What's new

Disco or Disc oh!

leicaman

Maximum Pace
Sep 20, 2012
2,878
2,698
So, I'm getting a new bike and after lots of deliberation, I've decided to go with rim brakes. I had originally thought of getting discs but then did a U-turn and went for rim brakes. Have I made a mistake?
If you were going to get a new bike what braking system would you go with?

I know a few of you on here have both disc and rim brake bikes. Which do you prefer to ride? If you were to buy another bike, what would you go with?
 
I'll take disc.

The pros can't have them but I can.

They can't have Bovine Growth Hormone either but I'll give that a miss.

Personally I think you made your choice for the right reasons and it was right for you to do so. I don't go downhill like you and I am never going to break any records going uphill so being as light as humanly possible isn't really on my list of super powers. I do, however, enjoy riding the wrong stuff a bit and this is where a second bike with tire clearance and disc breaks make a difference for me. The look is growing on me, too.

If the rest of the wheeled world moved over to discs years ago isn't it about time the road bicycle did, too?
 
I am getting a new custom made frame and having it built out with disk brakes. My current bike also has disks. I was sold after my first ride. And rides in the rain, that's where they shine, and occasionally squeak, the downside.
 
I am getting a new custom made frame and having it built out with disk brakes. My current bike also has disks. I was sold after my first ride. And rides in the rain, that's where they shine, and occasionally squeak, the downside.
What bike do you have now? And what are you getting?
Out of interest, how often do you ride in the rain? And will you be doing so with the new custom bike (not including being caught out by a sudden downpour)?
 
What bike do you have now? And what are you getting?
Out of interest, how often do you ride in the rain? And will you be doing so with the new custom bike (not including being caught out by a sudden downpour)?
My current bike is a made in Taiwan brand called Culprit. Aluminum frame. Shimano disk brakes. Unless it is a massive downpour I ride in any weather. Of course depending upon the season, but usually a few times a month. New bike is a Speedvagen. I most likely will use the new bike when I know the weather is nice and use the Culprit for more inclement weather.
 
Right now, I would get rim brakes...

Reasons;

-I don't ride in the rain unless the weather surprises me. I have ridden down some pretty gnarly descents with carbon rims and rim brakes and I am still here to type this.
-Shimano have released their latest iteration of Dura Ace, and the discs are still not light enough for me to want them.
-Carbon rim brake rims are decent now and melting is gradually becoming a thing of the past.
-The new Dura Ace rim brakes are even more powerful than the 9000 ones so they will easily be good enough, and they have 28mm tyre clearance.
-I don't ride off-road (apart from every single time I ride with @Heath and he makes me do things like ride up a 15% corrugated entrance to Silent Hill, ride through an actual hornets nest, etc)
-I am not a heavy brake user, ie., I don't use my brakes much. I have been on the same set of gypo Chinese carbon rim brake pads for 2 years and they have hardly any wear on them
-My body is not that heavy, so I don't need figuratively put Juggernaut brakes on a Lotus Elise
-Can't be bothered dealing with all that faffing about (although I would obviously like it from a technical point of view)
-Heavier overall system than rim
-Totally personal, but I don't like the way they look. Prefer rim brakes.
-I want to go faster downhill, not slower. Braking power is not the thing that slows me down, it is technique.
-Nibali, Sagan, and @Heath can descend like absolute maniacs with rim brakes.

Summary;

I don't see the need for them on road, from a technical and performance standpoint, and they don't excite me.
 
My current bike is a made in Taiwan brand called Culprit. Aluminum frame. Shimano disk brakes. Unless it is a massive downpour I ride in any weather. Of course depending upon the season, but usually a few times a month. New bike is a Speedvagen. I most likely will use the new bike when I know the weather is nice and use the Culprit for more inclement weather.
I suppose we are lucky here in Japan with the weather. It's usually pretty stable for the whole day so it's pretty easy to avoid the rain if you wish to.
Speedvagen eh! Very nice. Did you get fitted by Sasha when he was over? He seemed like a top bloke when I chatted with him at the Rapha shop. What specs are you going for on the SV?
 
rps20160711_211132_418.jpg

I never thought about riding disc brakes till this weekend.

