for most tarmac roads. for everything else I ride my 40mm gravelbike ob mixed terrain with disc.
Time to get the popcorn and hit refresh on the comments.
I'm lucky enough to be living in the mountains at the moment. I have a rim brake bike. The issue isn't so much stopping power but more I'm tired of trashing rims on long decents in poor weather. Also, needing to switch carbon and aluminium rims + pads depending on the ride is annoying.
Popcorn bought, I have made heaps of vids on this topic. Even inside the industry, engineers and still scratching their head with Disc. They are just not quite there yet at the top end.
@@waynosfotos They're trash man, #savetherimbrake
@@RobinSanks 100%
Living in The Netherlands and riding in the rain often made the choice for disc brakes easy after a few close calls with wet rim brakes.
fair play!
Never mind it being useful for organised storage, that slotted wall has already paid for itself by making lists look pretty
On discs you say less maintenance, then say as long as you service regularly, but that is exactly the issue - in total disc are a whole lot more maintenance. I have 3 disc bikes and 3 rim bikes. Disc advantages win out on MTBs, gravel, but I'm firmly in the rim brake camp for road, perhaps with the exception of a winter bike.
I don’t know what he’s talking about. It’s a known fact that disks are more maintenance heavy. On the other hand rim brakes are set and forget kinda deal. And let’s not forget how much more pricey disks are. My bike is worth 1500€, the Fulcrum rims on it are like 300€. I’m not worried about damaging them and I never did damage them. That’s like such a minority of riders, that have this worries of damaging their fancy carbon rims with brake callipers. It just seems like youtubers are a part of pro industry, that’s trying to make cycling more and more expensive and maintenance heavy sport for us average recreational riders.
@@LukezyM I guess it depends where you live. I the Pacific North West I will wear out a set of wheels over the course of a winter doing my daily commute. I've yet to wear out a disc rotor in 20 years of MTBing.
@@mikesiemens4145 How is that even possible? Do you wear out the breaking surface? I still got original wheels on my 20ish year old commuter.
@@LukezyM 7-8 months of rain equals lots of gritty braking. The only consistent dry months here are July/August/September, other than that it's raining.
@@mikesiemens4145 how many ks are you doing to wear out a rim in 7 months?
great presentation of the pros v's cons Francis - think you are right, benefits of discs especially on UK rides is massive - and yes, cant beat one finger braking on mtb - 4 pots and 180mm rotors all the way!! youre right, disc's make more sense on consumer level bikes - when im on my old road bike with rim brakes it can get sketchy compared to the confidence of disc's. Higher maintenance yes, a brake bleed isn't for the faint hearted - but i support the local bike shop for that bit!! cheers
Francis there are few things that I think you've got wrong here: On the pros of rim brakes you have to add that they're more aero as a result of having less spokes and not moving discs generating turbulence. When it comes to maintenance, it is much and cheaper easier for rim brakes. Disc brakes rub and are inconsistent. Had them for 1 year and it wasn't the best experience. As a result I went back to rim brakes. Disc brakes go out of alignment every two-three rides, also, brake pads wear a lot quicker on the disc brake system and are much more expensive to replace. Also, disc brake bikes are prone to fatal errors. One time my front pistons got stuck and as a result I got left in the middle of nowhere waiting 3hours for someone to pick me up. Also, they make terrible noises and need to be cleaned very often. Overall, the only benefits are for heavy riders, those cycling in rainy conditions and for those who have the tendency to order pizza mid-ride and can cut it into pieces with the disc brakes. Disc for the dirt, rim for the road.
plus, disc brakes can bend if hit, sometimes. that hit may come from another rider bumping you on accident at a resting place or something
Honestly i kinda hate when people bring out the fact that rim brakes will "destroy" your wheel. Like yes they will but if you take care of your bike its estimated to be like 70 000-100 000 and by that time you would probably change your wheels anyways, plus by that time you would go through so many pairs of disc pads and discs that the price of new wheels wont be that much in comparison.
@@alexmichl3137 Yes, a chance for a wheel upgrade! I can barely keep a bike around long enough for rim brakes to affect the wheel significantly.
