I like the look and simplicity of rim brakes. And they are lighter too.

Live in the past or be in the future is the way I look at it. How many speeds in the rear . . . 5? Or 11/12? 5 could be lighter, could be cheaper, and could work. Evidence seems to show that disc brakes are the future. My migration of my fleet is beginning. That's what I would do.

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

Disc.

Unless you also still watch a black & white television.

+1

I built my dream bike last fall knowing that the trend may eventually make rim brake wheel choices more slim in the future but I can't see myself being happy whenever I have a little bit of brake rub and I need to do diagnostics or take it to the shop.

Plus, I'm an amateur, I don't need to be Nibali on descents, I can just be faster on everything else

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

I have just bought my second disc road bike, the questions you should ask yourself are do you ride in all weathers? do you ride in an area that requires you to brake for prolonged periods? If so do you want to ride carbon rimmed wheels? How long do you intend to keep the bike for and make a guess over resale value?

I used to think disc or nothing.
Now, I think tt depends on your usage of the bike though.
A lot of people are riding their road bikes on rougher, possibly muddier roads, light trails, etc. If that is you, a disc brake might be a better option.
If you stick to nice pavement and race crits, you are losing nothing with rim brakes.

If it is a dream bike, and unless you have a specific reason for rim brakes, then disc is a no-brainer. That is the future. When you are around to other dream builds, they will almost always be disc. If you ride down a major incline, you will wish you had disc. You will be able to have light and awesome full carbon wheels without sacrifice (offsets a lot of the weight & aero of disc).

Pretty sure brakes have approximately zero* effect on acceleration, just saying. Of course cost, modulation, etc are still valid concerns, and you could even say a better brakeset will allow you to carry more speed into a braking situation because they'll still enable you to decelerate more effectively ~ but if your brakes are doing anything more than your headtube badge during acceleration then something is definitely wrong...

(*yeah, I know different designs will weigh more/less and present slightly more/less wind drag, which is why I said 'approximately')

Just saying that "people" say road bikes with disc brakes feel sluggish compared to rim brake.

There's also this from GCN: "The question is: Are disc brakes faster than caliper brakes on a road bike?
Short Answer: No, disc brakes are not faster than caliper brakes.
In fact, in dry conditions rim brakes let you ride faster -- about 24 seconds faster on a 22-mile loop of constant climbing and descending. In wet conditions, the data also concludes that caliper brakes are faster -- by about 4 seconds over the same loop."

Primary usage would be Road Races and Crits. I'm using the cross bike for anything off road.

What type of weather are you riding it in? How steep are the descents? Are they very technical? Have you been satisfied riding everything you ride now with rim brakes? Or do you feel like you need more stopping power? Do you really want to ride full carbon rims or would you be happy with aluminum rims like Hed black?

There are really valid reasons for going with either rim or disc. Anyone who says otherwise isn’t worth listening to. It just depends a lot on how you want to use the bike, your riding style and preference, your skills, etc.

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Matt

I love it when GCN does "Science"

The only other thing I'll add is that the additional weight and aero penalty isn't worth obsessing over and as someone stated, if you plan to take this dream build off-road or on long rides in wet weather, then yes, go disc, its worth the maintenance. Myself, I have a gravel bike that doubles as my commuter so when it gets wet or I go off-road I have that to turn to while I keep my S3 dream build on the tarmac and for road racing.

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

I had a Cannondale SuperSix Hi-Mod disc and always had brake rub issues, so on my next build (Canyon Aeroad) I went back to rim brakes = no rub. I live in SoCal so in general, wet weather is not an issue and I have a CX/gravel disc bike that I could ride if that was an issue.

I am in the process of building a rim brake Sworks Tarmac SL6. How fast do you really need to stop? They just have to keep coming up with something new to keep people buying bikes. Rim brake to me looks much better also. I am not one that has to jump on the band wagon like most do. I think most pros if given a choice would ride rim brakes.

I think this is a tough choice at the moment. Disc brakes stop better in the rain. But, they are still too heavy and the maintenance sucks. I expect them to get a lot better over the next few years, so one idea is to simply wait before diving in. (That's my plan.) That said, if you really need a new bike right now: if your riding is primarily on flattish roads, and particularly if you ride a lot in the wet, I say disc brakes, but if you want a dream climbing bike, I say rim brakes.

 I bought a S-Works Tarmac with rim brakes. If you ride in the rain Disc brakes would be better. For me I have never needed a stronger brake. Either bike would awesome love the Tarmac.

There is no right answer. There is an element of coke vs pepsi about the discussion. But there are other factors too:-
I'm a powerful taller and slightly heavier rider than som others, so for me rub from rim brakes was a constant factor - especially on pricier / lighter wheels. Both climbing and accelerating in crits. Sure, occasionally after I've had the wheel out for a puncture then I get some disk rub, but nothing major and next cafe / traffic light stop I give the axle a tighten and it goes.*

I have avoided buying a new Tri bike as I want to be able to share wheels with the road bike, and until this year there wasn't anything tri disk brake that met my needs.

