Rim vs. disc brakes

I don't understand why disc brakes exist on bicycles. Are they better? It
looks like the rim has better leverage, and no added weight.

--
Leo Lichtman

On Sun, 11 Jul 2004 03:00:30 GMT, "Leo Lichtman"
wrote:

I don't understand why disc brakes exist on bicycles. Are they better? It
looks like the rim has better leverage, and no added weight.

They exist because people will buy them, and in most cases pay a
premium to get them.

Whether thay are needed or valuable is a matter of opinion in some
cases, and a matter of specific circumstances in others.

In long descents at speed, a disc brake will not cause rim
overheating; for those who use tubulars, this could be a crucial
advantage.

In very wet and muddy conditions, a disc brake's performance can be
better or more predictable than a rim brake's, though this is almost
entirely dependent upon the specific systems being compared; I
personally have a front disc that's not as effective as the rim brake
on two of my other bikes, either wet or dry.

Many disc brake users find that the discs' stopping power is easier to
modulate; others find that to achieve the same level of braking, the
disc must be applied with much greater force. These varying (but not
necessarily conflicting) observations may be due in part to the fact
that there is no standard for comparison; there's quite a bit of
variation in rim brake performance, and in disc brake performance.

Only the individual rider can determine if discs provide any advantage
*for them*, and it should be noted that in some cases, the advantage
(in either direction) may be definable only as "they're better because
I like them more than the other ones."


--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Surrealism is a pectinated ranzel.

On Sun, 11 Jul 2004 03:00:30 GMT, "Leo Lichtman"
wrote:

I don't understand why disc brakes exist on bicycles. Are they better? It
looks like the rim has better leverage, and no added weight.

They exist because people will buy them, and in most cases pay a
premium to get them.

Whether thay are needed or valuable is a matter of opinion in some
cases, and a matter of specific circumstances in others.

In long descents at speed, a disc brake will not cause rim
overheating; for those who use tubulars, this could be a crucial
advantage.

In very wet and muddy conditions, a disc brake's performance can be
better or more predictable than a rim brake's, though this is almost
entirely dependent upon the specific systems being compared; I
personally have a front disc that's not as effective as the rim brake
on two of my other bikes, either wet or dry.

Many disc brake users find that the discs' stopping power is easier to
modulate; others find that to achieve the same level of braking, the
disc must be applied with much greater force. These varying (but not
necessarily conflicting) observations may be due in part to the fact
that there is no standard for comparison; there's quite a bit of
variation in rim brake performance, and in disc brake performance.

Only the individual rider can determine if discs provide any advantage
*for them*, and it should be noted that in some cases, the advantage
(in either direction) may be definable only as "they're better because
I like them more than the other ones."


--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Surrealism is a pectinated ranzel.

Leo Lichtman wrote:
I don't understand why disc brakes exist on bicycles. Are they better?
It looks like the rim has better leverage, and no added weight.
--
Leo Lichtman




Tandems have so much weight and go so fast downhill with all that weight
and only slightly higher aero resistance over single rider bikes that if
rim brakes were relied upon soley one could overheat and blow the tube.

Rim brakes are substantially affected by mud, dirt, and water, so
mountain bikes in environs likely to recieve this exposure need a
braking system that won't fail due the environs.

Commuting bikes need reliable rain brakes, so a drum or disc can satisfy
that requirement.

Road bikes and recumbents generally riding on dry pavement usually rely
on the lighter and less expensive rim brakes.



--

Leo Lichtman wrote:
I don't understand why disc brakes exist on bicycles. Are they better?
It looks like the rim has better leverage, and no added weight.
--
Leo Lichtman




Tandems have so much weight and go so fast downhill with all that weight
and only slightly higher aero resistance over single rider bikes that if
rim brakes were relied upon soley one could overheat and blow the tube.

Rim brakes are substantially affected by mud, dirt, and water, so
mountain bikes in environs likely to recieve this exposure need a
braking system that won't fail due the environs.

