So I have a custom Ti road frame that I ride 2.5k miles a year and commute on in the rain. Was thinking would it be possible and affordable to put a rear disc mount on and then have better stopping power in the rain.
Any ideas on if my chain stays could handle the load? Assume so.
What the cost might be and possible to have additional tabs added (it is not painted so not really worried about the looks)? and what the cost is for a new rear wheel set up?
Thanks for any arm chair information.
Sounds like a custom modification for your custom bike that requires detailed knowledge of the existing frame. Why not call your builder?
This will typically have an impact on the rear spacing of the frame as disk wheels are commonly run with 135mm hubs. (vs 130) FWIW, most builders implementing discs on road bikes are doing something with the rear triangle/stays to handle the additional load due to the brakes.
I bet it’s cheaper/easier/more effective to just buy a new front fork and wheel for a front-only disc. Keep the rim brake in rear, it’s not doing much anyways.
There’s a guy I always see on my commute who rides a fixie with a front hydraulic disc brake. That’s a gangster setup.
I have used http://ticycles.com/...ces-fabrication.html in the past to move the brake brazeon’s on a 26 MTB so they would work with 700c cyclocross wheels and add rack brazeon’s. This was about ten years ago, it cost about $300 IIRC. Not sure how if you need to have the cable stops changed for hydraulic or not.
also, before that, cracked downtube on Ti frame, and the warranty backlog at Litespeed was so long (the 1990 model did not have a lifetime warranty…), they recommended I ask him to give a quote, and replacing the downtube was much cheaper than a new frame.
Talk to Dave Levy, probably done more of this type of mod than anyone on the planet - http://ticycles.com/TCF/
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Frames are specifically designed to handle the stress of the braking forces. Disc frames are reinforced at the brake tabs to handle the stress while your bike would not be. Also most rear disc brake hubs are 135mm instead of 130mm that most road frames are designed to fit. If you are wanting the stopping ability in the wet then I think your best option would be putting a disc fork on but I’m not sure it would be worth the money for the small improvement unless you are riding a lot in the wet.
Add the disk to the front wheel. During braking on a bike, there is a significant weight shift to being more over the front wheel, with way less weight on the back wheel.
Even in pouring rain, I find it relatively easy to lock a rear wheel in medium or hard braking. Only once have I ever locked a front wheel in heavy rain, and that was only because I’d been dragging the front brake to keep it relatively free of water.
If you put the disc on the back, you’lll only lock it more easily and gain no real advantage in braking or overall safety