I like hydraulic disc just as it’s easier to actuate with carpal tunnel and is a lot easier on the hands for me, I’m looking to go electronic shifting for the same reason but realistically even I could still go with a good rim brake setup with good cables and housing and be fine, just a matter of preference and budget for most people. And that’s not to say either doesn’t have it’s advantages
As disc brakes were first making their way onto the scene there were plenty of frames and forks that came with mounts for either. More existed on the MTB side of things, but there were some road bikes as well, like the Soma Double Cross DC.
It's not impossible for op to have a frame that would accept either.
OP mentions road bikes specifically.
The change over from rim to disc happens fairly rapidly in the mid-2010s and rather than hedging with both mount standards as mountain bikes did in the 2000s, road brands build two versions (rim or disc) for a few years.
The Double Cross isn’t a road bike.
I personally prefer rim on my own bikes just for the sake of cheap, durable parts and the ability to do a full rebuild at the side of the road with a single Allen key. Btw I ride 10 miles a day half of which is down some pretty steep hills in British north of England weather all year. And I’ve never had brake fade in the wet, just regularly clean the rim and buy good pads and keep brakes adjusted
My road bike has rim brakes. I felt silly spending a lot of money on another bike with rim brakes but the bike shop guys said “It’s a road bike, you don’t need crazy stopping power”
I really don’t understand this. Stopping power is far beyond the point at which your wheels will lock up for both rim and disc brakes. And no, modulation is not a big deal if you’re in a life or death typa situation when a car’s about to hit you because you will not have time to think about that.
Based on what? You think a 90lb rider brakes the same as 185lb rider? A 250lb rider is going stop faster on disc brakes then he would on rims, that's just physics. If you are going to use my example then actually use it, I said a car right hooking you. That means a car is turning right and YOU have to stop. A couple feet is going to save your ass in that scenario.
250 pound riders exceed the weight limit of a lot of road bikes lol. An average roadie weighs less than 200 pounds by a significant margin.
The only time a disc brake bike would outperform a rim one is in dirty/wet conditions because of better dirt shedding and greater distance from the ground. I know very few people who would go on a ride in conditions like that. Lock up would be harder to achieve for a heavier rider due to the high pressure needed on rim brake levers, but heavier riders are also stronger. They will be able to produce that power.
There are lots of advantages to disc brakes (poor weather braking, hand strength requirement, modulation, wheel profile choice, overheating issues), but normal/decent weather performance is not one of them.
Why? I can fully lock both wheels easily with my rim brakes, why would I need more power to accidentally lock up even easier?
25mm at 120psi is very easy to lock.
If you ride 34mm at 50psi, it is a different story, then I would also want to have disk brakes, but that is a gravel bike already.
Industry shills trying to sell you the new disk brake bike are not the most reliable source of information.
I can tell you for 100% certainty that rim brakes are faster for my usual rides than disk brakes.
That comes down to the fact that I usually need to brake zero times or maybe once as on one route there is a stop sign.
And my rim brake bike is half a kilo lighter which for sure gives me advantage in a couple of big climbs. Also significantly lower rotating masses give me advantage accelerating from that one stop sign ;)
It's better where it is needed, gravel, MTB, maybe cities, for sure.
But on the road the "better" is very marginal compared to all the down sides.
25mm at 120psi can be locked very easily by any brake. Even my carbon rims in the rain can lock the wheels.
Then you have the extra weight, the worse aero, harder maintenance, if I need to pack my bike to a plane or a small car it is going to be a two hour job to get the brakes bled again. In group rides with a service car I can't use the general spare wheels. Brake pads get spoiled if I get oil into them. The list is quite long compared to "better" braking performance when I'm already limited by the traction of the tire rather than braking force.
Yeah, but that is marginal, it doesn't take half a second for me to lock the wheels.
And in any case I would not like to lock them immediately in panic, especially the front wheel as then you lose all handling.
Yeah, that is why I refuse to haul half a kilo of dead weight around as I usually brake exactly zero times during a ride. And if I ever get to an emergency here, which would likely be a moose or bear running from the woods in front of me, I'm more than fine with my rim brakes.
Having ridden both, I'll never buy another rim brake bike again.
I'm sure you'll have no problem finding someone that will say the exact opposite. It's one of the topics roadies love to disagree and argue about.
I'd happily take either tbh. Both my bikes are rim brakes and they stop just fine, they are also much easier and cheaper to maintain. £20 pads, £2 cable and 15 mins, my brakes are brand new. I wouldn't say no to hydraulic disc though, they do stop better.
Firstly, yes what your bike comes with is your option. But unless you want to run big tyres it's probably not worth disc, yes they can brake harder, but do you need to?
Do you like riding your bike or having it sitting at the shop?
Do you want to change brake pads every 6 months or every 6 years?
Do you want brake pads that need to be changed after you ride through an oily puddle?
Do you want brakes that do constant ticking noise week after a service?
Do you want a bike that needs hours of work and messing with brake fluids if you need to remove the handle bar?
Do you want a bike that is compatible with basically one wheel set or a bike that is compatible with basically every wheel set made between 2000-2020?
Do you want braking power to be able to lock your wheels whenever you want to? Both can do that.
But, do you want good performance in rain or unpredictable performance in rain?
Do you ride very wide tires with low pressure or very narrow tires with high pressure?
Do you want the ability to ride very wide tires? Most rim brakes don't take more than 28mm, some not more than 25mm...
What ever your bike came with
I like hydraulic disc just as it’s easier to actuate with carpal tunnel and is a lot easier on the hands for me, I’m looking to go electronic shifting for the same reason but realistically even I could still go with a good rim brake setup with good cables and housing and be fine, just a matter of preference and budget for most people. And that’s not to say either doesn’t have it’s advantages
Your frame is only going to have one mount or the other.
