Road discs for a chicken-$H!T rider

sfscott · #1 05-20-2018, 06:51 PM

While liking to descend, I am by no means good/confident at it, especially when one throws in steep pitches, cars and lots of switchbacks.

I tend to be on the brakes a lot, and with carbon wheels (tubular) am always conscious of heat buildup, irrational(?) fears of glue giving up, etc,

I'm planning to be in the Rockies a lot in the summer, want to bring out a bike but was wondering if, for my middle-aged, novice skills, discs would be a good option.

And yes, I know this is a campy v. shimano topic with a bit of "learn to descend better, dude" thrown in, but actually want some thoughtful feedback. Have not gotten into gravel but could be a new thing once I learn the area better. Figuring I'm on the road or on the MTB.

Black Dog · #2 05-20-2018, 06:55 PM

Well campy and shimano both offer disks. Also, if you are riding the brakes a lot you are certainly not doing it right. With rim brakes you can over heat and with disks you can wear the pads and if you build up enough heat you can get some brake fade which is scary and dangerous. Suggesting that you learn to descend better is helpful advice, please don't take it as snark. When people seek out a technical solution to bypass underdeveloped skills they often end up in over their heads and in a more dangerous situation. Descending is not magic, it is a skill that can be learned by almost anyone.

Birddog · #3 05-20-2018, 06:57 PM

JMO, but you probably will learn how to descend better with the confidence inspired by having the discs at your disposal. You are more likely to push the envelop knowing the discs are there.

nmrt · #4 05-20-2018, 07:01 PM

i live in boulder. i only have road bikes with rim brakes. i have ridden these bikes all over the rockies (trail ridge road, independence pass, mt. evans, copper triangle etc) with tubular carbon wheels (reynolds thirty two) and alloy clinchers. i have never had any issues. i try not to drag the brakes and mostly i succeed. i try to alternate braking front and back and mostly i am unsuccessful. alternating braking does not stop me appreciably at 12-15% gradients when the road ahead has hard turns. yet, i have never had any issues.

having said all of this, what fun would the ride be for you if you are scared that your carbon rim (tubular or clincher or tubeless) is going to overheat and the tire is going to blow. if you are confident that based on my experience, you would be Ok, then go for it. just get the carbon/alloy tubular wheelset you have. if not, you should get a disc brake bike, put your mind at ease and enjoy the ride. that is what this is all about, isint it?

timto · #5 05-20-2018, 07:58 PM

I really enjoy descending, and enjoyed many ascent/descent when living in Vancouver - bi weekly (or weekly if I could) trips up 12km climbs. I became more confident the more I did it. And learned tips like looking up the road in corners (not right in front of you), coming into a corner in a controlled speed then coasting around it without brakes, and learning to really relax the shoulders and body - stabilizing the upper body on the bike by gently squeezing the TT in between the knees. With the above, it became natural to trust your tires and lean into the corners.

I will say that I did also pick up a hydro disc brake 6800 kit and the braking was excellent and better than rim brakes IMHO. You could really fine tune/feather and the progressive feel and power you can get with a light touch was nice.

I think if you do death grip on the bars it's actually safer as your hands will be less tired and more nimble as you can get the same braking result with a lot less hand pressure.

If your worried about it and can budget for it, the new stuff is really great. Expect the bike to be a little heavier unless you splurge for lighter stuff.

Have fun!

Hilltopperny · #6 05-20-2018, 11:51 PM

Discs are great and all, but I still prefer good old rim brakes on the road. I do have a disc road bike, but it is now back up to my rim brakes Vamoots RSL.

You could try a newer pair of clincher wheels with a textured brake surface if you are worried about scrubbing speed while descending. The exalith surface from mavic that is on my r-sys slr wheels feels like it’ll stop me at 220lbs no problem. Same goes for the gen 2 surface on my enve 3.4 SES clinchers.

