Was I WRONG About Rim Brakes?

Rim brakes aluminim rims and tyres with inner tube's will do for me.

I visited Berlin last week and was impressed by every bike under the sun being used, from old racing bike classics of the 60s and 70s to new exotic titanium lifestyle models. ultimately, as long as bikes can brake safely, anything goes.

As a PhD engineer and vehicle dynamics consultant, it is obvious from fundamental statics considerations that any brake that can lock the wheel is powerful enough. Once the wheel is locked, the tire/road coefficient of friction is what limits deceleration rate and acts as the limiting mechanical fuse. If your rim or disc brakes were 100,000 times more powerful than they actually are, but the ones you have can lock the wheel, that extra 100,000 times in braking power is completely irrelevant. The carbon rim business is a consideration, but there are aluminum rims that are almost as light as carbon rims (some are even LIGHTER than most carbon rims), so moment of inertia isn't a factor. As for the aerodynamic advantages of some carbon rims, you can find that in a wind tunnel but unless you are a Tour de France rider, you probably won't notice much difference, except of course in a crosswind, where they're a big pain! But other things ARE factors in choosing a rim vs. disc brake: cost, adjustability of the brakes, serviceability, etc. Brake "feel" is subjective and an individual thing, so there are no engineering issues on that point at all. Yes discs are better in wet weather and in dissipating heat during long descents, and of course there is the wow factor and show-off level at club rides. As I live in flatland Illinois, I'll stick with my Dura Ace rim brakes.

The downfall of the rim brake came after the advent of light weight carbon rims, where rim brakes performed poorer in wet conditions, and because rim brakes wear out expensive rims. replacing expensive carbon rims after a couple of years was expensive for most people. That being said I still use rim brake and aluminum rims. I find they work fine for where I live and how I ride. I may change my mind after I move to the Dolomites.

I think the biggest disadvantage is when you have carbon wheels. The heat rim breaks generate on aluminum in a descend doesn’t damage the wheel. Carbon wheels are different; they are susceptible to heat and can delaminate with excessive heat. In those cases the disc break is a much better option. But for aluminum wheels I see no need for discs

“If you brake, you lose.” - Mario Cippolini I started racing at club level in the mid-Atlantic, US 40 years ago. I have done hundreds of races in all weather conditions and have never experienced any of the braking issues that people talk about. I currently have a ~dozen rim brake bikes, 5 with carbon braking surface, and have never encountered any of the problems that are so often described. I have never worn out the brake track on a set of rims. I can modulate speed in the wet or dry, with the primary limiter being tire contact patch friction. I recognize that others may have a different experience and may honestly prefer disc brake road bikes…but it is ironic to me that DA concludes that the improved braking performance of his disc brakes is worth the weight penalty, but then he comes back with a video a month later on weight weenie hacks to reduce the weight of his disc brake bike!

Disk brakes are a way for the bike industry to sell more bikes by attempting to convince us that bikes are now worth £12k because of modern technology. I ride a 2015 carbon Synapse with rim brakes which cost my about £1300 at the time. Bike industry are making fools out if people with no common sense

In 2019 I bought my first road bike (a caad12 actually!) so every other bike after that had also been disc equipped so I didnt know any different (also made the switch to electronic shifting pretty early on) Until this year when I picked up my first 'full mechanical' road bike, and i absolutely love it. To me, there is nothing more satisfying than the feeling a well set up fully mechanical bike. Braking on the carbon rims with black prince pads is plenty enough for a recreational rider, cloncking through the gears, I love it. No discs catching, or sceaching - no centring pads and truing rotors. Plus, for me personally the brake feel is way superior to that of a disc set up. Its hard to explain, without sounding like Jermy Clarkson or something - but I think that there is more of a 'at one with the bike' kind of thing going on with a full mechanical set up when compared to the latest and greatest in technology. All that said, my rim brake bike will only ever be used on the dry days, and to me thats where disc brakes have the major advantage. No matter that the weather, they will still perform. No worrying about inferior braking in the wet, or picking up road debris that is going to wear away your rims. Living in the UK my disc bike will no doubt get used more than its counter part - but there is definitely something about my rim braked bike, wether is a novelty factor or not I do not entirely know, but it definitely puts more of a smile on my face.

