"Endurance bikes" with disk brakes, good option ?

[J4CKO]

Am thinking of getting a new road bike on ctw, have an Allez Elite but thinking of going for one of the "endurance" type bikes like the Secteur or the Fuji Sportif, seeing as I am a middle aged , podgy cyclist, they are coming with disks these days, are they any good ? Always thought mech disks were the work of the devil, also are the endurance bikes noticeably comfier than the normal road bike, always thought the Allez wasn't that aggressive geo wise but apparently it is racier than I thought !

Use will be commuting and a few longer runs like the Manchester Blackpool.

Looking at the Fuji sport if 1.1 or the Secteur Sport

[Gizmoish]

Discs are better in "all weather" riding and off road, because the braking surface is away from the muck.

However for a road-only bike, at the moment I'd personally wait for a bit. Discs restrict your choice of light wheels and well set up rim brakes are fine most of the time.

[timbo48]

I can only talk about discs on mtbs, where cable discs are really no better than well set up v brakes. I'd wait until affordable hydraulic discs filter down to affordable levels on road bikes and buy one with decent rim brakes for the time being.

[Chicken Chaser]

Genesis Equilibrium. Just seen it on Road.cc as the latest one has discs.

[bakerstreet]

I tried one of the Boardmans in Halfords. I wasn't that impressed with the stopping power at all. I thought my SRAM Force brakes were actually better. The sales guy did say that the pads bed in and the brakes would improve.

There is quite a bit of choice for disc braked road bikes now. Cannondale and Colnago have them in their 2014 ranges

[TwistingMyMelon]

I would have never have recommended disks in the past on a roadie, but having done a winter commuting down grim rural lanes I would be tempted, but I would only go with disks if I did lots of winter riding with steep hills, otherwise it is overkill. On flat sections or in summer I would not need them.

I'd prefer a decent calliper setup, but the rims on my Winter bike have been destroyed over a couple of months due to the crap on the roads near me. Ironically I don't really use the brakes, bar braking from 40mph to 0 on a steep hill for a mini roundabout at the bottom

[shouldbworking]

bakerstreet said:

I tried one of the Boardmans in Halfords. I wasn't that impressed with the stopping power at all. I thought my SRAM Force brakes were actually better. The sales guy did say that the pads bed in and the brakes would improve.

There is quite a bit of choice for disc braked road bikes now. Cannondale and Colnago have them in their 2014 ranges

The bb5s and bb7s on the boardmans are very capable, however not many halfords staff are. When I got mine you could pull the levers back round the side of the drops. A bit of tweaking and it's more than capable of locking the wheels in any conditions.

I'd gotten used to it till I did a sportive and there were loads of people who couldn't grip their brakes anymore on descents from hauling back on them for so long.

[J4CKO]

I fancy disks as I nearly had a bit of a crash when a lady in an A3 convertible gave every impression of havign seen me on a wet night and pulled out anyway, luckily, I had put the Allez away for the winter and was my first day on my slick tyred MTB which has Avid Elixir R and I managed to stop. Rim brakes are mostly fine in the dry but usually borderline useless in the wet, if the Avid BB5's dont pass muster I have some Mono Minis spare and could get a lever and go Hydro but suspect that without suspensiona and with skinny tyres it may be overkill

Quite fancy the more relaxed geo for comfort, am under no illusions I am anything other than a "Mamil"

[Barchettaman]

Cyclocross bike with mini-V brakes, and a couple of wheelsets? The v-brakes have a longer pad than a standard road cartridge pad.

It's what I'm building at the moment, anyway. I'm coming in over budget, unfortunately, looks like it'll be nearer €300 with 10-speed Rival drivetrain.

[Dan Friel]

I've been road biking for the last 18 months and one thing I've never got used to is the pathetic brakes, especially in wet weather when they're next to useless - just when you really need them! I might change my well used Specialized Secteur later in the year (has been a great starter bike). Fingers crossed there could be more hydraulic options when the 2015 ranges are launched. The Whyte Suffolk looks a decent option at the moment.

[Jimbo.]

Gizmoish said:

Discs are better in "all weather" riding and off road, because the braking surface is away from the muck.

However for a road-only bike, at the moment I'd personally wait for a bit. Discs restrict your choice of light wheels and well set up rim brakes are fine most of the time.

Don't forget the uncertainty surrounding axle/hub standards: already there is talk of - and bikes with - 15mm QR thru-axles, 142x12mm etc, etc. I've the feeling that disc-equipped road bikes with QRs will be very short lived.

[Jimbo.]

Chicken Chaser said:

Genesis Equilibrium. Just seen it on Road.cc as the latest one has discs.

...and the verdict is at best "meh", else...don't bother. Heavy for starters, and £100 dearer than the rim-brakes 20. I'd rather the 20 (in fact, I do have said bike), a set of R650 callipers and Swisstop pads. I've this exact combination, and the braking in all weathers is great.

[TheLemming]

shouldbworking said:

The bb5s and bb7s on the boardmans are very capable, however not many halfords staff are. When I got mine you could pull the levers back round the side of the drops. A bit of tweaking and it's more than capable of locking the wheels in any conditions.

I'd gotten used to it till I did a sportive and there were loads of people who couldn't grip their brakes anymore on descents from hauling back on them for so long.

Agreed, I have a cx team as my winter bike and I love it.
The brakes are the highlight, once set up properly they are one hell of a lot better than any rim brakes I've tried.
In the wet is when they truly shine.

Not a patch on hydraulics, but when those are a bit more affordable I'll upgrade. In the meantime, I'm amazingly happy with this bike :-)
Discs all the way (wheel choice is very restricted right now but there are some great sensibly priced choices)

[Fluffsri]

Out on a sportive with my mate and we did a little test. We're both on cross bikes, dame tyres and he has rim brakes and I'm on bb5 discs. Same speed on tarmac and we both brake as hard as we can without skidding and I pull up nearly 2 bike lengths before him. I've now swapped the BB5s for TRP hyds, not had chance to ride with them properly yet but around camp they felt great.