Been on disc for two seasons on road bike. Buying a high end used rim brake bike next year, and can't wait! Disc is for MTB/trails and gravel
As a Mountain biker, I also feel like hydro discs have better modulation than rim or cable brakes. easier to feel more and put exactly the correct amount of stopping power required into the wheel.
can't imagine MTB would be very good without them!
@@Cade_Media It was crap back in the day. Changing pads every 200km. Even resin pads last way longer plus your pad contact point on the lever does not change with the wear of the pad. As you said, rim brakes are only for pros now. The tubulars amongst the brakes.
@@Cade_Media was fairly terrifying! If you can source one be worth a ride!
indeed, the problem if you ride first years and years on a rimbrake bike and than you swap to a discmodel is that you must learn to use them correct. rims is squeece as hard has you can and discs is squeeze progressive( first milliseconds less and than harder and harder), but lot riders still squeeze them like a rimbrake system and than they say my discs freeze....
Mountain biker and now gravel rider too. I often find myself on steep descents and sometimes have bike packing kit as well. Nothing beats the awesome stopping power and ease of applying pressure than a fully hydraulic brake system. Shimano XT is my go to brake!
Excellent video Francis! A few years ago I purchased a bike with disc brakes. Having always ridden with rim brakes I agree with you that the stopping power is significantly better and the touch on the levers is much easier. I'm just a casual rider so the disc brakes are the perfect choice for me.
On another note, I'm loving the new garage/studio and think that the filming perspective with the slat wall in the background is terrific. I'm strongly considering doing the same. Always enjoy your channel and the meaningful commentary that you provide. Well done my friend!
Fair play for making this one, Francis. Just think it will take a long time for the old-schoolers to adjust. I'm one of the old schoolers but I do panic sometimes, going 60kmh down a narrow gravelly road not knowing if I'm really gonna be able to slam the brakes on to stop if I need in a hurry and that makes me a lot slower and a lot more cautious, taking the enjoyment out of it. Having said that, I'm also nervous about using discs and either braking too hard and going over the top or going down a long mountain descent, which I do every summer, and burning the discs out, like I saw someone do going down Mt Ventoux. Froomey also complained about overheating on discs. I also do all maintenance at home and this has so far put me off buying a new frame with internal routing through the headset and disc brakes. I'll also have to replace the three wheelsets I own with disc brake versions. The tier 2 bikes often have really heavy wheels with discs, so you have to upgrade them immediately. I know I'll have to adjust eventually but it will take time, especially with all the extra servicing I'll have to do at home. I think people look at a talented descender like Bernal going 80kmh in the wet and say, well he doesn't have any issues, so I'll be fine going 60kmh on open roads with non direct mount callipers, the comparison just isn't the same. People are just idiots when it comes to really sticking to one or the other, either is fine, both have advantages, both have disadvantages but overall, discs are probably winning the battle.
That noise of braking on a rim brake bike in wet grimy weather. where the tone changes and you just know you are chewing through the rim, is enough for me to never go back.
I switched from rim to disc and the disc far outperform the rim in almost every way. If a person is worried about weight they should use the components that work best and poop before riding.
Also, saying that hydro discs require less maintenance that rim brakes is quite disingenuous. Changing cables isn't something you do that often, and when performed, it's a simple process that requires simple tools like pliers. In contrast, you need bleed kits and fluids, olives can be mis-installed, which leads to air leaks and brakes becoming squishy. Fixing a rubbing disc also requires quite some tinkering, and if you use Shimano hydraulic discs, the bleed port screw is made of butter, and is so easily stripped. Nevermind that a set of hydro dual brake levers with installed lines, calipers, pads, and rotors cost as much as a complete mechanical groupset of the same tier.
I'm with you on the "sponginess" of cable/disc brakes. My new bike has them and I'm not as confident in the stopping power as I was with the rim brakes on my old bike. Cable stretch is pretty surprising, too.
Didn’t see any mention that rim brakes have way better braking modulation then disc and how discs can lock up the rear wheel easier, causing crashes.
If anyone is locking up wheels and crash, then that person should really not go at that speed.
@@kelsoncheng there is this thing called learning
A great video on the comparisons between disc & rim brakes. It’s nice to hear a balanced view with evidence for once rather than the general polarised opinions on social media.