If discs are a must there are lots of options out there. I am using the new Ultegra hydro disc group on my gravel bike and my disc road. It looks great and functions wonderfully, but does add some weight to your ride. Good luck in whatever you decide to do!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

likebikes · #7 05-21-2018, 12:11 AM

it's not the brakes that are holding you back

Kirk007 · #8 05-21-2018, 12:58 AM

Another thing to consider: Summer in the Rockies means the chance of thunderstorms any day. You might not only be descending but descending in the wet. Advantage there goes to discs but rim brakes have been fine for years (but technique does come into play here). Might want to ensure that your carbon rims are good wet weather wheels if you take your existing bike.

I found myself in a similar dilemma planning a month in the Alps this summer (although I love descending). Disc road with Campy boras vs rim brake bike with coated rims (in my case Boyds clincher). As I'm doing a couple tours, and after checking with the tour operators and sensing a desire to not deal with changing tubulars if necesssary and not carrying an extra disc wheelset with them, I am going with alloy clinchers. The weight equation is a bit of a wash lighter carbon tubulars on the disc bike but the extra weight of the disc bike vs heavier alloy clincher wheels.

Either way just ride within your limits and if that means taking it easy on descents, even stopping to enjoy the view, nothing wrong with that!

rustychisel · #9 05-21-2018, 01:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirk007

Another thing to consider: Summer in the Rockies means the chance of thunderstorms any day. You might not only be descending but descending in the wet. Advantage there goes to discs but rim brakes have been fine for years (but technique does come into play here). Might want to ensure that your carbon rims are good wet weather wheels if you take your existing bike.

I found myself in a similar dilemma planning a month in the Alps this summer (although I love descending). Disc road with Campy boras vs rim brake bike with coated rims (in my case Boyds clincher). As I'm doing a couple tours, and after checking with the tour operators and sensing a desire to not deal with changing tubulars if necesssary and not carrying an extra disc wheelset with them, I am going with alloy clinchers. The weight equation is a bit of a wash lighter carbon tubulars on the disc bike but the extra weight of the disc bike vs heavier alloy clincher wheels.

Either way just ride within your limits and if that means taking it easy on descents, even stopping to enjoy the view, nothing wrong with that!

Well said!

fogrider · #10 05-21-2018, 01:43 AM

I've got carbon rims and rim brakes on 4 bikes. in dry conditions, EE and DA brakes are pretty good with Reynolds pads. Zero Gravity is ok with the same pads. With KCNC, not great but still good enough for all but the most steep. I''m going to try the new Cryo Blue and see if they better with the KCNC. I have a bike with disc and it does stop better, but I'm not looking to drag any brake for a long descent.

Kontact · #11 05-21-2018, 03:39 AM

If I had concerns about losing braking from overuse, I would be on aluminum clinchers with rim brakes, and then using tires with enough volume that my chosen tire pressure was well below blow off max.

Anything can be made to work well, but sweating about disk brake fade and melting glue are not conducive to becoming a better descender.

stien · #12 05-21-2018, 04:29 AM

Agree with Kontact. I’ve overstressed a disc setup on my cargo bike (super heavy) on a relatively short downhill with a stop sign at the end. Never had any issues with alloy rim brakes even going down! Devil’s kitchen - over 20%.

sfghbiker · #13 05-21-2018, 04:31 AM

so... a lot of similar responses above. I have DA 9170 shifters to XTR race calipers on my cross/gravel bike and COULD NOT be happier with the braking. it modulates well, it stops on a dime with a big grab and so far I haven’t experienced fade on longer descents (Mt Tam for reference). I think especially with carbon rims, add in the possibility of wet braking on carbon and your self professed timidity re descending and you should look into it. the di2 stuff also does that shifting job pretty well

soulspinner · #14 05-21-2018, 05:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by likebikes

it's not the brakes that are holding you back

this

weisan · #15 05-21-2018, 06:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Birddog

JMO, but you probably will learn how to descend better with the confidence inspired by having the discs at your disposal. You are more likely to push the envelop knowing the discs are there.

Very good point.

Good technique, lots of practice, (perceived) confidence in equipment - they all feed into each other to create the overall positive riding experience.