I wish the massive price discrepancy between the two break types was mentioned. It’s crazy just how much more bike you got on rim brake roadies compared to disc break roadies. For the same price you got a higher spec, much lighter and MUCH easier to service with rim break bikes. $6.5k AUD only gets you a Shimano 105 Trek 😂 and weight over 8kg

As someone who hasn't tuned my feel on any braking system(I don't read brake feel much, and tend to be quite firm on braking pressure), and as someone who only has secondhand bikes, I have adapted my riding around rim brakes as that's what was available to me. I use alloy rims in all weathers, and carbon for best days or racing. I have also found the grip limit of tyres under braking, and the thought of having more braking power (as in locking wheels up even easier bringing a greater risk of crashing) is scary. I know that disc brakes give the opportunity for wider tyres which offer more grip to offset that but for a lightweight rider 32mm tyres is overkill for most of the roads I ride. One of my bikes is also a fixed gear, and I am not confident running a single brake. Even if they did make disc SS bikes I change my gearing a few times a year depending on purpose. I couldn't imagine the hassle of repositioning a disc brake caliper on the rear. Repositioning rim brake pads is easy (probably just because I am used to it).

Thank you for another video with beautiful classic CAAD12. Please don't stop with this one :)

Hey there, just watched your video on outdoor cycling and I must say, it was so informative and well-made! As an avid e-bike user, I'm always on the lookout for new and exciting innovations in the industry. That's why I was thrilled to come across the new Freebeat Morph 2-in-1 e-Bike crowdfunding project. The fact that it can be charged indoors is a game-changer! The brushless 750W motor and impressive 80Nm torque definitely caught my attention, and the 80mm front suspension and puncture-resistant fat tires seem perfect for conquering any terrain. I'm excited to show my support for this outstanding product and can't wait to experience its unique blend of fitness and technology. Keep up the great work!

Rim brakes on alloy rims work pretty good. Rim brakes on alloy rims have two major advantages, namely ease of maintenance and competitive weight of wheels. Also, on alloy rims, rim brakes don't perform all that worse I find. However, I think if I was racing I would definitely get a new bike with disc brakes as they are so much better on carbon rims.

The rim brakes with carbon wheels may not be very good, but your Cannondale with the carbon wheels and rim brakes looks sick.

It’s not about whether one is better than the other, it’s about the consumer having a choice and the bicycle industry taking away this choice.

Try Swiss Stop carbon pads. They work just as good as regular pads on aluminum wheels.

In my use I'd be very frustrated with discs. I almost always put my bikes in a car and drive to start riding. I spend winter months in the SW USA deserts, riding and camping where the nearest shops are hours away, so I do all my own maintenance. When tubulars got less popular I bought a few sets of carbon wheels. I finally wore one Reynolds to the kevlar after almost 10 years and average 2 times up and down Montezuma Grade, an 8% grade in 8 miles, plus all other climbs I can find. I ride tubulars because I descend at speed and having a blowout on a cliffside corner with a clincher or tubeless is potentially fatal if the tire comes off, which those often do. So putting a disc bike in a small hatchback, taking through axles out, and dealing with concealed hydraulics just is too many complications. I do rarely ride in rain and I have some alloy wheels for those possible rides. I'm sorry to see the industry price us out with proprietary everything bikes that have few brand or even model year parts that interchange. I'm sorry to see their marketing has sold a lot of "improvements" that are OK and significant only if you ride team bikes and have following mechanical staff. Appropriate for pros, maybe..but I recall a fairly recent top pro choosing and winning with old tech.. And, for my $18k I guess I'd rather have a new Ducati 😊

David, you said it, cyclist should have a choice, disc and rim should co-exist, rim brakes boil down to rim material choice. It's not that rims brakes were bad it's that carbon rim brakes were iffy. However, the only points I somewhat disagree with you is: It was not simply people buying disc of rim, it was more of people seeing what the pro ride and following suit. The sport sadly is driven by whatever the manufactures pay the pros to ride. Thanks for doing a balanced video. I have ridden rim brake since 1988. I have disc on my MTB and remember when the market switched to disc. I think MYB is best suited for disc due to the terrain and if they made caliper type brake for MTB as they had for road, that caliper would not be light and possible clumsy!

I have just gone over to disc on my new road bike, and it may be an unpopular option but in the dry, I have not found them any better than my Wilier with rim brakes on carbon wheels. where discs come into their own it's in the wet, I don't think anyone would disagree with that. But with most things in the bike industry, the customer has no choice but to go with what the manufacturer decides for them, carbon frames,press-fit BB, disc brakes and I am sure next will be 1 by setups. And most of it will come down to manufacturing costs.

Good vid! I happily ride rim brakes on my Cervelo R3 with Roval rapid carbon wheels. I am a weekend warrior and I live in Houston Texas pretty flat. No worries on doing mountains just Hills in the Hill country. My Ultegra rim brakes work perfectly and I enjoy my whole bike setup!