Reality is that now you have choices when you buy. Often 'old' models are rim, and so cheaper/higher spec than disk versions. So there's a great choice. For me, it's not really the braking that pushed me to the disk for the road bike, but the package that was offered and the reduced brake rub when putting down the power. Differential in weight is an irrelevancy for my 85kg and selection of roadbike. For others I can see this being a significant factor, so fair play to them.


*Ok, after first few weeks of rides then the front I needed to recentre - loosen the bolts slightly, grab the brake lever, hold whilst tightening bolts, then release - brake now centred and no more rubbing.

I have an Sworks Tarmac disc and there are some practical reasons why I prefer discs:

1. You can get the brake levers closer to your hand when in the drops as the throw is way less than rim brakes. Great if you have small hands like me.
2. You get the same braking power but with less pressure on the lever - nice to be able to perform an emergency stop with 1 finger as it means you don't have to change your hand position to get full brake power
3. The thru axles increase the rigidity at the hub and result in noticeably more predictable and stable handling through the corners
4. Your expensive carbon rims don't wear out
5. I no longer have any concern about my wheels delaminating during prolonged braking on long descents

I built up a tarmac disk using pretty standard parts and it came out at 6.9kg with pedals, cages and garmin mount so weight isn't an issue.

I realize the joke is lost when one has to resort to explaining it, but... Sure, a disc brake could be faster overall because it enables you to brake later and/or less, but it's oxymoronic that any braking device could help you "accelerate" faster...

*sigh*

Umm, not really, as the rotational weight of the disk is closer to the axle than the rim is, and so the power required to spin up the wheel during acceleration is less. There's a question of specific physics as to if the added total weight of the disk brake overrides that of the reduced rotational inertia, but there is physics to support that a braking system that is close to axle offers less impediment ot acceleration than a rim mounted system. Accepting this benefit only applies to disk specific wheels with no braking rims. And then of course the bike industry seems to have shot itself in the foot by simultaneously going to tubeless which adds a load of weight back out on the outer periphery of the wheel through thicker tyres, beads, thicker / wider rim tape and filling the tyre with liquid.

So for clarity I'm, all about the progress on disk brakes, but think seatposts should never have stopped being be alu/ti, call foul over 1x gearing on MTB or road, and wish we had just stopped life at mechanical 10sp ultegra shifting..... ;-)

Disc hands down. You'll regret going rim on a brand new bike purchase,

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Tough Times Don't Last, Tough People Do.

This is just one comment I just don’t understand. Personally I think maintenance on disc brakes is so much easier than cantis. I used 2 sets of wheels and they interchange with no needed adjustments. Yea, I may get a ting ting during a ride for a few seconds here or there....no big deal. I get a chuckle out of canti users if it’s even damp out , their brakes just suck. Heck with discs, you really almost never even need to bleed them. 99.9 % of the time you can just tap the lines to push any air to the top and fill the fluid.....doing front and back takes all of under 5 minutes.
Maintenance is really just brake pad changes and even that is easier than wth cantis.

A brake pad rubbing against your rim sure does...

We're talking road bikes. It's not discs vs cantis (which also suck). It's discs vs road rim calipers, and I just don't think there's any comparison on the maintenance front.

I had a 2006 S Works tarmac that I had crash replaced from Specialized for a 2010 model. Had it up until a couple months ago. Last year, I bought a Roubaix that had thru axles, Di2, and disc brakes. All the “new tech”. I didn’t ride my S-Works Tarmac rim brake bike ever since I bought the Roubaix. Since I had the Tarmac for so many years, I did not want to sell it until I knew for sure I didn’t need it anymore. On the scale, the Roubaix is heavier than my Tarmac. I can’t tell when riding it though. The Di2 is flawless and I have zero desire to go back to cable derailleurs. The hydro disc brakes are so smooth and offer great stopping power. Again, I can’t imagine wanting to go back to rim brakes. Initially I thought about not having any disc wheels to swap. I went into the shop and the shop owner said I was a fool and just to ride the carbon Roval wheels everyday and don’t even bother with a second set of wheels. I have been doing just that. One bike and one set of wheels. Simplicity.

Still don’t see any maintenance issues with disc.... I have them on 5 different bikes...set em and forgot em. And like I said, the one time I had a soft lever, took all of 5 minutes to take care of doing both levers. I guess, for the type of people that can’t turn a screw driver so to speak, it could be an issue, but then I’d assume these are the same people having a shop replace brake cables so the maintenance “issue” between the two systems would be just the same.

I’m in complete agreement here...I went to road disc about 3 years ago and will never go back. Maintenance, braking power (in all conditions), and wheel swaps are all better with disc.

I upgraded that bike from 105 to Ultegra Di2 and the performance is even better. I’m a total convert to Di2 now, and the Ultegra discs are superb. No worries about heating up my latex tubes either, haha!!

To the OP, on a brand-new road bike I vote disc all the way. No contest.

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You will never, in your life, have a chance like this again.
If I were you, I would not pass this up. I would not let this go by...this is rare.
Come on...what harm??

Are building a dream bike for crits? I race a lot of crits. If I was racing my dream bike I would be forever scared of crashing out and destroying my dream bike. (I don’t crash a lot, but would still be tentative).