Have used both and everything you've said is spot on. I went back to rims out of need rather than choice and have found them adequate... yes not as good as disc but they work fine... if I had a choice, disc definitely!
I've just done La Marmotte in the Alpes and loved my disc brakes on all of the descents. I'm not a pro, so the extra weight is not an issue.
MTB rider, had a disk brake SL7, thought it make total sense, until I road a rim break bike. I did not notice a big difference in the dry, so picked up a rim break rig for my next (road) bike.
Top vid Francis. Really clear concise info and focuses in on the average Joe experience rather than what the bike industry seem to think, which is that we all look and ride like Enric Mas. Keep these explainers coming mate! Be good to hear what you think about bib short pads (aren’t they all just the same really?), best carry able bike locks (is there a solution that is secure and not a pain in the arse to carry around), any way to stop BBs wearing out really quickly (are spare parts getting worse in quality?). That’s it for my wants and rants for now!
Giant used a semi hydraulic system for a couple of years. On their lower end TCR and Defy models. They used the same frame as the mid level models that were disc brake only, but were equipped with tiagra. Shimano did not at the time make 10 speed hydraulic levers so they used the cable ones with really short cables to a pair of master cylinders built into a special face plate on the front of the stem. This then had hydraulic cables running from it to the calipers. They included a conventioal part for if you later switched out to 105 or better. It works great and is extremly heavy and hard to adjust. Also prone to rust.
FWIW I have cable operated disc brakes (Juintech) and they work great for me - IMO it's worth getting the more expensive Jagwire kevlar reinforced cable outer to reduce the play. Still not as good as full hydraulic system but good enough.
Just had my first ride for a long time on my alloy Canyon from 2017 with alloy wheels and rim brakes. It was sooo nice! Much better breaking performance than my carbon bike with rim brakes on carbon wheels. And so much easier in regards of maintenance/checking the wear situation than my disc brake gravel and mountainbike.
The only major con for me in terms of rim brakes is the limited tire size.
Very well written and presented Francis. Solid video!
This is the best video I have seen on this subject.
Coming from mtb I've been through all the brakes cantis, v brakes, disc mech and hydraulic. On the road bike it came with mechanical disc, fitted it with TRP Spyre SLC mechanical calipers, as the originals weren't great. I've not had any problems with them and they work fine for me. I'd say the main downside with road bike disc set up is initial cost, levers, calipers and wheels, if you're current ones aren't disc hubs. Also the levers appear to me to be more fiddly to repair than mtb ones that I've rebuilt.
Great info. The main reason for my latest bike purchase was so I could use disc brakes - far superior in the wet. One complaint about discs is that they can rub - it seems that Shimano's new 12 speed groupsets go a long way towards addressing this issue.
Loving all the informational videos!
Use disc on XC and CX race bike, but rim on road as I live in the rolling roads of the south downs. Even in winter and I ride outside all year round, never needed anything more than rim power and aviod additional cost and maintenance of disc brakes. The argument on wheel wear doesn't take into account the cost of rotor and pad replacement compared to rim brakes, especially on winter training wheels. How many rotor and disc pad replacements v winter wheel and rims pads replacement. Both will need replacement bearings and spokes. in fa t force through disc rotors put more stress on disc wheels. Often have more spokes laced to compensate. It's a difficult argument to have a balanced approach to, you tried, but I feel you're definitely in disc camp and I'll be sticking to rims and continuing to buy up cheap second hand rim wheels. 😊
Nice!
Have spent years riding discs on a mtb, honestly don't understand why it's even a point of debate in the road world.
Because loads of roadies are A) tradition-focused, or B) weight weenies, and 500g weight penalty is considered a lot for a road bike
For most people there's no debate, there are some really angry anti disc people online though that can't accept discs. It's very odd that they care so passionately about it, it's like they're part of a cult.
Thanks Francis.....just a consumer here . I have discs only on 3 bikes now , having rim brakes in the past was always an adventure in the rain . I think , like anything else , it's a matter of preference . Thanks .....Peace
I run cable discs, love 'em. Set up properly I can do stoppies on mine. Riden the equivalent of my bike on hydraulic discs and I didn't feel the advantage that would justify they the price difference. Also I change my discs wheels as as fast as my rim brake wheels.... if not faster. Maybe I'm just an outlier
Noisy , only as good as the tyres and the surface . The shift to disc breaks driven by marketing . Yes I have both . Given a choice rim brakes all day.