The UCI made a last minute U-turn and allowed disc brakes for the Niseko Classic.

What a difference they would have made!

The brakes didn't work in the pouring rain.

So much so that I scored the KOM on the downhill!

https://www.strava.com/segments/7637451?filter=overall

But with discs I could have arguably gone faster with more confidence?

Under normal conditions though I find DA with a good choice of brake show to be good enough.

Andy

www.jyonnobitime.com/time
 
I suppose we are lucky here in Japan with the weather. It's usually pretty stable for the whole day so it's pretty easy to avoid the rain if you wish to.
Speedvagen eh! Very nice. Did you get fitted by Sasha when he was over? He seemed like a top bloke when I chatted with him at the Rapha shop. What specs are you going for on the SV?
Yes easy to avoid the rain. But do want a bike I can go out in when it is raining. Just not the SV if I can help it.

I did get fitted with Sasha. He's the real deal and knows his stuff. Going with Ultegra Di2 groupset, ENVE carbon clinchers. Chris King Hubs and headset.
Looking forward to the ride. Doing my research prior, I have read nothing but rave reviews about SV.

Just my two cents, but I think over time you will see the Pros riding disks as they fine tune, lighten them up and make them safer for the peloton.
 
View attachment 14155

I never thought about riding disc brakes till this weekend.

The UCI made a last minute U-turn and allowed disc brakes for the Niseko Classic.

What a difference they would have made!

The brakes didn't work in the pouring rain.

So much so that I scored the KOM on the downhill!

https://www.strava.com/segments/7637451?filter=overall

But with discs I could have arguably gone faster with more confidence?

Under normal conditions though I find DA with a good choice of brake show to be good enough.

Andy

www.jyonnobitime.com/time
So, if you were buying a new bike, would you get rim or discs?
 
Yes easy to avoid the rain. But do want a bike I can go out in when it is raining. Just not the SV if I can help it.

I did get fitted with Sasha. He's the real deal and knows his stuff. Going with Ultegra Di2 groupset, ENVE carbon clinchers. Chris King Hubs and headset.
Looking forward to the ride. Doing my research prior, I have read nothing but rave reviews about SV.
Sounds like it's going to be an awful bike ;).
What's the ETA?
 
Sounds like it's going to be an awful bike ;).
What's the ETA?
Yeah not really looking forward to it, considering how much it set me back. :glasses:

I'm back in the states all of August and they will ship it while I am there. Then back to Japan. If all goes well, cheeks to saddle, September.
 
Right now, I would get rim brakes...

Reasons;

-I don't ride in the rain unless the weather surprises me. I have ridden down some pretty gnarly descents with carbon rims and rim brakes and I am still here to type this.
-Shimano have released their latest iteration of Dura Ace, and the discs are still not light enough for me to want them.
-Carbon rim brake rims are decent now and melting is gradually becoming a thing of the past.
-The new Dura Ace rim brakes are even more powerful than the 9000 ones so they will easily be good enough, and they have 28mm tyre clearance.
-I don't ride off-road (apart from every single time I ride with @Heath and he makes me do things like ride up a 15% corrugated entrance to Silent Hill, ride through an actual hornets nest, etc)
-I am not a heavy brake user, ie., I don't use my brakes much. I have been on the same set of gypo Chinese carbon rim brake pads for 2 years and they have hardly any wear on them
-My body is not that heavy, so I don't need figuratively put Juggernaut brakes on a Lotus Elise
-Can't be bothered dealing with all that faffing about (although I would obviously like it from a technical point of view)
-Heavier overall system than rim
-Totally personal, but I don't like the way they look. Prefer rim brakes.
-I want to go faster downhill, not slower. Braking power is not the thing that slows me down, it is technique.
-Nibali, Sagan, and @Heath can descend like absolute maniacs with rim brakes.

