Road bikes with disc brakes

GoTilUBlow

rollingscone wrote: »

I'm no Party Bus conductor, but I'm pretty sure that's not ugly.

It's not ugly at all, but I'll bet it's heavier and more expensive, than the rim brake equivalent!

Raam

I do like the simplicity of rim brakes, but I also dislike the fact that they wear your wheel down.

Brian?

rollingscone wrote: »

I'm no Party Bus conductor, but I'm pretty sure that's not ugly.

First impression is that it's lovely, then you spot the disk brakes and it ruins the look of it.

Consideration no.1 when buy a bike should always be looks.

quozl

Brian? wrote: »

First impression is that it's lovely, then you spot the disk brakes and it ruins the look of it.

Consideration no.1 when buy a bike should always be looks.

Look on the bright side - you'll be able to put a 32 tooth rear sprocket and a pie-plate rear derailleur catcher on the back wheel and nobody will spot them!

07Lapierre

Raam wrote: »

I do like the simplicity of rim brakes, but I also dislike the fact that they wear your wheel down.

Only if u use them!

Raam

07Lapierre wrote: »

Only if u use them!

I'm gonna try cycle to work without braking once. Might not make it there, but at least it might be exciting.

petethedrummer

With the new stopping power in the A4 peloton this should increase the rate and severity of mystery slow downs.

jimmycrackcorm

I see quite a high proportion of commuters using road bikes. If there is one need for disc brakes on a road bike then it is for these. From my commute experience I wouldn't dare going back to non-hydraulic disc brakes.

petethedrummer

Buying a bike is a lot like making love to a beautiful woman.....

Brian? wrote: »

Consideration no.1 when buy a bike should always be looks.

Raam

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

I see quite a high proportion of commuters using road bikes. If there is one need for disc brakes on a road bike then it is for these. From my commute experience I wouldn't dare going back to non-hydraulic disc brakes.

Not in my experience. Rim brakes do the job just nicely for me there.

petethedrummer

Raam wrote: »

Not in my experience. Rim brakes do the job just nicely for me there.

You are not commuting hard enough. Raise your game.

ashleey

Raam wrote: »

mmm, yes.

Lovely but the colour is all wrong for a Bianchi surely?

Raam

Anyone post this yet?

http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/11/bikes-and-tech/the-torqued-wrench-12-road-disc-questions-answered_308954

12. What about swapping wheels?
This is unquestionably a big problem, at least for the road racing crowd. For the average user, using a single set of wheels, a wheel swap takes just a few seconds longer than it always has.

The big issue is with multiple wheels. The tolerances within disc calipers are exceptionally tight, enough so that if a rotor is even a sliver of a millimeter out of spec, it will rub and make noise. This makes using neutral wheel service all but impossible.

Frankly, there is no good solution to this right now. But both SRAM and Shimano recognize the problem and they are endeavoring to fix it. Hopefully they have a solution before the UCI gives the green light to discs in road racing (if that ever happens).

cdaly_

Raam wrote: »

I'm gonna try cycle to work without braking once. Might not make it there, but at least it might be exciting.

You could have done that this morning. Bloody wind would stop you dead just by sitting up...

Lumen

How about NO?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K4ADjuxEqc

Or...

http://www.madegood.org/bikes/repair/fit-a-brake-cable/

theoldalfer

petethedrummer wrote: »

This is Frank BTW:D

rab!dmonkey

Before anyone asks, I do not stand to gain financially from the proliferation of drop-bar disc brakes - I just find using rim brakes to offer distinctly uninspiring performance, compared to the brakes I'm used to on my MTBs. I'd love to have a hydro disc road bike, but I'm not considering spending any money on one until the UCI takes a hard stance one way or the other.

colm_gti wrote: »

So, would one of these be turned away at a CI race, or will they be allowed in 2014?

The UCI (which CI is of course affiliated with) has made a a lot of noise about discs being illegal in road races. There's nothing prohibiting them in their rules though (prove me wrong). I'd like to see someone mount a challenge.

We don't need any more braking power

Yes you do. Can you brake comfortably with one finger from the drops? What about from the hoods? Is this with carbon rims? More braking power means less finger power. Disc brakes will also be guaranteed to have proper reach adjust, which many current drop-bar levers lack. This will increase comfort and control.

They're ugly

You're just suffering from rim brake Stockholm syndrome. I think you'll be surprised how quickly this perception changes as more high-end disc bikes are introduced.

dey'll slice you up mayne

I can't see why people are more afraid of a 14 cm of disc - that is admittedly sharp around the edges - than fast moving wheel composed of dozens of bladed elements.

Andy is faster than you, he's a seasoned pro

Lumen wrote: »

The "am I faster at descending than Andy" question is easily answered with some TdF recordings and Strava. You might want to bring an ambulance. :-)

He doesn't appear to have a Strava account, not under his own name at least. There are no TdF recordings of anyone here, so you can't make a comparison on that basis. Besides that, based off of my limited insight into his team, they don't appear to be encouraging him to get any better at descending at all. Pretty stupid IMO: you're supposed to train your weaknesses and descending is a huge weakness of Andy's. His lack of skill means he has a stark choice between losing time to his competitors or putting himself at risk of injury. If you can find his time on the Strava segment descending Col de Sarenne (stage 18 this year's TdF) I will tell you if his placing is better than mine.

Boil fluid

It's not a common occurrence outside of some seriously exceptional descents, such as steep scree slopes in Alpine mountains. You're not going to do it in Ballinastoe unless you purposely seek to do so on an under-braked bike. If you do boil your fluid on a road bike, you're still better off because you had the discs - otherwise you would have popped the tyre off due to the heat at the rim. It doesn't happen all at once either, so you'll be able to pull over and let your brakes cool off if you have any worries.

