Road Bike Battle: Rim Brakes vs. Disc Brakes

The highway bike business let the mountain bike producers mess around with disc brakes for a few years earlier than embracing the expertise. Initially, disc brakes made extra sense for mountain bikes and e-MTBs due to the upper required braking energy, intense forces, and muddy situations in comparison with highway biking. And the additional weight of disc brakes was much less of a problem for mountain bikes.

Know-how progressed and disc brakes grew to become extra dependable and lighter, presenting themselves as viable candidates for skilled highway biking (which continues to get sooner). There have been worries concerning the disc rotor inflicting accidents within the occasion of a crash, however the security increase from improved braking— particularly in moist situations and lengthy descents— outweighed these doubts. Disc brakes don’t require a braking floor alongside the rim, which means wheel makers can mess around extra with rim profile and materials.

I hung onto rim brakes longer than most highway cyclists. However I finally caved and bought myself a highway bike geared up with disc brakes— not that I had a lot selection contemplating practically each mannequin comes with disc brakes nowadays. I used to be using in an space with little or no rain and few steep descents, so rim brakes offered greater than sufficient stopping energy.

However disc brakes— particularly hydraulic brakes— have been an enormous step up in each consolation and braking efficiency. Until you’re using or increase an older highway bike, disc brakes are possible the fitting selection for practically all highway riders.