How often have you worn out a rim completely from rim brakes? I can tell you the answer for me: exactly once. I owned a Bridgestone MB-3 from 1993 to 2007. In its first year I rode it in Seattle, where a dry ride is one in which you submerge only one hub. I carried spare brake pads on every ride, and I would wear out brake pads every other ride. I rode in conditions where the BB would die after 3 months and the bike shop would comment that "we don't warranty bicycles that have been treated like submersibles." After that year, I moved to California and rode that bike in all conditions as well. Having said that, it doesn't rain that much in California. it took 14 years before the rims on the original bike wore out. By then I'd given the bike to my brother and he bought new wheels for it.
For all my other bikes (which also see all weather use), I see multiple (as in more than 10) brake pads use before I started using dental calipers to measure the rim. I still have yet to wear one out. Most of the time if I have to retire a rim it's because of a dent in it or other physical trauma rather than brake pad wear. Sure, I live in California, but I ride year round and I tour with my bikes in places where it rains. By contrast, my 7 year old has already bent a brake rotor on his Woom 4 beyond repair and he doesn't weigh 60 pounds! On Mon, Apr 17, 2023 at 6:09 PM Patrick Moore <bertin...@gmail.com> wrote: > Thanks for the responses. Very interesting opinions on the pluses and > minuses of disk brakes. > > Disk brakes are obviously in many instances a matter of personal > preference; rather like people who like wide bars versus those who hate > anything much over 42 cm at the hoods. > > Me, I fully agree that rim brakes are perfectly fine, my exception is for > bikes ridden in dirt or in dirty conditions; I've seen rim wear from > calipers in a single wet, messy 20 mile ride on pavement. > > On Mon, Apr 17, 2023 at 7:10 AM lconley <lcon...@brph.com> wrote: > >> Hydraulic disc brakes - turn the bike upside down or lay it on it's side >> and the brakes get mushy. It is impossible to get 100% of the air out of >> the system, so the "best" mechanics tell me , so changing the orientation >> of the bike will reintroduce air into the system and then you have to play >> with the brakes for a minute or so to get them back. >> Quick release disc brakes - have to reposition the caliper most of the >> time after re-installing the wheel. >> >> Advantages of disk brakes - none that I have found. Just like V-brakes, I >> cannot find any real increase in braking with disc or V-brakes over >> cantilevers. Cantilevers have a slight advantage over side-pulls, but very >> little over center-pulls. I spent the money on Paul Klampers and brake >> levers. The levers are the best, money well spent, and the Klampers are >> better than BB-7s in that they set up easier, but better braking than rim >> brakes - I would like to see it to justify the money, but I cannot. >> >> I put all the hoopla about the advantages of disc brakes in the same >> category as frame "planing". I just don't see it. The Emperor has no >> clothes. >> Has Jan Heine ever done any scientific research on brakes the way he has >> with tires? >> The only truly massive difference in braking that I have ever seen is >> when I went from chrome rims (Schwinn Varsity Sport) to aluminum rims >> (Schwinn Super Sport) *in the rain*, now that is a big difference! >> >> I like a bike that disappears when I ride. I check the tire pressure, >> then get on and "Just Ride". >> I don't have to worry about replacing batteries in the lights or >> derailleurs, it doesn't handle weird or fight me, it doesn't beat me to >> death, everything just works. Inflating deflated tires (common thing when >> you own too many bikes) only requires a pump, not a procedure. >> >> Laing >> who doesn't necessarily take cycling advice from people whose parents >> weren't born when I rode my 1st century >> >> On Sunday, April 16, 2023 at 12:10:34 PM UTC-4 Patrick Moore wrote: >> >>> New thread to avoid my habit of yanking threads off-thread. >>> >>> I'm curious to hear details of the problems you faced, the problems that >>> frustrated you about disk brakes. >>> >>> I ask because I've found even