Disc brakes really safer?

Howitzer

hi there,

I'm taking delivery of a hybrid with disc brakes front and rear in the next day or so.
I was looking into the disc brakes again and came up with:
http://www.chicagoinjurylawyerblog.com/2007/10/bike_accidents_more_likely_wit.html

Which leads to:
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/julesandjames/home/disk_and_quick_release/index.html

A lot of reading there - but basically it describes that the downward forces of disc braking could eject a quick release (or other) skewered front wheel.
Some preventions are suggested - but they don't sound 100% without manufacturers' involvement.

What I'm asking is:
are there any disc brake users out there who have noticed this?
-Have you noticed a disc brake leading to loosening of the front skewer?
-Any other problems to owning disc brakes? (please specify if you have cable or hydraulic and are on or off-road riding)
- anyone abandoned the discs and retro-fitted a non-disc alternate?

penexpers

I used to have disc brakes on a hybrid and I never noticed any problems with the skewer. You should check the skewers on a regular basis anyway.

bobtjustice

Howitzer wrote: »

hi there,

I'm taking delivery of a hybrid with disc brakes front and rear in the next day or so.
I was looking into the disc brakes again and came up with:
http://www.chicagoinjurylawyerblog.com/2007/10/bike_accidents_more_likely_wit.html

Which leads to:
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/julesandjames/home/disk_and_quick_release/index.html

A lot of reading there - but basically it describes that the downward forces of disc braking could eject a quick release (or other) skewered front wheel.
Some preventions are suggested - but they don't sound 100% without manufacturers' involvement.

What I'm asking is:
are there any disc brake users out there who have noticed this?
-Have you noticed a disc brake leading to loosening of the front skewer?
-Any other problems to owning disc brakes? (please specify if you have cable or hydraulic and are on or off-road riding)
- anyone abandoned the discs and retro-fitted an non-disc alternate?

I have quick release skewers on my Dew Plus (realitively new bike) and on my Focus Fatboy Hardtail, both have disc brakes. I've never had an issue with the them losening the skewers.
And the Focus gets a fair kicking at the weekends.

Both hydraulic, Kona is a hybrid for road use/commuting, and the Focus for trail riding at the weekends.

The only problem I can see ( but have yet to encounter) is that Discs can be a pain to service if you don't know what your doing (as i don't). As far as stopping power goes its discs all the way for me, they're a must if your on anything other than asphalt.

On the road, they seem a bit unnessesary, but again when you pull the brake leaver you will stop! Its a preference at the end of the day, normal brake set up, calipurs etc are more than efficient on the road too and infact some people on here would never put discs on a road bike.

One thing to consider as well, disc brakes on a roadie screams, "im expensive steal me!"

niceonetom

first off, safety advise from personal injury lawyer? really?

this has to be related to the hysterical response (including a ban in certain states) to quick-release hubs in america. morons buying $99 bikes in k-mart were unable to figure out that qr does work differently from wing-nuts and a few kid had their wheels fall off. bingo bango the lawyers move in... and here we are.

if you use qr properly they are every bit as safe as axle bolts.

seamus

I can see the relevant physics behind it - if you brake hard enough, the wheel essentially "pivots" around the brake caliper instead of the hub, which pulls down on the wheel and may remove it from the dropouts.

Most (if not all) forks with mounts for disc calipers will also have a lip on them in the dropout, which will prevent the wheel from simply popping out, unless someone does the obvious and fails to secure their wheel adequately.

This is likely an issue with QR skewers because many people have them shockingly loose - you should need to use effort to open and close your QR handle. If you can open and close the QR with minimym effort, then it's not tight enough.

This isn't an issue on rear wheels because the caliper is usually situated above the wheel, so if the wheel is already loose, it will "pivot" upwards, into the dropout.