100% no need at all for disc brakes on a 7kg road bike
My cable actuated disc brakes (TRP Spyres SLC) work as well as my other bike equipped with hydraulic disk brakes (TRP something ... came with the bike).
I decided on cable actuated because I wanted easier and reliable maintenance (replacing a cable is easy) ... and my experience with bleeding is not that good (once going well, the most recent one going very bad with a leaking shifter).
I'd like to test a "spongy" bike one day to know what it means, because my setup works instantly and has good modulation (slight braking to locking the disk depending on the lever pull I use).
I don’t know about the less maintenance part on disc… on my rim brakes I never had to switch my pads in 10k km yet and also never changed a cable - on my disc I had to switch once in 1 year (5k) and sand them a few times to get rid of noise. also had to switch a rotor because it deformed and produced noise and stutter. also disc setup is harder to „deep“ clean. also had to bleed my brakes once after 5000km. Also on a disc setup you have more parts that can wear out. rotors, pads, braking fluid, braking cylinder that gets stuck etc.
Nice one, concise & informative 👍 Reckon it’s a personal preference and or situational choice… have used both & currently I’m a happy rimmy rather than a disky! But open minded enough to be drawn to the ‘dark side’ in the future… 😜
Very informative and good points for each. I enjoy discs, definitely more powerful and yes, not wearing out a fancy wheel 👌🏻
Discs are incredible. I wouldn't ever go back to rim brakes. I love the strength, security and ease of them. I also don't find them that much harder to service once you know what you're doing.
Those who love the security: have you ever crashed because you couldn't brake fast enough on rim brakes? ps: I am talking about road bikes.
@@l.d.t.6327 Yes, last one was the beginning of this year. It had been raining and the car in front decided to slow down too quickly. My pads just didn't have the muscle.
Rim brakes are incredible also. I will never go to discs again.
No problem to stop with disc brakes considering how slower you are on your heavier bike.
Thanks for the great video. I live in the northwestern USA where the weather is much like the UK. Disc brakes are far superior in our type of climate.
I have 2 bikes with mechanical disc brakes, never had a problem stopping.
Disk for hills and rim for flat. I have both and happy with the setup. Rim brakes on my Venge in a flat country (Kuwait) and disk on my gravel bike on mixed hilly terrain (Canada). I realize I am lucky to have 2 bikes, but from now on it is disk…
I can vouch for the TRP hydraulic brakes!
I've got them on my bike and they work very nicely.
thanks for the info but ill stick to rim brakes :)
Disc brakes are for mountain bikes 😂👍🏼
Hydraulic brakes have a much higher running costs. Contamineted brakes means you need to replacement pads.
The caliper will to be replaced as the seal will wear out. meaning a hydraulic calipper have a much shorter lifetime then a rim brake. This will happen far more often then you need to replace a brakerim.
Rim brake should stay on road bikes. They are lighter and faster. If you want a bigger tire then 28mm go with disc brakes and enjoy the comfort.
I've just got into cycling (I'm devastatingly average at best) and got my first road bike 2 weeks ago. I had originally ordered a rim brake version but I hesitated so much that I cancelled my order and went for the more expensive Disc version.
I'm sure I would've been happy with either version. For the last 18 months I had been cycling in a fixed gear bicycle with just a front rim brake so whatever I went for would've been much better anyway! I just couldn't shake the feeling that I was spending a lot of money so I wanted to get something that I'd really feel confident on year round regardless of the weather and not end up regretting it a few months down the line that I didn't go for discs.
To my novice self they work just fine. I'd like to go on the same bike with rim brakes to see how much of a difference they make though. I
I love my disc brakes power, just not the tiny clearance between pad and rotor. The small clearance causing noisy rub on muddy, gritty roads. No probs in the dry though.
The sponginess of cable disk or any cable breaks comes down to the cable used. I've had some really cheap cables feel really solid but also I had some expensive cables feel like they were so stretchy that they weren't hardly working. Seems like name brand cables today are stretchier then they used to be. I think they do it on purpose to up-sell hydraulics. For me I def. prefer the raw mechanical feel of cable breaks when they aren't as stretchy over hydraulics.