Commuting bikes need reliable rain brakes, so a drum or disc can satisfy
that requirement.

Road bikes and recumbents generally riding on dry pavement usually rely
on the lighter and less expensive rim brakes.



--

Leo- I don't understand why disc brakes exist on bicycles. Are they better?
It
looks like the rim has better leverage, and no added weight. BRBR

Great for muddy, really wet conditions, huge downhills, rides where wacking a
rim is a large proibability. NO use on a standard road bike. Unique forks,
hubs, levers(Hydraulic) framesets, higher weight, cost, complexity. Answer to a
not asked question, like tubeless on a road bike.

Mavic sure is behind this 'craze' 100%. A way to sell more of their goofy
wheel.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

Leo- I don't understand why disc brakes exist on bicycles. Are they better?
It
looks like the rim has better leverage, and no added weight. BRBR

Great for muddy, really wet conditions, huge downhills, rides where wacking a
rim is a large proibability. NO use on a standard road bike. Unique forks,
hubs, levers(Hydraulic) framesets, higher weight, cost, complexity. Answer to a
not asked question, like tubeless on a road bike.

Mavic sure is behind this 'craze' 100%. A way to sell more of their goofy
wheel.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

"Leo Lichtman" writes:

I don't understand why disc brakes exist on bicycles. Are they
better? It looks like the rim has better leverage, and no added
weight.

I can save you some time and the rest of us some bandwidth. Go to
www.google.com and click on 'Groups.' Then navigate your way to
rec.bicycles.tech and search for 'disk brakes' and read the thousands
of posts already written about this.

The short answer is that disk brakes are good for muddy conditions.
Disk or drum brakes are good for tandems being ridden in mountainous
terrain where lots of braking can cause problems with rims
overheating. Other than that, they are an answer to a problem that
didn't exist.

The cons for disk brakes are weight, incompatibility with road levers
(IIUC), and the risk of your front wheel coming out of the dropouts.

"Leo Lichtman" writes:

I don't understand why disc brakes exist on bicycles. Are they
better? It looks like the rim has better leverage, and no added
weight.

I can save you some time and the rest of us some bandwidth. Go to
www.google.com and click on 'Groups.' Then navigate your way to
rec.bicycles.tech and search for 'disk brakes' and read the thousands
of posts already written about this.

The short answer is that disk brakes are good for muddy conditions.
Disk or drum brakes are good for tandems being ridden in mountainous
terrain where lots of braking can cause problems with rims
overheating. Other than that, they are an answer to a problem that
didn't exist.

The cons for disk brakes are weight, incompatibility with road levers
(IIUC), and the risk of your front wheel coming out of the dropouts.

Like usual -- in this group you get "experts" chiming in with their half
baked knowledge.

I have built up a Kona Major Jake with disc brakes, I use this both as a CX
bike and my city bike. Its wonderful to fly through the city, and know that
you can easily stop from any speed with two finger pressure. On big decents,
you can control your speed without worrying about fade, as these puppies
work better once their hot.

I have Avid Ball Bearing mechanical brakes, which are specifically for road
levers, and are 100% compatible with them (I guess the experts don't know
everything).


"Tim McNamara" wrote in message
...
"Leo Lichtman" writes:

I don't understand why disc brakes exist on bicycles. Are they
better? It looks like the rim has better leverage, and no added
weight.

I can save you some time and the rest of us some bandwidth. Go to
www.google.com and click on 'Groups.' Then navigate your way to
rec.bicycles.tech and search for 'disk brakes' and read the thousands
of posts already written about this.

The short answer is that disk brakes are good for muddy conditions.
Disk or drum brakes are good for tandems being ridden in mountainous
terrain where lots of braking can cause problems with rims
overheating. Other than that, they are an answer to a problem that
didn't exist.

The cons for disk brakes are weight, incompatibility with road levers
(IIUC), and the risk of your front wheel coming out of the dropouts.


---
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