[lawfarm]

I've been pondering whether this coming technology is a good or bad idea. Thoughts?

I tend to think it's a good idea, for a multitude of reasons (consistency, resilience, effectiveness)...but I'm curious about the groupthink.

 

[davesauvageau]

I get sick of fussing with my disc brakes on my mountain bikes. I am a freak about having spot on brakes and I mess with my discs too much. For my cross bike, I am going with rim brakes because I want to be able to fully service them at home and not worry about messing with discs. Cantilever brakes make a lot of sense to me and are pretty practical in my situation. These are just my opinions so take it for what its worth.

 

[Dibbs_]

They will be pretty common in a couple of years. I have road BB7's on my CX and would never go back to canti's. They are fit and forget unlike canti's. Super powerful, no mud build up and no difference in performance in the gloop and wet - no rims grinding down. Cable disc and hydro disc are so easy to set up these days.

Shiman and SRAM will come along very shorty with road hydro's. Obviously Hope and a couple of others already do the master cylinders for use with cables.

It's looking good for discs!

 

[Bill in Houston]

i like having brakes that work in the wet. every picture i ever see of a cross race is a wet mess, so it seems like they should run disks, or just strip the brakes off entirely. but i am a newb and probably don't understand all the things that make rim brakes great.

 

[XLNC]

I don't have a cross bike yet, but I would like to know what people have to say about the wear their rims experience through racing or casual riding or commuting. Because I'd assume you'd have to factor in that it is likely cheaper to replace 3 or 4 sets of rotors than it is to replace 1 set of rims, right?

For my purposes - I don't race and never will. I casual ride and commute and I would have to take a pretty long decline on my way to work so I will likely be quite hard on the brakes (not to mention very dependant on them working properly). I have taken the decline numerous times on my mountain bike (2002 C'Dale Jekyll) and it has Avid Ulitmates and I have never had a problem with them so I think I would appreciate what they have to offer on a Cross bike. Have been looking at the 2012 Felt F65X and if Hydros become more common it'll be an easier upgrade.

 

[shiggy]

I don't have a cross bike yet, but I would like to know what people have to say about the wear their rims experience through racing or casual riding or commuting. Because I'd assume you'd have to factor in that it is likely cheaper to replace 3 or 4 sets of rotors than it is to replace 1 set of rims, right?

For my purposes - I don't race and never will. I casual ride and commute and I would have to take a pretty long decline on my way to work so I will likely be quite hard on the brakes (not to mention very dependant on them working properly). I have taken the decline numerous times on my mountain bike (2002 C'Dale Jekyll) and it has Avid Ulitmates and I have never had a problem with them so I think I would appreciate what they have to offer on a Cross bike. Have been looking at the 2012 Felt F65X and if Hydros become more common it'll be an easier upgrade.

When I was using rim brakes (mtb and 'cross--road rims last longer), I was wearing out one rear rim a year and the front every 2-3 years. Used 5-6 sets of pads a year.

With disc brakes I have replaced rims only because of crash damage, 1-2 sets of pads a year, and have yet to wear out a rotor in 11 years.

My BB7s are easy to deal with and require much less maintenance than rim brakes.

Personally I do not feel the need for hydro disc brakes. Others do. I have no problem with that.

 

[NEPMTBA]

I guess ceramic coated rims are a thing of the past...

 

[ritabiker]

disc brakes for my old cross bike

hey first time I have posted....I want to try the disc brakes on my cross bike but it doesnt have the tabs on the frame; has anybody tried the Brake Therapy conversion kit offered at the website Therapycomponents.com ?

 

[yourideit]

Campy skeleton rim brakes on my roadie, bb7 road brakes on my cross thing, and avid ultimate levers / elixir calipers on my 29er. All three are great choices for the bike they are on and the style of riding I do. once set up properly, they are pretty much fuss free. I don't see any reason to upgrade any of them.

I don't race cross, so, that bike is just the missing link between the road and the 29er. It performs way better as an adventure bike than the other two. I'd put long reach calipers on it before I put canti's on it. I don't like Em. The bb7 is perfect.

Hydros definitely out perform mechanicals so I understand why racers will be going to them. It's definitely a step in a faster direction. I think it' a matter between what you need, and what you think you need. That being said, I don't need an ibis ripely with full xtr and enve hoops, but I sure do want one.