I’m getting pretty annoyed with this issue. It’s almost as if the Velonews staff is being evaluated on how strongly they advocate for disc brakes on the road. I’ve got no problem with their existence or use, but damn, they’re not the second coming. Currently they seem to create more issues than they address, and IMO, they address very very few issues. Really only one, maybe one and a half as far as I can tell…. heat management on carbon rims, riding on wheels which are out of true.
They may in fact provide slightly improved modulation and “feel” (highly subjective IMO), but in doing so they seem to come with their own baggage: weight, aerodynamics, cost, wheel compatibility (neutral support), noise (not really much of an issue IMO), and frame spacing to name a few.
I’m all for the technology, it’s great that the industry is pursuing it, but damn, ease up on the hype! It’s almost being presented as if discs are better by definition.
I’ve got mechanical discs on my cross/gravel bike which I find OK, but I have had issues with fade and wear. Based on my understanding of the differences between mechanical and hydro brakes as well as the reviews of the new road hydros, I’m willing to accept that the shortcomings I’ve experienced are likely not present in the new hydros. I actually look forward to a potential upgrade in the future.
Yup…not just VN, but Mr. Huang at BikeRadar as well…and, it looks like our own Mr. Kopecky is getting on board that train after his trip to Hawaii…
I get it that there are certain applications and/or conditions where disc braking is “the bee’s knees”…but damn, I’m sick of people glossing over the drawbacks in areas of bicycle performance that actually matter to a much greater extent than braking…or even mass. Road bikes are the way they are because of a unique “use case”…you have fractional hp engines and the attendant small contact patches that are necessary if you want the vehicle to go fast with that small hp. I almost get the feeling that these guys have spent so much time riding around with light carbon rims (and the less than stellar braking that goes along with it) that they either don’t remember what it’s like to brake with a good rim setup, or are so blinded by the thought that wheel mass is so important to performance, that they can’t imagine that it might actually be better to just add a small bit of mass to the wheel (with a metal braking surface) and keep the good aero, than it would be to go down the path of adding discs along with not only the extra mass, but all the other drawbacks as well (less aero, worried about QR skewers - thru axle? really?)
At Interbike this year I made a specific attempt to ride the Shimano and SRAM road disc offerings, along with the SRAM Hydro Rim…and threw in a jaunt on a mechanical DA group as well. I specifically tried to approach it as objectively as possible…but, to be honest, I didn’t understand all the hype. There were people riding the same disc braked bikes next to me literally shouting “Aren’t these things awesome!” while I was trying them out and thinking “What am I missing?” If anything, I found the rear discs to be almost TOO easy to lock up in a “panic stop” sort of situation…and thus predict that a LOT of folks are going to be hitting the pavement in wet conditions if road discs become prevalent.
It’s funny…I bombed down a local 3 mile, twisty, 8% ave. grade descent yesterday on my lunch ride. My bike was equipped with simple single pivot Cane Creek calipers with KoolStop Salmon pads, operated by SRAM Red levers and braking on Zipp 101s. As I did so, I took note of how hard and often I braked…along with whether or not I had adequate “modulation”…and I have to say, I can’t imagine how anything else I could use would have made it any more enjoyable, any faster, or any less fatiguing.
But, maybe that’s just me :-/