The resin used in rim brake carbon wheels to make them heat resistant tend to makes the rims stiffer. On disc brake rims the rims can be tuned for more compliance giving you a smoother ride. Disc brakes are better all around, however I think they can be engineered to have more clearance between the pad and the rotor to nearly eliminate pad rub. To compensate for the change in brake feel a slightly larger piston in the lever would be needed to move the pad more for the same lever travel. This would eliminate the dreaded “ting ting ting” as you’re riding down the road! The tools needed to bleed disc brakes aren’t that expensive but you do need to understand how they work.
Catching up some good videos don't know why CZcams isn't sending me notifications for these bomb videos!!
My bike I bought last year has the TRP “hi-road” and I like them
Logical discourse as usual, FC! Thanks
I use TRP cable-operated hydraulic discs. I feel like I get the best of both worlds. Easy to adjust on the fly, maintenance free once the cables have seated.
I have both full hydraulic and TRP cable. Don't feel as confident on the TRP as full hydraulic under heavy breaking as I seem to have a greater degree of control with a full system. However, generally don't notice a lot of difference so would rate them as an upgrade option if you want to ditch rim brakes or building a cheap winter hack.
@@thatwebbloke I did it as an upgrade on a cheap first road bike, then bought them again for a build instead of a full system. I'm also in southern Louisiana, so my rides have around 10ft of elevation gain
Rim Brakes FOR LIFE!!
I like you guys. I just got into bikes (haven't had one since I was 16) and there are countless youtube channels to choose from, but I choose this one every time I need to understand something.
La Vuelta '21 has had the "road disc is crap" brigade all up in arms, so nice to hear a balanced review of the two braking methods 👍. Regarding your take on resin being better than metallic pads.....is this exclusively with hydraulics, or also for cable actuated ?. My road and gravel bike both have cable operated discs, and yes, they're crap! 😁. Super easy to maintain, but the stopping power is woeful. Oddly though the one with sintered pads stops way better than the one with the resin/organic pads, and I've read elsewhere that sintered is the way to go. Perhaps this is just for cable discs?. Or perhaps I should get some of those TRP hydro-jobbies ! 😏. Thanks for another great vid 🚲👍
I do have Hydro/disc on both my gravel and roadbike. Nothing compares. But on my daily driver, I have mech/disc. Less maintenance than Hydro, works better than rims, and most important, works just as good in wet conditions as in dry.
To be fair, I have cable actuated disc brakes and they do squeal insanely loud for some reason. I have it so one break pad is stationary and the cable pushed the other on the disc , which pushed the disc rotor against the stationary pad. I've also noticed that when I apply the brakes, that the rotor bends so that's probably a reason for the squeal... However, you can make it so that the lever is like the one finger MTB hydraulic system by twisting the barrel adjusters like a rim brake system for more tension on the wire and then it can really firm. I have hydraulics on my hardtail and the stopping power is significantly more instant and reassuring
My and my machinist buddy made a custom set of hydraulic rim brakes, best of both worlds
for amateur who still wanna go fast, disc brake, 32mm or even wider tire on road bike 😉
Just swapped up to a disc brake bike from rim brakes because I didn't want to buy new rims and build a wheel, nor buy a new wheel.
Having lived in two truly mountainous countries like Mexico and Colombia. Would stick to rim brakes or even cable operated discs for simplicity of operation/maintenance, spare part costs, and having enough stopping power for most paved descents under all kinds of weather (haven't used carbon rims, and don't plan on doing so). I truly only feel hydro discs necessary when coming down steep, technical gravel. Other than that hydro discs are overkill, and the costs of replacing pads and rotors on a yearly basis ain't worth the extra power.
More incredibly useful stuff from the GOAT
I’ve only ever had rim break bikes but my next bike is definitely going to be disc brakes
I'm a heavier road rider who likes to climb for fitness and cardio for weightloss, etc. I also primarily ride one bike year round. I need the extra braking power of disc brakes.
ive had roadbike with Rim breakes and now mTB with hydraulic disc im inlove with the disc
Rims on the road....discs on the dirt ✌
Let me explain the real story about both.