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I'd go rim brake and get a set of those sweet, sweet direct mount EEbrakes :)

I come from the mountain bike world....I think it's insane that you guys didn't ALWAYS have disc brake options. The manufacturers are obviously trying to kill you. Who cares about a couple ounces? Have confidence stopping in the rain. Get the discs.

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https://connect.garmin.com/modern/profile/domingjm

Somebody please tell the peloton colour TV is here! Despite being paid to ride disc, half of them still ride rim, including Liege Bastogne Liege winner Fulsang.

If with the pressure they have from sponsors to ride disc so many resist... I presume in average they believe rim is better.

Following up, I went with the Disc version. What an awesome bike!

Whoa that's sweet!

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Training Tweets: https://twitter.com/Jagersport_com
FM Sports: http://fluidmotionsports.com

You probably won't crash.

And if you do there's frame crash replacement.

And if you don't want to pay for that you can get velo insurance.

And if you don't have insurance you can just use a crash as an excuse to get a better dream bike.

And if none of it works out, fuck it it's only money you should focus on having fun. Bike unpurchased due to fear you'd lose it, or purchased but nor ridden, is the most useless thing.

Beautiful. Congrats!!

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You will never, in your life, have a chance like this again.
If I were you, I would not pass this up. I would not let this go by...this is rare.
Come on...what harm??

This is the internet so everyone has an equal voice regardless of knowledge and experience. The "discs don't require more maintenance" crowd (quite wrongly) won this thread, so just to balance things out a little I wanted to refer you all to another recent thread, and in particular this post:
I rest my case.

If you're not going off-road, than rim brakes for sure.

My winter bike has Campy Record 12 disc brakes. They stop better in wet, but are kind of a hassle. When they rub (and they will eventually rub) you have to take it to a shop to fix (no pulling out a multi-tool and making a 2 min adjustment roadside). You have to be delicate with the rotors swapping wheels (no oils, etc.). They are heavier (doesn't matter for my winter bike, but would on a race bike). They look ugly (in my opinion).

All my race bikes are rim. TBH, I think disc brakes on road were a solution to a problem that no one really had. Carbon brake tracks like ENVE, Zipp NSW, etc as so good now, unless you're really pushing the limits in rain you don't need discs. The limitation to braking on a road bike is the contact patch of your tires, not the brake interface.

And just think what great deals you'll be able to get on rim brake wheelsets a few years from now......

EDIT: Oh well, didn't read the whole thread. Looks like OP already pulled the trigger. Oh well. Congrats, but for other people considering the same thing, my vote is still rim, even if money is no object.

I used to think disc or nothing.
Now, I think tt depends on your usage of the bike though.
A lot of people are riding their road bikes on rougher, possibly muddier roads, light trails, etc. If that is you, a disc brake might be a better option.

These are good questions to ask and considerations to make.


Yes, you can get a "gravel bike" if you like, but a regular road bike will do fine on most gravel roads that are not ridiculous. With disc brakes that opens up room to put wider tires on for this use - 28mm or perhaps even more.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Nice bike!

Yet, I'm disappointed that Specialized is not offering a rim brake version on their Roubaix model. A Specialized dealer said that will be the trend and there will be no rim brakes in the future.

With the riding I do, rim brakes with Kool Stop pads work. Would rather not have to maintain a disc brake nor have to manage N+1 bikes with rim brakes and disc brakes. The difference between rim and disc frames also limits me in selecting a replacement frame for the parts I now have.

I think bike stores like rim brakes because it probably places the simple maintenance that I can do out of my reach and into their hands.

Is it easy to take front and rear wheels off and put the bike in the trunk? Hope so because I might be there one day.

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Indoor Triathlete - I thought I was right, until I realized I was wrong.

#1 - in a few years then you'll be 100% disc, so this is the painful transition. I am with you here as I'm in that at the moment too. Although I'm managing a 2 for 1 change with the gears too, as my non disc are 9/10 speed hubs, the disc 11 speed.

#2 - ditto. But then it's saved me money in the short run as I would have already bought a new Tri frame but am keeping that for an extra couple of years whilst a better range of disc frames are out. I'm not buying a soon to be obsolete rim frame.

#3 - not sure - I've yet to touch the disc brakes on my road bike in the 18 months / 12,000km I've had it other than aligning the front caliper which I did myself. 2012 epic MTB has been in shop twice for brake work/service. I agree however that bleeding the brakes is a job that I can't really be arsed with, despite even building my own wheels for commuting for many years, and building 3 of the 9 bike fleet from components myself. However the amount I've spent on tools I've used once/ twice is about the same as if I'd gone to a shop for servicing.

#4 Easier as there's no need to open the rim brakes up/deflate the tyre (ok, that's only for some bikes/brakes/tyres but made me swear a lot when I punctured in a race, inflated the replaced tube then had to deflate to get back into the frame).

Super helpful answer. Thank you so much for taking the time to address my concerns as a certain dread was coming over the transition to disc (especially the bleeding of disc brakes).

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Indoor Triathlete - I thought I was right, until I realized I was wrong.