Road race disc brakes?

[DirtyWorks]

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-...ts/how-to-test-vehicle-stopping-distance1.htm

Assuming bicycles behave like cars is a common error. Tread on road bike tires in generally fair weather is entirely for show. They sell because consumers think the tread does something. It doesn't.

Disc brakes on road bikes is another group ride accident waiting to happen. Sooo not looking forward to it.

 

[winkybiker]

Honestly, I don't know a single person who has replaced a "brake-worn rim", other than those who have melted or damaged their carbon rim, which I have done on two occasions (Enve and Reynolds melted).

A solid winter training program (ride no matter the weather) here in Vancouver will wear a rim to failure in one season.

 

[King Boonen]

I've replaced lots of cable as a former shop monkey and best case scenario is a 10 minute job. If you don't have years of regular practice, it is time consuming.

Maybe it's the common case that many aren't aware of the time it takes to do the job? For many, it is probably a preferable task too.

I get that fixing it yourself is a part of the cycling culture and mountain biking requires some trail-side skills, but sometimes the best allocation of time is dropping it off at the shop. Especially if you've got the money and kids, and a wife, and.....,

It's really 20 minutes at worst for each cable if we want to be pedantic, I think it took 15 minutes to do both on my mountain bike (I'm aware that some internally routed cables can be a little more fiddly, but not that much more). I think last time I looked someone near me was charging £30 plus parts, that's just crazy! Plus changing them will give you a much better understanding of how the gears work and make it much easier for the rider to solve problems with shifting.

I've got the kid and heavy workload, I still balk at the idea of paying someone to do something I can do in a few minutes before I go to bed.

The other issue is you never know how long the queue will be at the LBS, I'd hate to think that I'd drop my bike in and wouldn't get it back in time for my next ride because of such a simple job.


I can understand people not wanting to do it, I enjoy that aspect of owning a bike but I know many don't, but I do think everyone should know how to do it.

 

[ustabe]

You see, to me, taking a bike to a shop for a cable change is unthinkable

Same here, but I've worked on so many bikes that had dangerously incorrectly installed cables that I have to say, if you have to ask, you should be paying someone to do it.

 

[42x16ss]

Not saying it doesn't happen but most 'high milage cyclists' around here are not mechanics or wheelbuilders...they can't do really much except change a tube, clean a chain, maybe..most high milage bikes are really a mess.

+1. Don't assume road experience = mechanical experience.

A friend of mine is an ex-pro, he needed to be told which direction to turn which limit screw on the weekend so that he would be able to get his FD across far enough to use the 11, 12 and 13 on his TT bike 15 minutes before the Sunday TT

 

[Master50]

Honestly, I don't know a single person who has replaced a "brake-worn rim", other than those who have melted or damaged their carbon rim, which I have done on two occasions (Enve and Reynolds melted).

And count me among the ones who cannot change a gear cable.

Moose I have just re-rimmed my Nucleon wheels and I even did the rear wheel twice. The rear wheel has an offset rim and my first try I got it backward. That gave me extra practice

Ok I suppose technically we have not met. Until I bought these wheels I used to build all my own wheels. They were never really good until I bought a tension gage. After that they have been completely reliable. I am slow at it but it can be learned.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

You see, to me, taking a bike to a shop for a cable change is unthinkable

The guys I ride with have to know how to do this stuff because if you are on a 1200k ride you don't want it to be over for something stupid.

Beyond basic mechanics, most of us are pretty adept at emergency mechanics. Last weekend, somebody's freewheel stopped working so we zip-tied his cassette to his spokes and he finished the ride on a 20 speed fixed gear

Two years ago, a rider on a local 600k had his chainstay snap on a steel frame. He walked down the hill into a village and welded it back in the local garage by shoving a couple of metal spoons in

I know this might be at the extreme end of things but to be honest round here its only the newby posers with fat wallets that cant do basic jobs on their bikes

(Not in any way suggesting you are a newb poser! )

ahhh..1200k, 600k, that explains a lot..a rando guy...

 

[BikeCentric]

It's really 20 minutes at worst for each cable if we want to be pedantic, I think it took 15 minutes to do both on my mountain bike (I'm aware that some internally routed cables can be a little more fiddly, but not that much more). I think last time I looked someone near me was charging £30 plus parts, that's just crazy! Plus changing them will give you a much better understanding of how the gears work and make it much easier for the rider to solve problems with shifting.

I've got the kid and heavy workload, I still balk at the idea of paying someone to do something I can do in a few minutes before I go to bed.

The other issue is you never know how long the queue will be at the LBS, I'd hate to think that I'd drop my bike in and wouldn't get it back in time for my next ride because of such a simple job.


I can understand people not wanting to do it, I enjoy that aspect of owning a bike but I know many don't, but I do think everyone should know how to do it.

I agree, but I'm also very biased as a former shop mechanic. Therefore I KNOW I can get the job done myself in far less time than it would take to round-trip drive to drop the bike off at the shop. I'm not sure everyone is factoring in the travel time to/from the shop when deciding whether it's worth their time to change their own cables.

Regardless, I can certainly understand simply not enjoying the work - after many years of shop mechanic and racing I went through a period of many years when I simply HATED doing any wrenching on bikes (but I'm too anal to let anyone else do it). Fortunately that burn-out is over now and I actually find wrenching on my bikes to be a bit therapeutic nowadays.

Anyway, I'd also encourage all riders to learn how to do basic maintenance but to each his/her own - if you really don't want to do it, then it's obviously your call how you want to spend your time and money.

 

[Master50]

Assuming bicycles behave like cars is a common error. Tread on road bike tires in generally fair weather is entirely for show. They sell because consumers think the tread does something. It doesn't.

Disc brakes on road bikes is another group ride accident waiting to happen. Sooo not looking forward to it.

My first ride with DA brakes, after years of Delta brakes almost put me on my head they were so much more powerful and easy to apply all their force. by the end of the ride I was adjusted.

MTB riding I think a few of us ran over guys with disks using cantilever brakes in the wet.

Actually there was that 1 race soon after I got my Vitus, the one with DA brakes. My rims were Delta Hardox which were worse than useless when wet. Coming to the last corner I had not scrubbed the water off and i clearly was going into the corner hot. A Few oh s%&* and the guy on my left realized if he turned he would crash into me. we overran the corner and U turned back onto the pack. this is what I am guessing you are concerned about with great brakes and only good ones in the same pack.
I expect it will not be as big an issue because most rim brakes are pretty powerful and I don't see disks getting stronger so much as better modulation and more predictability. We can already stop the wheels from turning and more than a few go over the bars with rim brakes