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Disc brakes have their use on road bikes in bad weather conditions. Descending at 90km/h on wet roads with rim brakes is not fun, especially on full carbon rims

Disc brakes have their use on road bikes in bad weather conditions. Descending at 90km/h on wet roads with rim brakes is not fun, especially on full carbon rims. I wish I had them in my race days.

mgarfias 5y ago
Another use: on my oldests bmx race bike, he has a disc brake setup. It is like 300% easier to work on. Pull the axle, and the wheel falls out. No futzing with the caliper to get the wheel off the frame, not concerns about getting the wheel on the exact correct spot.
- frosted-flakes 5y ago
  Isn't adjusting disc brakes a lot easier too? Adjusting rim brakes seems like a never-ending exercise, and the wheel needs to be perfectly true or it will rub. And changing the brake pads with that nut and stack of weird washers is tedious and error-prone. And the squeaks and squeals—I've tried so hard to get rid of them but they always come back. I'm considering upgrading my hybrid road bike to one with disc brakes just so I never have to deal with rim brakes again. (I currently have a 2015 Trek FX which I otherwise like a lot.)
  - _carbyau_ 5y ago
    I grew up riding bicycles of various types with rim brakes. Same as you, always squealing! In my 20's I learnt to ride motorbikes with associated disc brakes. Then later a mountain bike with rim brakes. Nope, no way, never going there again. Any bicycle I or my family has from now on is disc brakes. They are it, until I die or we find something better. Better capability, easier servicing, more robust in terms of sidestepping rim warp. Better for the rider, better for the mechanic.
bch 5y ago
What I heard is the biggest issue ties in with mentioned (perhaps inadvertently): carbon rims. Asking them to be the braking device (with associated heat-sink requirements) can cause them to catastrophically delaminate. They can’t safely perform that double-duty like aluminium rims can. (Edit: clarity)

Disc brakes have their use on road bikes in bad weather conditions. Descending at 90km/h on wet roads with rim brakes is not fun, especially on full carbon rims. I wish I had them in my race days.

mgarfias 5y ago

Another use: on my oldests bmx race bike, he has a disc brake setup. It is like 300% easier to work on. Pull the axle, and the wheel falls out. No futzing with the caliper to get the wheel off the frame, not concerns about getting the wheel on the exact correct spot.

frosted-flakes 5y ago
Isn't adjusting disc brakes a lot easier too? Adjusting rim brakes seems like a never-ending exercise, and the wheel needs to be perfectly true or it will rub. And changing the brake pads with that nut and stack of weird washers is tedious and error-prone. And the squeaks and squeals—I've tried so hard to get rid of them but they always come back. I'm considering upgrading my hybrid road bike to one with disc brakes just so I never have to deal with rim brakes again. (I currently have a 2015 Trek FX which I otherwise like a lot.)
- _carbyau_ 5y ago
  I grew up riding bicycles of various types with rim brakes. Same as you, always squealing! In my 20's I learnt to ride motorbikes with associated disc brakes. Then later a mountain bike with rim brakes. Nope, no way, never going there again. Any bicycle I or my family has from now on is disc brakes. They are it, until I die or we find something better. Better capability, easier servicing, more robust in terms of sidestepping rim warp. Better for the rider, better for the mechanic.

bch 5y ago

What I heard is the biggest issue ties in with mentioned (perhaps inadvertently): carbon rims. Asking them to be the braking device (with associated heat-sink requirements) can cause them to catastrophically delaminate. They can’t safely perform that double-duty like aluminium rims can. (Edit: clarity)