Summary;

I don't see the need for them on road, from a technical and performance standpoint, and they don't excite me.
Some good points there. Nice that you have based your decision on your needs. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer to the question. For some, rims would be better, for others, discs. I based my decision similarly to you. I think if I rode back in the UK I would have gone with discs though.
 
Dunno as I just built this up last October with DA after a nice insurance claim.

I expect they'll get the all clear for racing soon, so if I was buying, and there were no issues, maybe discs.

But remember what Ferrari said (the car man, not the dodgy Doc) "Anyone can slow down, it takes a genius to go fast..."

Andy

www.jyonnobitime.com/time
 
Yeah not really looking forward to it, considering how much it set me back. :glasses:

I'm back in the states all of August and they will ship it while I am there. Then back to Japan. If all goes well, cheeks to saddle, September.
Lucky lucky boy. So I'm guessing it is a full custom bike then, not one of their new off the shelf, two week turnaround bikes! Out of interest , how long has it taken so far (since you paid the deposit)?
 
Lucky lucky boy. So I'm guessing it is a full custom bike then, not one of their new off the shelf, two week turnaround bikes! Out of interest , how long has it taken so far (since you paid the deposit)?
It is full a custom SV. Vanilla turnaround is years I heard. SV is usually about 2 months. For me it took longer because I did not want to pay for shipping to Japan and also worry about getting hit with any import taxes. So they are timing it for delivery while I am in the US. Long and short, I was fitted the end of March so 5 months.
 
My friend's SV landed last week. He was fitted in Rapha and it was way longer than promised.

I think you're right it is totally needs based.

Will there be a day when you don't have a choice? I doubt it. Always good to go with what suits the way you do and the way you want to ride.
 
Some good points there. Nice that you have based your decision on your needs. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer to the question. For some, rims would be better, for others, discs. I based my decision similarly to you. I think if I rode back in the UK I would have gone with discs though.

That's exactly it. A few years back when I started riding harder and basically treating riding like a session in the gym, I started snapping some of the parts I had bought when I got into road bikes. I slowly worked my way through a load of different companies offering for these components, and it has only really been fairly recently that I have got a bike that is right for the riding I do. A lot of the super light parts I had originally bought, I have now replaced with more sturdy ones, and I have modded a few different things to be perfect for how I go shredding. I have never once thought, however, "shit, my brakes are dangerously weak; I better get disc brakes", and that includes chasing that Tasmanian mentalist at ridiculous pace down some huge descents in Tochigi. My bike is perfect* for what I do on it, for my weight and power output. I think a lot of people see discs coming out for road and get that keep up with the joneses twinge. I can totally relate of course, but I just don't reckon they are necessary for road riding.

There are a lot of the new technologies and trends which really improve things; bigger tyres, especially on the front, bars with more 3D moulded designs, carbon frame designs, cam tail aerodynamics (plus the study and application of aerodynamics in general) etc. plus a lot of the new stem designs are wicked, as are advances in shoe design, etc. I don't put discs in with these though, as something that benefits the average ride on a road bike (for me, and really, most people).

*I will never stop fine tuning it and upgrading, of course
 
View attachment 14155

I never thought about riding disc brakes till this weekend.

The UCI made a last minute U-turn and allowed disc brakes for the Niseko Classic.

What a difference they would have made!

The brakes didn't work in the pouring rain.

So much so that I scored the KOM on the downhill!

https://www.strava.com/segments/7637451?filter=overall

But with discs I could have arguably gone faster with more confidence?

Under normal conditions though I find DA with a good choice of brake show to be good enough.

Andy

www.jyonnobitime.com/time


Agree. Worst wet weather conditions I have ever encountered in a road race and never did I once think I could not brake, and this is with the pressures of a race, holding wheels and taking way more risks than one would ever admit to their wife. Rim brakes just work, but I do understand the flexibility that disc provides. Outside of racing, the demands on the rim brake would be even less critical, unless you always ride to the limit of your equipment. I think it is more a case of ability, tyre choice and tyre pressures that force the limit, not the braking itself.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom