On Monday, March 26, 2018 at 7:05:08 PM UTC-7, James wrote:
On 27/03/18 09:27, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-03-26 15:11, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 3/26/2018 5:42 PM, Joerg wrote:


Quote "But the idea that hub-disc brakes are an advancement or even
desirable for general purpose riding ... is nonsense"

If that's really his reasoning then he hasn't got a clue. Yesterday I
coasted back down a hill with a friend and a nasty hail storm set in.
He had disc brakes and could always stop on a dime. I was on my road
bike with rim brakes and they started to fail miserably. I had to keep
them partially engaged almost the whole time to make sure I had enough
brake actions when needed.

You had to squeeze your levers almost the whole time?

Oh, the humanity!


It's not the squeezing, it's the constant grinding noise. Grinding noise
+ several miles = rim abrasion.

Disc brakes are simply superior in that and many other domains.

Interestingly, the grinding noise from the Koolstop pads was worse than
from the much cheaper Clarks pads. Braking efficiency in that weather
was equally lousy.


I just got home from a ride in the rain. I used my rim brakes for quite
a way down the 2km descent to home. I didn't notice any grinding noise.
I washed a little aluminium oxide from the rims and brakes when I got
home.

No big deal.

Road discs are relatively new, at least for an old guy like me. I rode in the rain for decades with rim brakes. I didn't die.

But, discs are better in the rain -- they stop better and don't grind down rims, which can happen after months of riding in the rain, particularly for a heavier rider who uses a lot of braking force. I work with a big guy who was going through a pair or rims every two years, and he paid others to re-rim his wheels -- so he spent some real dough. He shifted to discs a couple of years ago. I've been on a commuter with cable discs for 12 years and a year or two on hydraulics for the fast rain bike. Its nifty being a bicycle plumber.

-- Jay Beattie.