cable disk brakes, and even *really cheap* >>> cable >>> disk brakes (OEM Tektros or what have you on the Monocog: these were so >>> cheap they didn't even have pad adjusters; the only adjuster was the >>> cables), and even cable disk brakes *pulled by road levers* perfectly >>> ordinary and acceptable. On my Monocog 29er I have Shimano 600 AX lever >>> (short pull, so I read) pulling Road BB7s, and they perform at least as >>> well as most single pivot and centerpull calipers I've used -- more power, >>> poorer modulation. I don't get rubbing, the "feel" is firm, the brakes stop >>> fine; not the crushing power of hydraulics but "fine" -- I can hurt myself >>> with the front brake. >>> >>> Now, when I first used disks on my first 2010 Monocog 29er, I did have >>> problems: very weak (oh, so laughably weak), rubbing, mushy levers; both >>> with MTB BB7s and long-pull drop bar levers, and Road BB7s and standard >>> road levers. >>> >>> But in frustration I researched BB7 setup, and learned a crucial trick: >>> don't attach the cable to the actuation arm when the arm is fully relaxed; >>> move the arm ~1/3 through its travel and attach the cable at that point. >>> Wala; problem solved. >>> >>> Now, with the Road BB7s on the current 2012 Monocog 29er I do find that >>> I often have to mess with caliper positioning (not pad adjustment; >>> re-positioning the entire caliper) when I remove and then replace a wheel; >>> but this is accomplished simply by releasing the caliper mounting bolts, >>> squeezing the lever, and re-tightening. This does not happen every time I >>> remove and replace a wheel, and when it does happen it takes just a minute >>> per caliper/wheel. *And* I use sealant in tubeless tires, so this >>> happens as often as I have to adjust chain tension on the ss drivetrain. >>> >>> And: the hybrid cable/hydraulic TRP HyRds: these are absolutely >>> foolproof; set them up and afterward the only thing you have to do is >>> remember not to squeeze the brake levers with the wheel removed, unless you >>> insert a shim between the pads. >>> >>> Now, I ride in dry, dusty conditions. Very dusty conditions, as 3 or 4 >>> inch silty sand, will occasionally -- "occasionally" -- cause a very faint >>> "whisp-whisp-whisp" sound from pads and rotors, but this goes away once you >>> get to firmer ground and it does not cause any noticeable drag. I have had >>> excruciatingly loud squeal with wet pads but that occurred with a >>> particular pad/rotor combo, and not with others. >>> >>> I'll be interested to hear more about the problems, including a >>> description of the calipers, levers, and whether cable or hydraulic or >>> hybrid. >>> >>> >>> >>> On Sun, Apr 16, 2023 at 9:22 AM ascpgh <asc...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> ... My fifteen year experiment with discs on drop bar, bar end shifter >>>> bikes lead me to spec cantilevers on my custom two years ago. I'll gladly >>>> accept the the variables I know about brakes, braking, parts, pieces, >>>> installation and adjustment over unique, sporadic mystery sounds and >>>> finickiness that are beyond control and lead to throwing new parts into the >>>> system at a rate embarrassing compared to rim brakes. >>>> >>> -- >>> >>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> Patrick Moore >>> Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum >>> >>> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/f3b214fc-dc9e-474e-9d99-08337a36da2an%40googlegroups.com >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/f3b214fc-dc9e-474e-9d99-08337a36da2an%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > > > -- > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > Patrick Moore > Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the > Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this topic, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/nhCP6ighFzo/unsubscribe > . > To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CALuTfgv1n2C-wvV6bLCHmUkAys6z3J19CuVvzZOgdqHJ%2BwQS0A%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CALuTfgv1n2C-wvV6bLCHmUkAys6z3J19CuVvzZOgdqHJ%2BwQS0A%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAPh0EZ5wDEYGsLs%3DhQNMe7jvLupH3-ixXvf%3D3Zaphivhtw4kBg%40mail.gmail.com.
