Road Discs

I've spoken about disc brakes on both 'cross and mountain bikes. To save you some time, I'll sum up: I like them in every application I've used them.

I recently stumbled across this post on Bikeforums.net. It's about the beautiful Waterford shown below (imaged taken from the thread).

The bike is undeniably cool. It has clean lines and is utilitarian enough to be useful day in and day out. What really stands out to me are the brakes. This is not a 'cross bike, this is not a mountain bike... this is a road bike. The second thing that I noticed was the fact that those aren't Avid road discs, but, rather, they are Shimano's road discs. That's right, there is now a choice for those of us who choose to run discs with road bike levers. Sort of. There is one catch, Shimano America isn't stocking them.

They tell me that there isn't the demand for disc brakes on road bikes. I say, this is because they haven't educated their customers. What are the complaints against disc brakes?

1st, that they are heavier. This one is true. They do weigh more than canti's or road calipers. In fact it is worse than you'd think. The forks are heavier and the hubs are slightly heavier, too. So this all really adds up to a little over a pound difference.

2nd, they are more difficult to set up. Nope. I'd rather set up a set of mechanical disc brakes than any cantilever or linear-pull brake on the market today. They are dirt simple.

3rd, they are more likely to leave you stranded. This is one that I hear from the touring crowd. Again, this isn't true. They are at least as robust as canti's and they don't rely on the integrity of the wheel to work. The argument goes something like this... canti's are merely a lever, they are easily repared and parts are available anywhere. Well, mechanical discs are merely a lever, with bearings. There aren't really any parts to fail. If you break a cable, you buy a new cable. The pads last 2 to 3 times longer than canti and v-brake pads do. The rotors can handle the heat and friction better than aluminum rims can, too. And, damage a rim and you'll still have brakes.

4th, they interfere with racks and fenders. Unfortunately, this one is also true. I blame the frame builders for this one, though. If you look at the Waterford in the thread that started my rambling, you'll see that they placed the rear caliper on the chain stay, not the seat stay. This opens up the rack and fender mounts and moves the caliper out of the way. Trek (Portland) and Lemond (Poprad) do the same thing.

The benefits, however, are increased pad life, increased rim life, and all weather braking. I haul my son in a trailer behind my 'cross bike, and the increased power in inclement weather has made taking him with me safer. Having enough stopping power in a torrential downpour is worth the extra weight. Having my brake pads last over 4000 miles in grit, dirt and wet conditions makes the fender mounting issues seem trivial.

I use Avid's brakes, I'd like to try the Shimano's. I'd like to see them enter the market if for no other reason than to bring down the price of the Avid brakes. Competition is good for the consumers.