Does anyone have experience with disk brakes on a bike?

January 21, 2011 12:14 PM

I'm considering a Jamis Bossa Nova bike. Does anyone have any experience (good, bad, neutral) with disk brakes?
posted by holdenjordahl to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (9 answers total)

Best answer: Disc brakes work better in the wet than rim brakes. In the dry, they're really pretty comparable. On a road-style bike I don't think they'd really be worth the extra money, but I've liked them on mountain bikes (for real, in the dirt, going-down-steep-slopes-in-the-rain type mountain biking). Many models of disk brakes (not necessarily all) are easier to adjust and service than rim brakes.

I feel like buying a road bike with disk brakes is like buying a commuter car with 4wd. It's not going to hurt, but it's more expensive and it doesn't really show a lot of benefit, either.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 12:27 PM on January 21, 2011

Best answer: I'm not really sold on disc brakes for a street bike in most conditions. My (Shimano 105) road bike caliper brakes work just fine in the rain. I think the benefit of discs is more in sloppier conditions or snow where stuff would gum up calipers. I feel like the hydraulic disc brakes on my mountain bike are mushier than what I'm used to on the road, but that might just be because they're a cheaper level component.
posted by ghharr at 12:31 PM on January 21, 2011

Best answer: I have had experience with disk brakes, and I think they're good. The ones I've used are the Avid BB7s, which are a notch up from the BB5s on that Bossanova.
posted by adamrice at 12:57 PM on January 21, 2011

Best answer: I have cable activated disc brakes on my year-round commuter. I love them. Sufficient stopping power in wet weather and with high loads, great modulation. I use Nokon cables.
The Bossanova looks like a great bike!
posted by Thug at 12:59 PM on January 21, 2011

Best answer: Speaking as a former bicycle mechanic here— disk brakes are generally marginally more difficult to eyeball-adjust and replace parts for the average rider with home tools. You can replace pads, adjust position and toe, and replace/adjust cables on a rim brake by yourself with a set of allen wrenches. You can generally adjust things on a disk brake at home, but the tolerances are a bit tighter and there may be things you can't do at home.

That said, I love mechanical (cable pulled) disk brakes. I wouldn't recommend hydraulics unless you're certain you need them, but that doesn't apply to the bike you're considering. I enjoy not cleaning as much winter grime from my calipers and braking surfaces, or having irritating braking when a rim is slightly out of true.
posted by a halcyon day at 3:13 PM on January 21, 2011

Response by poster: dear a halcyon day.
could you please clarify "but that doesn't apply to the bike you're considering."?
thanks.
posted by holdenjordahl at 3:20 PM on January 21, 2011

Best answer: I can clarify it for him. The bike you're considering has cable-actuated brakes rather than hydraulic brakes, and as such, halcycon's concerns about hydraulic brakes are moot.

For even more clarification, there are two basic categories of disc brakes made for bikes: cable-actuated brakes, which are like traditional bicycle brakes, except that the cable runs down near the wheel hub where the brakes are, and hydraulic, which are like motorcycle brakes with brake fluid and stuff. The Jamis Bossanova has the cable-actuated kind.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 4:01 PM on January 21, 2011

Best answer: Disc brakes completely rock.
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 5:06 PM on January 21, 2011

Response by poster: thanks, tylerkaraszewski and everyone else, you rock!
posted by holdenjordahl at 8:29 PM on January 21, 2011