what tempted you to go disc road?

[MikeD]

It's very hard to find an off the rack, name brand bike like a Trek or Specialized or whatever with rim brakes these days, so you're pretty stuck with disc brakes if you want one of these bikes. That said, I'd prefer a rim brake road or gravel bike, but I'm not saying I hate my Orbea Gain bike that has disc brakes either. I like relatively simple bikes. That means rim brakes, mechanical shifting, external cable routing, and user repairable wheels. A rim brake fork should be less stiff as well, and give a softer ride and overall the bike should be lighter. I've never been disappointed with the performance of rim brakes, as long as I've used quality brake pads like Kool Stop, for example.

[jimcav]

Originally Posted by nicrump

You'd be surprised to learn that when asked, I'll generally still build a rim brake frame if that's what is wanted. Just shipped one last week!

To the OP, fat tire options are what lead me over.

not trying to single you out Nick, as others have made replies on fatter tires, but was it comfort with fatter tires at lower pressure that you (others please chime in too) liked on roads?

Again, not talking about adventure or gravel. If I had retired from the navy in Maryland as I originally thought I would, where we lived near the C&O canal, then I'd already have a disc bike I bet because I gave up riding on the C&O due to flats--the farther north I went toward whites ferry the more impossible it was to not flat. Maybe I'd have done a rim brake CX bike, but I think I would have tried a disc gravel bike there.

[nicrump]

Originally Posted by jimcav

not trying to single you out Nick, as others have made replies on fatter tires, but was it comfort with fatter tires at lower pressure that you (others please chime in too) liked on roads?

Again, not talking about adventure or gravel. If I had retired from the navy in Maryland as I originally thought I would, where we lived near the C&O canal, then I'd already have a disc bike I bet because I gave up riding on the C&O due to flats--the farther north I went toward whites ferry the more impossible it was to not flat. Maybe I'd have done a rim brake CX bike, but I think I would have tried a disc gravel bike there.

For me it's about mitigating punctures and flats(and wheel damage) on rougher gravel and dirt paths which I seek out every chance I can living in the rural country side outside of Austin. I spend most of my time these days on 32-38mm tires. The comfort was never a driver but has been welcome as I get older.

[John H.]

1.) More clearance for larger tires. No one makes a mid reach brake that is at the same level as a Dura-Ace caliper. Even Grand Cru brakes pale in comparison.

2.) Wheels- I like to run carbon wheels, but hated carbon wheels with rim brakes. Braking was never as good (for me). Worse yet in wet weather. Aluminum rims would wear and are also a messy clean after a wet ride. Disc stuff cleans right up.

[robt57]

Originally Posted by John H.

Even Grand Cru brakes pale in comparison.

Meaning performance wise?

[John H.]

Performance and looks.

Originally Posted by robt57

Meaning performance wise?

[dirttorpedo]

So I haven't gotten a disc road bike yet, but I do have a mechanical disc gravel bike that I use for commuting and I had a disc CX bike that I used for commuting / winter training. I also have a electric gravel bike that runs hydro discs.

I live on the Canadian side of the border on the west coast - so Pacific NW style rain in the winter. While I found rim brakes with Kool stop salmon pads pretty good in the wet, discs are just a bit better when the roads are really wet. I've never had a problem with braking using dual pivot rim brakes in dry weather and I'm a bit of a retrogrouch so I'm not in a big rush to change over.

FWIW I don't find mechanical discs a lot of trouble once they're set up properly and they have lots of power for the roads. In fact I actually like my BB7's over my Apex hydros.

[bigbill]

Originally Posted by jimcav

not trying to single you out Nick, as others have made replies on fatter tires, but was it comfort with fatter tires at lower pressure that you (others please chime in too) liked on roads?

Again, not talking about adventure or gravel. If I had retired from the navy in Maryland as I originally thought I would, where we lived near the C&O canal, then I'd already have a disc bike I bet because I gave up riding on the C&O due to flats--the farther north I went toward whites ferry the more impossible it was to not flat. Maybe I'd have done a rim brake CX bike, but I think I would have tried a disc gravel bike there.

I run 50# on 32mm tubeless tires on the Open. The roads around here have "frost heaves" on the shoulders, although it's probably heat heaves because it doesn't get that cold around here. If I ride one of my road bikes on my main route (Rt66), I worry about pinch flats if I'm going fast. The shoulders have shredded tire treads as well so those little pieces of wire....

[Baron Blubba]

I rode on rim brake carbon for years, but jumped on disc road pretty early. My carbon rim brake wheels were from Enve (6.7 and 3.4), Shimano (C35 tubulars), Easton (EC90) and Giant (SLR-1). I never had any accidents. However, there were quite a few times when I was riding in the rain or on wet/mucky surfaces when the brakes just did not perform well enough for my peace of mind, including some close calls at busy intersections where my feet ended up providing the bulk of the deceleration. Likewise, there were a few twisty and windy mountain descents where I felt like I was pushing the limits of what a carbon rim brake track could safely withstand.

I have friends who have had serious accidents due to exploding rims (while riding high-end name-brand wheels, not Alibaba sourced stuff). I work in a bike shop and have seen many dangerously deformed carbon rims that were on the verge of disaster.

Since I like the ride of carbon wheels and would like to continue to enjoy the ride quality they provide on most of my bikes, I was very happy to switch to disc. Rim brakes, in most conditions and on most courses, work quite well. Disc brakes work better in all conditions and on all courses, so to me it's an obvious choice.

Weight wise, disc bikes have pretty much caught up with rim, at least at the high end. My 2012 Jamis Xenith SL was 13.75 lbs w/o pedals and cages. My new Propel SL 0 is ~14 lbs w/o pedals and cages, despite being an 'aero' bike.
In the low-to-early-mid range carbon bike market, rim still has the weight advantage...but I'd much rather have discs on my 16 lbs bike than rim brakes on my 15 lbs bike.

As far as the squealing goes...it's not just a matter of 'discs vs rim'. Certain bikes squeal more than others, even with identical brake systems. I believe there was a Nerd Alert podcast with an engineer from Avid or Hayes a couple of years ago where this was explained.

Anyway, I think it's neat how so many modern bike advancements and trends are high-fiving each other. We've discovered that wider tires and lower tire pressures are not only more comfortable, but sometimes faster. Gravel has become more-possible and more-popular thanks to wider tires. Carbon wheels are becoming much more common, as opposed to the exotic accoutrements they were considered to be 10-15 years ago. Disc brakes on road bikes play a large part in making all this stuff more possible and more safe.