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Disk Brakes or Rim Breaks...which are best for Irish Cyclists?

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  • 02-03-2019 12:51pm
    #1
    Arequipa
    Registered Users Posts: 1,031 ✭✭✭


    Good morning!
    I went on a cycling trip last week and rented a roadbike with disk brakes, on routes that included lots of climbing.
    There was a problem with the rear disk which kept catching with the pads and even when the mechanic fixed it, it made loud screeching noises when I leaned the bike for the rest of the trip.
    I was really underwhelmed by the disk brakes.. they braked well... But the bike felt heavy and of course they seemed ott given the warm and sunny climate...

    So what do you think of disk brake bikes...?
    Are they better overall?
    Maybe for a wet Irish climate?
    I see one definite advantage of no rim wear on the wheels and better braking in wet weather...
    But they seem heavier and more tricky to maintain & unnecessary in hot climates with lots of hills..
    One of the tour leaders was saying bike companies just want to make more money, as you essentially have to buy a new bike with disk brakes...

    What do you all think?


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    #2
    Cee-Jay-Cee
    Registered Users Posts: 12,235 ✭✭✭✭Cee-Jay-Cee


    I have both. My winter bike has hydraulic brakes which are excellent and as it’s my wet/winter bikeb i use it predominantly on wet rides and so the highly effective braking regardless of the wet is great and very welcome.

    My best has Ultegra rim brakes with carbon wheels/pads and the braking is very good (even in the wet) Obviously the bike is much lighter than my winter bike and I only use it during dry/summer rides and so have no need for hydraulic discs.

    Were the brakes on the hire bike hydraulic or mechanic disc? I have never had any problems with mine. I set them up when the bike was new and haven’t had to touch them since (2yrs ago) when they get hot on long descents they squeal a little but when they cool down they’re silent again and I have never had brake rub with them.


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    #3
    Peter T
    Registered Users Posts: 569 ✭✭✭Peter T


    Kinda sounds more like a fault with the bike itself. Could a worn hub be giving it the play to make the disc rub when cornering? Would also explain the heavy feeling. I've discs on my mtb so cant compare it to anything on the road. Haven't experienced anything like described above. My brothers training/ winter bike has discs and I've never heard a bad word about them from him. He's fussy when it comes to bike maintenance so I'd hear all about it if he did


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    #4
    smacl
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,753 Mod ✭✭✭✭smacl


    When I moved from rim to disc brakes I was initially underwhelmed and they took a lot of adjustment to get them spot on. They also feel different from rim brakes so take a bit of getting used to. At this stage I prefer them to the rim brakes, particularly in the wet, but would happily use either.


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    #5
    Taxuser1
    Registered Users Posts: 1,691 ✭✭✭Taxuser1


    Three of the first five in the break in the Omloop on damp Belgium roads had mechanical brakes yesterday. Wellens, Lutsenko, Teuns. Maybe the answer lies there.


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    #6
    Type 17
    Registered Users Posts: 2,730 ✭✭✭Type 17


    If you're doing lots of descents, aren't whippet-thin and ride in the wet, then discs have advantages.

    If your rides are mostly flat and dry and you weight less than ~70kg, then you may not see much benefit.

    A well set-up system doesn't rub or squeal - those are faults, not characteristics.

    After a fast descent with a near-stop at the bottom, mine rub a tiny bit for about 5-10 seconds before the discs cool down again, but that's it.

    After a powerful slow-down on a steep hill recently, I looked back at the app data and found that I had gone from over 60km/h to 18km/h in around 50m with only 75% hand-force, whilst on the hoods. I like discs...


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    #7
    tunney
    Registered Users Posts: 12,583 ✭✭✭✭tunney


    If you have ever been concerned about weight limits of components, get disc brakes. Otherwise rim brakes.


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    #8
    magicbastarder
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 49,586 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    I suspect the weight difference between rim and disc brakes is not much more than the weight you'd add by putting a full bidon on your bike. Less than 1% of what the combined bike and rider would weigh.


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    #9
    Eamonnator
    Registered Users Posts: 6,561 ✭✭✭Eamonnator


    magicbastarder wrote: »
    I suspect the weight difference between rim and disc brakes is not much more than the weight you'd add by putting a full bidon on your bike. Less than 1% of what the combined bike and rider would weigh.

    Here's a comparison between two Canyon bikes, one with rim brakes, the other with disc brakes. They have identical wheels, groupsets and finishing kits. The difference in weight between the two is .2kg.

    https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/tools/bike-comparison/#biketype=1&bike1=4419&bike2=4161


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