Disc brakes are the solution problem that doesn't exist

Even at the highest level of road racing, there are huge pile-ups on flat stages where something goes wrong and no one can stop in time. Are you trying to say that's not a problem?

GoTilUBlow wrote: »

Pros & Cons

Disc Brakes - Heavier, Less Aero, Finicky adjustment, Require Bleeding, prone to excessive wear, may be dodgy in a peleton accident (but haven't seen evidence yet)

Rim Brakes - Less power in the wet, but usually have enough

You only listed cons. Half of the disc ones are just routine maintenance - which you neglected to list for rim brakes - and the other half is unfamiliarity. Here's a more exhaustive list:
System | Rim brakes | Hydro discs
Pros | Lighter*; cheaper*; more aero*; huge back catalogue of compatible parts | Works in all conditions; greater energy dissipation; safe failure mode; doesn't subject rims to wear; adjustment required less frequently; better ergonomics; better leverage; tolerates out of true rims
Cons | Poor ergonomics, requires frequent adjustment, wears out expensive structural parts (i.e.: rims), requires very true wheels | Heavier*; expensive*; less aero*; discs/pads subject to contamination; limited selection of wheels, framesets and brakes**Pros/cons which are likely to turn in favour of disc brakes as development goes on.

Mechanical rim brakes are simple

The two systems have a comparable number of moving parts. I think discs have slightly less, but I can't prove it.

Bleeding vs cable change

Sram's bleed protocol is a bit finicky alright - Shimano's is much more simple. It's not a huge deal either way though, as you won't need to do it as often as you change brake cables.


TL;DR discs rool, rim brakes drool

diomed

ABS on road bikes is next.

hypersonic

diomed wrote: »

ABS on road bikes is next.

yes please! for commuting.

this has got awful reviews but it's an interesting idea.

http://www.bikerumor.com/2011/05/16/one-lever-two-brakes-slidepad/

Seaneh

Lumen wrote: »

How about NO?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K4ADjuxEqc

Or...

http://www.madegood.org/bikes/repair/fit-a-brake-cable/

Yeah, feck that for a game of soldiers, I'm sticking with my rim brakes.

rab!dmonkey

You could just get Shimano hydros instead.

You won't have to change your bar tape to bleed your brakes, so compared with changing cable outers as well as inners, it's a much closer run thing.

Or if that's not easy enough, why not try brakeless?

Scrappy600

Having come to the roads from dh and enduro with 203mm hydraulic brakes front and back I would much prefer discs on the road bike too. I prefer the modulation and feel I get from higher end hydraulic systems and don't like the feel from rim brakes - wet or dry. But cheap hydraulic brakes are a nightmare and would turn anyone off discs for life if they used them.

disco1

I think like it or not discs are going to be on all road bikes soon. I see that at least 5-6 main market leaders have them for 2014 .
My concern having come from cross country is the power of such systems in slippery wet downhill sections. I suppose it will be just a case of getting use to the modulation, but yes rim brakes are too old fashioned now inefficient and not to mention they ruin your rims...

I personally cant wait to havr them.

Kildafornia

Raam wrote: »

mmm, yes.

The Oltre is damn sexy (and there's plenty of celeste details to keep it looking bianchi), but the SRAM shifters look so much better than the shimano's R785's, which look like robocop's dick. Maybe on a BMC they would match the angular lines better.

Aesthetics aside, here's how I see the + and - of disc in 2014:
+ better stopping power in wet
+ easier on your wheels
+ both of these points especially with carbon wheels
+/- future proof frame for wheelsets (although not until compatibility is standardised)
- forks should have thru-axle for strength and to reduce squeal
- reports of tinny, rattling sound as no cable holds the lever in place
- my 'old' wheels are incompatible
- risk of brake fluid spillage on frame?
- current brakes designed for Mtb
- never buy 1st gen of tech; recalls by SRAM, unbranded by shimano
- radial spokes stronger, not adviseable with disk brakes
- I believe some 2014 disc models will be replaced with 2015 models in July and so if you buy a 2014 it is already out of date

I'm looking forward to disc brakes on road bikes, but only when the pros outweigh the cons, which is a couple of generations of tech away I reckon. Then again, I might be talking through my hole…

Eamonnator

Why do thru axles reduce squeal?

Lumen

Eamonnator wrote: »

Why do thru axles reduce squeal?

I don't know that they do, but squeal is caused by vibration and through axles are stiffer, so it's plausible. They should reduce pad rub though, due to more precise wheel location.

dfdream

All 2015 giant defy carbons to have disc brakes. More complexity than what's needed ?

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/article/2015-giant-defy-and-liv-avail-endurance-road-bikes-announced-41702/#comments

Tenzor07

Fondriest Bikes also!

ZiabR

dfdream wrote: »

All 2015 giant defy carbons to have disc brakes. More complexity than what's needed ?

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/article/2015-giant-defy-and-liv-avail-endurance-road-bikes-announced-41702/#comments

Companies will most likely do this to force the move to disk brakes on you...

Lumen

logik wrote: »

Companies will most likely do this to force the move to disk brakes on you...

You could always defy them!

I am impressed by Giant's commitment. Interesting that they've dropped through axles for these new models.

rab!dmonkey

Bikeradar wrote:

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) have announced that tests will begin this season on the use of disc brakes in professional road racing following numerous consultations with different stakeholders. The new braking system is set for complete introduction in the future.

Good news, everyone. Now lets all hope they specify 15 x 100 mm front axles and 12 x 142 rear axles.