Some cyclist, they love to tunning the bike everyday like changing stem length, drop bar, shifter adjusting and others. Mechanical brake cable are easy to cut and adjust, no mess like hydraulic.
For some reason, disc on RB has it own advantage in all road condition including wet, descent, flat road, gravel and powerful too. Disc save the carbon rim from friction. Disc add weight about 200g or more with 2 rotor, bigger hub, 5-9 more spokes to improve strength at wheel center. Some road bikers are not familiar with disc but Mountain bikers already use disc more than 30 years with less problem.
Alloy rim brake are durable but not suitable for race because the added mass at outer rim slower the acceleration. For recreational rider it will be just fine.
Disc brake added weight but this small weight only sit at the wheel center almost did not effect acceleration.
Rim brake carbon the best for weight saving. Only downside on wet rainy day at descent/downhill with tight corners, still work but less grippy.
Mechanical disc brake will be the cheapest option with the advantage between rim brake and hydraulic disc brake.
So choose the one that suit your preferences. Best for you does not mean good for everyone. And don't be afraid to try. Experience cannot earn from reading on internet. Do it on real life.
I am not pro bike mechanic, and not pro racer but i have doing this since 2011. Just sharing my experience because sharing is caring. Love you all.
A perfect answer that no-one is listening to.
Disc brakes versus rim brakes is like comparing wet lub versus dry lub. (they are meant for different situations/different types of riders)
Disc for life for me. Never going back to rim as I like my brakes to work as brakes.
I was just looking at replacing my disc pads for my gravel bike. You showed Aztec, do you have recommendations for any third party brands?
My (then) wife bought a bike for riding 'sportif' events and complained that the disc brakes were weak. I think they were Tektro BB7s. I followed a couple of CZcamss on correct set-up and the difference was huge. The feel and performance was almost as good as a hydraulic disc, certainly much better than a rim brake. Given the choice I would still go for hydraulics, but I would not discount a bike just because it had cable discs.
Avoid cable disc, avoid hybrid disc they just don't work to an acceptable level from my experience. Hydraulic is the only way to go. Go GRX or the latest road servo shifters they are better I feel than the non servo.
I am stuck in team disc breaks because I started with a gravel bike. I love switching wheels so I want all of them to be disc. What I hate is the current disc shortage. I want good looking dura...
Well I agree, I am an old cyclist and ride in the city mostly and the disc brakes are just perfect for my safety. The disc brakes stopped me quickly preventing cars turning into me at intersections. I do my own hydraulic brakes and enjoy the mechanical disc brakes a bit more.
While hydrologic disc brakes are better brakes, rim brakes are lighter, cheaper, much less maintainence, easier to repair. For remote touring, I use rim V brakes. Powerful, easy to repair, few parts need to be carried.
Totally agree with Mechanical Disc brakes, the effort needed to stop is very close to that of rim brakes. A high end rim brake is equal to or better (in the dry) than a cheap mechanical disc brake.
The cost of set up and maintenance of hydraulic disc brakes are very high which is a factor to be considered if you are getting services and repairs from a bike shop instead of at home.
I have a trek domane with cable discs. It is my first road bike so don't have much to compare to but they do feel quite spongy and I find myself constantly adjusting them
Living in Scotland, where it's often wet, I'd only ever have disc brakes now.
Although it is slower because of the through axles, I find that it's easier to remove and replace wheels on disk brake bikes, especially if your tire is wider than your rim. Even after unhooking the rim brake calipers, it can still be a pain to get the tire past the brake pads, and you don't have that problem with disks.
Yes! Especially if you are talking about v brake or cantilevers where you have to unhook the cable. It’s a bit of a pain
Wouldn't most of the common reasons that require you to remove your wheel also require you to deflate your tyre to fix the problem?
@@longdang2681 not really. i have also removed my wheel to make the bike fit in the trunk of some cars
mt biking and fat biking on snow and ice means disk brakes. Mine are all hydraulic now but the fat bike came with cable disks and they've been fine. i did one winter commuting on a 1985 Univega range rover with one steel rim one Al and it was a mess.
Hey Francis ,
What kind of road bike do you have ? Any specific reason you chose that bike ?
The thing about mechanical disc brakes is that most manufacturers use horrible brakes that feel worse than rim during a normal day... SPYR, Juintech are some exceptions, but those are not often used in high end bikes.
