Whether or not disc brakes are “better” than rim brakes, disc brakes definitely require less skill to use effectively in more conditions.
#cycling #bicycle #mastobikes #biketooter @cycling @mastobikes
@tk @cycling @mastobikes I’ll concede that there are applications where disc brakes-specifically hydraulic- are better than rim brakes. But those situations are, I think, wildly overstated, and usually far outside the use-cases of the vast majority of cyclists. #biketooter
@nothingfuture @tk @cycling @mastobikes I think the opposite is true; that the problems with disk brakes are mostly of concern to people riding in pelotons - which are I think reasonable, the whole "adding spining pieces of sharp metal to a pile-up is bad" argument is pretty compelling - but that for almost everyone else, disc brakes are purely better.
Hopefully though "these brake are subtly better under these conditions" is an in-extremis question for everyone and all brakes are fine.
@mhoye @tk @cycling @mastobikes
I came up riding tandems with sketchy canti brakes in hills, and- it was ok? We adjusted our riding to braking power.
On a road bike, I’ve never felt I needed discs. And I rode canti’s on mtbs all through the 80’s/90’s and into the early 00’s. They were fine. Until you were riding DH courses.
Are discs better? Sure. Good hydro discs have immense amounts of power. Were rim brakes enough? Yeah. Most of the time. #BikeTooter
@nothingfuture @mhoye @tk @cycling @mastobikes I've never really felt limited by my canti and centrepull brakes. V-brakes tend to be too grabby for my taste.
Adjusting the cantis I found that there's such a thing as too much and too little mechanical advantage. And in between, there's a sweet spot. Discs apparently have much more mechanical advantage, at the cost of having a tiny range of travel of the pads. Which makes them tricky to adjust, in their own way. >
@nothingfuture @mhoye @tk @cycling @mastobikes What limits me eg from going faster on descents is not a lack of braking power but hesitating to put myself in situations where I'd have to brake hard. How I'm sitting on the bike & how much I'm at one with steering it and finding the right line has more potential for improvement, I think.
If it was really long descents or really really long rides, I guess discs would make it easier on my hands. <>
@nothingfuture @tk @cycling @mastobikes as an overweight all-weather bike commuter living in a hilly area, I'm definitely a convert to disk brakes.
@v_perjorative @tk @cycling @mastobikes To be clear- I’m not saying discs are bad or whatever. I’m saying that most of the time, for many, many people, they’re overkill.
Some people seem to feel that discs are necessary for a bike to be safe; that is very rarely the actual case. #BikeTooter