Why A Bike Fitter Still Chooses To Buy Rim Brake Bikes

[flying]

Pretty Much

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX82...CyclingAcademy

[Big Dan]

+1

[jimoots]

I can't believe nobody has said any of that before /s

[5oakterrace]

This fellow alludes to this but it is something I have never been able to understand. Maybe some folks can help me out.

I get that disc brakes are more or less better than rim brakes. No argument from me. What I do not get is that such an improvement comes at the cost of a new frame, fork, wheels, group set..... A ton of money.... And for what degree of improvement. Folks will buy what they want to spend $ on. I get that. But that is a lot of money... as well as rendering the old stuff obsolete, no longer interchangable. I know you can still ride the ole stuff but you get my drift.

I am inclined to think that disc brakes are a "conspiracy" by the industry to get folks spending a fortune in the latest and "greatest." And for what degree of improvement. Baffles me .

[eddief]

you are 100% correct? Welcome to capitalism and the the art of making a profit. You can buy in or not...to a certain point.

Originally Posted by 5oakterrace

This fellow alludes to this but it is something I have never been able to understand. Maybe some folks can help me out.

I get that disc brakes are more or less better than rim brakes. No argument from me. What I do not get is that such an improvement comes at the cost of a new frame, fork, wheels, group set..... A ton of money.... And for what degree of improvement. Folks will buy what they want to spend $ on. I get that. But that is a lot of money... as well as rendering the old stuff obsolete, no longer interchangable. I know you can still ride the ole stuff but you get my drift.

I am inclined to think that disc brakes are a "conspiracy" by the industry to get folks spending a fortune in the latest and "greatest." And for what degree of improvement. Baffles me .

[Wakatel_Luum]

I'm in total agreement, I agree disc brakes are better generally but why would I ditch two totally good Titanium bikes with rim brakes which I love...

Consumerism and our disposable society are something I despise greatly about humans.

[robt57]

Originally Posted by 5oakterrace

I am inclined to think that disc brakes are a "conspiracy" by the industry to get folks spending a fortune in the latest and "greatest." And for what degree of improvement. Baffles me .

Mainly an improvement in the color of the ink on their sheets, ledgers that is...

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by 5oakterrace

This fellow alludes to this but it is something I have never been able to understand. Maybe some folks can help me out.

I get that disc brakes are more or less better than rim brakes. No argument from me. What I do not get is that such an improvement comes at the cost of a new frame, fork, wheels, group set..... A ton of money.... And for what degree of improvement. Folks will buy what they want to spend $ on. I get that. But that is a lot of money... as well as rendering the old stuff obsolete, no longer interchangable. I know you can still ride the ole stuff but you get my drift.

I am inclined to think that disc brakes are a "conspiracy" by the industry to get folks spending a fortune in the latest and "greatest." And for what degree of improvement. Baffles me .

1) the gains at any step are marginal, but when you add them all up, the bike industry has come a long way in the last 50 years. If the bike industry stops trying to improve, you don't just miss out on the latest thing, you miss out on all the compounded progress.

2) if all your old stuff is great, it's fine to stick with your old stuff, but why buy a new bike to have it be just like your old bike? If one company offers something new and another offers the same models as previous years, which one do you think more people want? Where would Trek be today is they only offered the same products as their 2005 catalog? I'd say it would be more likely they'd be out of business than they'd be bigger than they currently are.

[2000CSI]

^this I meant Prototoast post
yes, capitalism, conspiracy to make you buy something you don't want. blah blah blah. so don't buy it. But when it is all said and done, keep your old stuff. Still plenty of people riding bikes from the 70's and newly made ones just like them.
If I were in the market for a new car I would not be looking for one with those fancy drum brakes, three on the tree and bias ply tires.
There are plenty of design "features" I don't like on new bikes (fully internal brake line routing through the stem/headset on a MTB?!? pah-lease) but there has also never been more choice to get what you want.

[unterhausen]

I'm not watching a video. Anyone want to summarize? I'm not sure that a bike fitter is any more qualified to make this judgement than anyone else.
I'm mostly curious if he had a bike fit related reason to stick with rim brake bikes.

The thread title mentions buying a bike. If you want a new bike, you're going to have to work nowadays to get a rim brake bike. And probably spend more money if you aren't buying used. If you go to one of the bike shops in town you aren't buying a rim brake bike without paying for custom.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by unterhausen

I'm not watching a video. Anyone want to summarize?

Why should we do your homework for you?

[Pinned]

Is anyone else tired of beating this dead horse?

Buy what you like. Vote with your wallet if you want rim brakes. We all know the pros and cons by now.

[tomato coupe]

Originally Posted by Pinned

Is anyone else tired of beating this dead horse?

Be thankful the disc brake fans don’t also start threads every week telling us why disc brakes are better.

[jimoots]

Originally Posted by Pinned

Is anyone else tired of beating this dead horse?

Buy what you like. Vote with your wallet if you want rim brakes. We all know the pros and cons by now.

Yes, I'm also over it. And I'm a 'rim brake guy'.

[fa63]

Some inaccurate information in that video:

- He says disc wheels are heavier. It is the opposite; when you don't have to rely on the rim for braking, the wheels can be made lighter.
- He says rotors constantly rub the pads; I have been primarily on disc brake bikes for the 4 years, and I have never had any sort of persistent pad rub, ever. Sure, sometimes they rub for a few seconds after heavy braking, but that is about it. I also work as a mechanic and don't hear our customers complaining about brake rub (and we have some picky ones).
- I ride in the wet and mud (gravel) frequently and brake pad contamination is not as big an issue as he made it out to be. On the other hand, I have done rides in the wet on rim brakes and carbon wheels and damaged the brake track because some grit got stuck in the brake pads and did a number on the rims.

To be fair, there is also plenty of accurate information in there Rim brake parts are indeed cheaper and groupsets are about a pound lighter.

To me, the biggest benefit of disc brakes is that it allows running very large tires in the frame. The Specialized Cruxs of the world wouldn't exist on rim brakes.