There's something about the look of rim calipers that I really like. I wish it just didn't wear out the actual wheel.
1) I'm OCD about noises coming from my bike. Listening to a gaggle of riders using disc brakes usually sounds like a flock of geese flying low overhead. Drives me crazy! And riding with that noise at every stop? Ruins the ride for me. 2) I often take my wheels off IOT load my bike on the train (I'm required to put it in a bike bag). The tolerances on disc brakes are so tight that usually it requires realigning my calipers slightly IOT avoid squealing brakes or that tick-tick-tick sound. PITA.
Awesome vid thanks just saved my missus a few £££ as she now upgraded to the next devote with hydraulic brakes rather than cable disc brakes so thanks 👍🏽
"Some of the main arguments for rim brakes are quite racing oriented." Exactly. I'm not a pro and chose on the merit of the issues you've raised here. Nice video.
I have cable discs. Stopping has never been a problem even from 40mph
I have both rim and disc brakes. Running carbon wheels on both bikes. I prefer the feel of the rim brakes. ( this might just be due to having ridden rim brakes for years and discs only in the last couple of years ) But they are terrible in the wet. And now living in the Yorkshire dales they don’t perform as well on the descents.
Discs brakes are far superior when it comes to wet weather or descending.
“They stop well good”. Succinct and accurate🤣
Rim bikes are lighter, so faster up hill, so the minimum loses down hill, whats the winner.
I've now gone down a rabbit-hole looking for those TRP calipers in stock...I bought my bike without knowing much about mechanics, so got a tiagra groupset with mechanical discs...i've been desperately looking for ultegra stock to upgrade the groupset but this might be a good halfway house until something comes in.
I have, or have had, hydraulic disc brakes on all of my bikes but one. I really, really prefer discs over rims, and I do not find them that hard to keep working despite using my bikes almost daily.
The one caveat I would mention is that before you get a disc brake bike, read up on the different types of fluids used. Some prefer mineral oil systems, some DOT braking fluid systems.
Braking performance? No comparison, discs are better 10 times out of 10.
There is nothing better for wet dirty weather than drum brakes.
Completely sealed from weather, no pad replacement required, no maintenance, no adjustment.
I'm still on rim brakes. I'm curious about if discs all of a sudden start to rub and make irritating noise. can u adjust them on the fly without bringing loads of tools.
Also, how is the development moving along? Can I expect big improvements/innovation in a near future with newer disc brakes?
I use discs on both my mtb and my road bike. That’s an interesting question. No, there is not usually a way to adjust the brakes while out riding. They lack the equivalent of a barrel adjuster to back the pads off. But the good news is that, in thousands of miles, I haven’t needed to on either bike. Nor has anybody I’ve ridden with. Like Francis says, they’re very ‘set and forget.’ I haven’t had any kind of mechanical problem that has made me long for the days of rim brakes. Discs are just better in nearly every way.
As for development, I think we can say that disc brakes are very mature technology at this point. And bike manufacturers are favoring them in most cases. That means they’re likely to see more development time and money in the future from both bike brands and component manufacturers.
Generally not an issue once disc brakes are bedded in, properly bled and adjusted correctly. My old commuter ran flawlessly for years without any maintenance bar changing the pads.
Often I find rubbing discs is a case of the wheel not being fully inserted in the dropouts.
If I do need to fiddle with the brakes, the only tools I need to make adjustments is a multi tool with the correct sized bits and a tyre lever with a slot cut in it. With these I can reset the pads to help with centring the disk on the calipers, adjust the caliper, true the disk and burp the brakes. I don't really recommend people trying that unless they know what they're doing as if you screw up, you might not have any brakes.
Yes. My experience exactly.
Have always been told that a clean polished car is more efficient a bike polished helps with speed to and as there is no rim brake you can polish your the rims to increse aro drag 😀
Using Sram Cable brake and Avid BB7 after my Apex hydro set up crapped it. BB7s are just as powerful.
Having multiple wheels on on disc bike can be a pain as the calliper doesn’t align perfectly from set to set. I have a cross bike with knobblies on set of wheels and another set with road tyres on, bit of a pain when swapping wheels.