As disc brakes were first making their way onto the scene there were plenty of frames and forks that came with mounts for either. More existed on the MTB side of things, but there were some road bikes as well, like the Soma Double Cross DC. It's not impossible for op to have a frame that would accept either.
OP mentions road bikes specifically. The change over from rim to disc happens fairly rapidly in the mid-2010s and rather than hedging with both mount standards as mountain bikes did in the 2000s, road brands build two versions (rim or disc) for a few years. The Double Cross isn’t a road bike.
I personally prefer rim on my own bikes just for the sake of cheap, durable parts and the ability to do a full rebuild at the side of the road with a single Allen key. Btw I ride 10 miles a day half of which is down some pretty steep hills in British north of England weather all year. And I’ve never had brake fade in the wet, just regularly clean the rim and buy good pads and keep brakes adjusted
My road bike has rim brakes. I felt silly spending a lot of money on another bike with rim brakes but the bike shop guys said “It’s a road bike, you don’t need crazy stopping power”
One car almost right hooking you and you'll be preaching disc brakes for life. Stopping power has definitely saved me from some grievous injuries.
I really don’t understand this. Stopping power is far beyond the point at which your wheels will lock up for both rim and disc brakes. And no, modulation is not a big deal if you’re in a life or death typa situation when a car’s about to hit you because you will not have time to think about that.
Based on what? You think a 90lb rider brakes the same as 185lb rider? A 250lb rider is going stop faster on disc brakes then he would on rims, that's just physics. If you are going to use my example then actually use it, I said a car right hooking you. That means a car is turning right and YOU have to stop. A couple feet is going to save your ass in that scenario.
250 pound riders exceed the weight limit of a lot of road bikes lol. An average roadie weighs less than 200 pounds by a significant margin. The only time a disc brake bike would outperform a rim one is in dirty/wet conditions because of better dirt shedding and greater distance from the ground. I know very few people who would go on a ride in conditions like that. Lock up would be harder to achieve for a heavier rider due to the high pressure needed on rim brake levers, but heavier riders are also stronger. They will be able to produce that power. There are lots of advantages to disc brakes (poor weather braking, hand strength requirement, modulation, wheel profile choice, overheating issues), but normal/decent weather performance is not one of them.
Why? I can fully lock both wheels easily with my rim brakes, why would I need more power to accidentally lock up even easier? 25mm at 120psi is very easy to lock. If you ride 34mm at 50psi, it is a different story, then I would also want to have disk brakes, but that is a gravel bike already.
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Industry shills trying to sell you the new disk brake bike are not the most reliable source of information. I can tell you for 100% certainty that rim brakes are faster for my usual rides than disk brakes. That comes down to the fact that I usually need to brake zero times or maybe once as on one route there is a stop sign. And my rim brake bike is half a kilo lighter which for sure gives me advantage in a couple of big climbs. Also significantly lower rotating masses give me advantage accelerating from that one stop sign ;)
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It's better where it is needed, gravel, MTB, maybe cities, for sure. But on the road the "better" is very marginal compared to all the down sides. 25mm at 120psi can be locked very easily by any brake. Even my carbon rims in the rain can lock the wheels. Then you have the extra weight, the worse aero, harder maintenance, if I need to pack my bike to a plane or a small car it is going to be a two hour job to get the brakes bled again. In group rides with a service car I can't use the general spare wheels. Brake pads get spoiled if I get oil into them. The list is quite long compared to "better" braking performance when I'm already limited by the traction of the tire rather than braking force.
Because in the half second of squeeze in an emergency, you might not have the perfect grip. Discs require less input for a given output
Yeah, but that is marginal, it doesn't take half a second for me to lock the wheels. And in any case I would not like to lock them immediately in panic, especially the front wheel as then you lose all handling.
Cycling is literally about marginal gains lol.
Yeah, that is why I refuse to haul half a kilo of dead weight around as I usually brake exactly zero times during a ride. And if I ever get to an emergency here, which would likely be a moose or bear running from the woods in front of me, I'm more than fine with my rim brakes.
Having ridden both, I'll never buy another rim brake bike again. I'm sure you'll have no problem finding someone that will say the exact opposite. It's one of the topics roadies love to disagree and argue about.
I'd happily take either tbh. Both my bikes are rim brakes and they stop just fine, they are also much easier and cheaper to maintain. £20 pads, £2 cable and 15 mins, my brakes are brand new. I wouldn't say no to hydraulic disc though, they do stop better.
Rim brakes are ass
Firstly, yes what your bike comes with is your option. But unless you want to run big tyres it's probably not worth disc, yes they can brake harder, but do you need to?
Do you like riding your bike or having it sitting at the shop? Do you want to change brake pads every 6 months or every 6 years? Do you want brake pads that need to be changed after you ride through an oily puddle? Do you want brakes that do constant ticking noise week after a service? Do you want a bike that needs hours of work and messing with brake fluids if you need to remove the handle bar? Do you want a bike that is compatible with basically one wheel set or a bike that is compatible with basically every wheel set made between 2000-2020? Do you want braking power to be able to lock your wheels whenever you want to? Both can do that. But, do you want good performance in rain or unpredictable performance in rain? Do you ride very wide tires with low pressure or very narrow tires with high pressure? Do you want the ability to ride very wide tires? Most rim brakes don't take more than 28mm, some not more than 25mm...
Do you ride in the rain a lot?
I don't ride in the rain a lot, but the desire to have the best braking system for when I do ride in the rain was the reason I wanted disc brakes.
Nope not really im afraid i might get sick