Bicycling

I'm so glad we have the bike/anti-bike faggotry on the first page of this great thread. So glad.

Tobin said:

Let's get started with my dick brake Swiss Cross w/eTap in spring/summer road mode.

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Been doing some reading on bikes (better than my ancient, apparently shit, one). I'm nowhere near as invested or educated as some of y'all. I've read that disc brakes frequently rub, and when my rim brakes rub it drives me crazy, but that's rare. Some reviews say disc brakes have to be tuned just so to avoid it, and tuned frequently to prevent from going back to rubbing. Obviously you just took a significant trip up a lot of elevation with them, so...not an issue? Overblown? People just doing it wrong? Do you recommend disk brakes over rim brakes?

Dick brakes vs caliper brakes just breaks down to riding climates. If you're going to be doing a lot of riding and descending in rainy, icy or dirt conditions, disc can be nice but not neccessary but if it's all summer riding then who cares. The main push for disc brakes right now is to help pump road bike sales since they can't sell people on the snake oil press fit BB.

Edit : I also very rarely run lights in portland because it's timed at 13mph so I just slow roll while commuting.

Frankly if you're buying a new road bike and not a professional racer, you should have disc brakes. They are better in every meaningful way to a hardcore cyclist.

1) They brake consistently in all conditions.
2) They last forever if you are using sintered or hybrid pads.
3) They have better modulation, even mechanical disc brakes (as long as you use quality compressionless housing)
4) They allow better rim shapes without brake tracks. More aero, shallower, etc. whatever you want.
5) More design freedom in new bikes.
6) Wider rims, wider tires. Wider rolls faster.

There's more reasons, I just can't think of them right now.

Here's today's ride.

Bike Ride Profile | Lunch Ride near Hillsborough | Times and Records | Strava

Yeah, after going to hydraulics discs on my MTB I couldn't imagine using rims again, so went with discs on my CX commuter bike. I do 12 miles each way a few times per week and never had an issue with them, I may upgrade them to hydraulics fairly soon though.

I like the look of the e-tap but I just flat out cant justify $8k+ on a bike. Maybe if I lived somewhere with decent roads rather than the the 3rd world bombed-out tarmac that is the majority of the UK, and especially my locale (current estimate is $18B and 14+ years to fix Britain's roads as they have been neglected so long and allowed to get so bad). It also doesn't help that most roads in the UK countryside are either major arteries, and hence no cycling, or are narrow and twisty with high edges and Mr Magoos behind the wheel (I know plenty of folk do plenty of road miles but I value my life too highly). Makes it that you may as well go off road on the CX or the MTB rather than road ride, IMO.

I believe hydraulic disc e-tap will be out later this year, only reason I can see for delaying is to create a few extra sales as people upgrade again.

edit to add: makes me jealous to see the fantastic pictures of wide, clear, smooth tarmac on you guys pictures

The only reason you don't see disc brakes more often on road bikes is road bike makers don't want to do it and have the "look" of that's cool but none of your competition bikes and such don't. Odd.

It's because disc brakes in competition with road bikes it's banned by the governing body because they don't want a 50 bike pile up and having someone slice their leg open with a rotor. That's the reason you don't see it more often on road bikes. It doesn't filter down, win on Sunday, Sell on Monday.

Right, stuff like eTap not having a hydro shifter option is also a direct result from the needs of the peloton. Race bike tech is all derived from UCI regulation. It's more or less why we are still using the traditional main/rear triangle design in modern bikes...because the UCI regs enforce that look. Since disc brake use is currently suspended in the pro ranks, SRAM put out the cable version first...it's still in relatively short supply.

Also the paranoia over disc brakes is astounding. The Paris-Roubaix injuries that resulted in the suspension of disc brake trials were from a chainring. Nobody using a disc brake equipped bike was even in that group of riders.

My bike: -- I've been riding on disc brakes for about 4 years now on my road. Absolutely love the braking power.





In regards to following the law on bike: I always stop...unless it's uphill, then I will slow down and then roll through (California stop).

Neutral wheel support kills disc brakes in the peloton as each manufacturer has it own design. As a rider and racer outside of rainy days plus carbon rims the dura ace 9000 seems pretty good and I've decent'd at 60 mph plus.

I can post my bike but it's a standard black TCR advanced SL with 50mm black carbon rims with a dura ace group set with a pioneer power meter. Handles bars seat and stem are shimanos alt company PRO. So basically the bike giant shimano raced a couple years ago.

Ok RRBros help a newbie out. Been riding for 2 weeks now and the wife got the bug. So we got her a bike, but I need a rack to take us both now. Any good recommendations for a 2 bike rack? We are running low end hybrids/ crusiers from Diamondback so looking for something that can hold two 30 pound bikes.

Oh should add I don't have a hitch.

The world tour is standardizing on 140mm rotors and 12x100 / 12x142mm TA so neutral support is not a long term issue.

PatrickStar said:

Ok RRBros help a newbie out. Been riding for 2 weeks now and the wife got the bug. So we got her a bike, but I need a rack to take us both now. Any good recommendations for a 2 bike rack? We are running low end hybrids/ crusiers from Diamondback so looking for something that can hold two 30 pound bikes.

Oh should add I don't have a hitch.

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I don't have a particular recommendation but, in my experience, avoid the ones that fix to the rear of the car with straps. I find the bikes roll about the hold point and you can end up dinging the car panels.

A hitch would be best, and that's what I had most recently, but the roof mounted ones are pretty good IIMO.

If you get a roof rack, the Kuats are pretty good. Also get an orange cone and put it in front of your garage door. And be very careful with long bridges, tree limbs, etc,

And drive thrus. I saw someone crush the top of a car at the bank once.