Why disc brakes

Bad news here again I'm afraid. To use disc brakes you're going to need a different hub than on standard rim brake wheels in order to accommodate the rotor. The good news is that more and more companies are bringing disc specific wheels to the market, so there are plenty of options out there. And even better, while in the past many of these wheels were simply clones of their rim brake cousins even retaining the braking surface , most new disc brake wheels are being designed with the needs of disc brakes specifically in mind.

For , the UCI sanctioned the use of disc brakes at the highest level following testing during certain events in Many professional riders remain worried about hot, sharp discs in the peloton in the event of a pile-up. But most accept that the risks presented to amateurs are considerably lower. Indeed the benefits of disc brakes to riders outside competition, principally better modulation and braking performance in the wet, outweigh the risks of injury from the discs themselves.

However at a domestic level things are a little more black and white. Although permissible in cyclo-cross and mountain bike events, British Cycling currently has no plans to allow disc brakes within domestic road races.

So, if you are planning on racing on the road in the UK, rim brakes are still the only option. For most of us a modern rim brake is more than capable of delivering the power required to bring us to a halt. There are other factors to take into consideration. Right up there is your choice of tyre.

When you are relying on a two tiny, postage stamp sized patches of rubber to keep you upright, tyre grip is of utmost importance. When you pull the brake and the wheel locks up, you have overcome the friction created by the tyre and grip is lost. Now obviously as riders we do not want tyres with too much friction, that would have a detrimental impact on our riding.

But if a tyre choice allows braking forces to overcome friction too quickly when a rim brake is applied, using a disc brake will magnify these problems. In this instance disc brakes could create control and safety issues.

The advantages of disc brakes, with their improved control and reliability show the system certainly has its appeals. As the majority of bigger companies jump on the disc bandwagon, it is inevitable also that improvements and standardisations will come thick and fast. This hopefully means adopters will no longer become Beta testers for a new technology. True, rim brakes are still alive and kicking, with their lightweight appeal, easy maintenance and power levels being more than suitable for most.

With this in mind riders in favour of the more traditional aesthetic should not despair just yet. All of the very best deals out there on the tech brand's products. Yates posted an impressive time of during this off-season activity. They can also suffer from cable contamination and wear, just like any other cable on your bike. Hydraulic disc brakes, on the other hand, offer the best and most efficient braking performance due to the lack of friction thanks to not having a cable.

Rim brakes are often mounted near the top of the fork for the front brake, and at the top of the seatstays for the rear brake. Depending on the age and price bracket of your bike, there are actually three commonly used rim brake types: V-brake, Cantilever, and Caliper. In the case of road bikes, you're most likely to encounter the latter.

All rim brake types are quite finicky to set up, but with wider clearances between pad and rim, there's more margin for error than disc brakes, and once they're in place they shouldn't require much maintenance besides replacing worn-out brake pads and replacing cables when needed.

Whether they are disc brakes or rim brakes, their purpose is to slow down your wheels until they stop spinning altogether. Brakes are important in so many different scenarios, including race situations, traffic, descents, stop lights, or an unexpected run-in with wildlife or distracted pedestrians. However modern-day brakes are a lot more nuanced than that, and each type of brake — disc or rim — has advantages and disadvantages.

When shopping for a bike or a bike frame , you will often find two different options: the disc brake version and the rim brake version.

The design of disc brakes is not compatible with a rim brake bike, and vice versa. Disc brakes have a level of modulation to them, which allows you to feather the brakes, and apply them lightly, hard, or somewhere in between.

They also generate significantly more stopping power than rim brakes, which comes in handy on steep descents and in races. Not only are disc brakes powerful, but they also require much less force to be applied at the lever, which is a great feature for kids, beginner-level and older riders.

Disc brakes also function well in all sorts of weather conditions such as rain, sleet, and mud. This is one of the biggest reasons that cyclists choose disc brakes over rim brakes, especially during winter. Off-road riders — from mountain bikers and cyclo-cross racers to gravel enthusiasts and bikepackers — love disc brakes because they allow for wider rims and more tyre clearance.

Without the need for a brake caliper, there is more room for the wheel, and some disc brake road bikes can now accommodate up to 38mm wide tyres. Disc brakes are generally used in passenger cars, but due to their stable performance at higher speeds and resistance to brake fade, they are gradually spreading into the commercial vehicle segment, where drum brakes were traditionally chosen for their longer service life.

There are two types of disc brakes. The "opposed piston type disc brake" has pistons on both sides of the disc rotor, while the "floating type disc brake" has a piston on only one side.

Floating caliper type disc brakes are also called sliding pin type disc brakes. The brake rotor disc which rotates with the wheel, is clamped by brake pads friction material fitted to the caliper from both sides with pressure from the piston s pressure mechanism and decelerates the disc rotation, thereby slowing down and stopping the vehicle.

When the driver steps on the brake pedal, the power is amplified by the brake booster servo system and changed into a hydraulic pressure oil-pressure by the master cylinder. The pressure reaches the brakes on the wheels via tubing filled with brake oil brake fluid. He dabbled in cross-country mountain biking too, before returning to drop bar bikes. Home Features Road bike disc brakes: everything you need to know. Specialized is one of many brands that has switched almost all of its road bikes to disc brakes.

On a disc brake bike, the rotor, which is a separate component that is affixed to the hub, provides the braking surface. On a rim brake system, the outer edge of the rim itself, which is usually machined flat and parallel with the other side of the rim, acts as the braking surface. Rim brakes and disc brakes are actuated by two very different methods. Mid to high-end disc brakes use hydraulic fluid, as pictured here. Cable-operated disc brakes are a cheaper alternative to hydraulics.

Disc brake power can be customised by changing rotor sizes. Hydraulic brake hoses can be routed through tight bends internally without affecting brake performance. Scott Sports. If you want the lightest possible bike, rim brakes still reign supreme. Disc brakes allow bike designers to easily increase clearances without dramatically affecting frame geometry.

Russell Burton. Disc brakes have driven the explosion in gravel bikes. Thru-axle dropouts offer more security and more consistent wheel placement than traditional quick-release ones. The Wilier Cento10 NDR frame is designed for direct-mount rim brakes or disc brakes, but it is an exceptionally small minority. Planning on getting a disc-equipped road bike?

You might need to add something like this to your tool kit.