Disc brakes worth it for a city bike?

[HannibalX]

I've got an older bike I bought in 1996, it's a Pacific Outdoors branded bike, was about $300 at the time. Last overhaul of all the major parts minus wheels/frame was in 2003, I basically replaced everything as the whole bike was well worn. I've got close to 25k on the bike and have always been satisfied with the standard rubber brakes.

I'm getting ready to start buying parts for another rebuild. The bike has been sitting since the end of 2007 and spent a year and a half sitting outside... I know, terrible. Everything is pretty well rusted (minus the frame and wheels which are fine). I don't take this bike off the pavement, although it is a mountain bike, I run city tires. I'm curious if disc brakes are worth it for city riding?

I took the bike out tonight, it was a little scary and I haven't ridden since 2007 basically. Did about 10 miles tonight, my knees are burning. Gear change is stuck in 2-5, yuck! No brakes either, I was using my feet!

 

[Ksyder]

is the bike disc brake ready? you gotta have hubs and frame and fork with disc mounts otherwise there is no way to mount the rotor and calipers, at least as far as i know.

why not buy another bike rather than keep rebuilding that thing anyway?

 

[Bignate603]

is the bike disc brake ready? you gotta have hubs and frame and fork with disc mounts otherwise there is no way to mount the rotor and calipers, at least as far as i know.

This. Anyways, by the time you bought a set of disc brakes worth anything you'll be a decent way towards a new bike that will beat your old one in pretty much every way.

I've got discs on my mountain bike, the stopping power isn't incredibly different from the rim brakes I've used previously. However, they had much more control. It's much easier to control exactly how much I want to brake. Coming down a hill fast it's nice to have that added control. I'm not sure what it would do for you though on a road bike though.

 

[thedarkwolf]

You can replace the front fork and there are adapters to make disc brakes work in the rear of older frames but no its not worth it. Disc brakes are a nice upgrade on mtn bikes but not really that help full on a road bike.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Depends on what you're doing, urban assault type stuff, maybe but for your bike and just riding around, no.

After a couple of years of standing around, cables have been stretched. You'll need to retighten your brake and shifter cables. Also, a little sand paper against your brake pads and rims will do wonders for your braking.

 

[Proprioceptive]

Assuming you're commuting and not going crazy... short answer is no

 

[FleshLight]

Are you constantly in the mud? If not, definitely not.

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

The upgrade is not worth it for the bike you have. Spend about $400 or so on Bikesdirect and get a brand new bike with discs already installed.

To answer your question, if you plan on riding in the rain or mud discs are a huge improvement over standard brakes.

 

[0roo0roo]

no chance...regular brakes of the Y wire type already provide excellent performance. there is no reason to get disc brakes other than to add to the steal value of the bike.

 

[ggnl]

no chance...regular brakes of the Y wire type already provide excellent performance. there is no reason to get disc brakes other than to add to the steal value of the bike.

So true, my rim brakes have always had enough stopping power to send me over the handlebars if I squeeze hard enough. I really don't see the point in disc brakes on bicycles.

 

[0roo0roo]

yea only place i'd see a point is if you were slogging through crazy mud or something. perhaps disc would have more surface area or holes for releasing dirt.
but regular use there is just so much stopping power with regular brakes that it is just bike bling. its not like you are ever going to over heat your wheel rim

 

[Born2bwire]

So true, my rim brakes have always had enough stopping power to send me over the handlebars if I squeeze hard enough. I really don't see the point in disc brakes on bicycles.

I've found that disc brakes perform better in wet weather as the rim of the tire easily gets wet.

 

[zerocool84]

I've found that disc brakes perform better in wet weather as the rim of the tire easily gets wet.

Disk brakes are basically self cleaning and shed water and dirt when breaking which is great.

 

[bob4432]

i haven't biked in a long time due to medical issues, but my last bike had discs and the difference to me was amazing. granted i did quite a bit more than you did variety wise, but the sensitivity and power of them was very good - could easily go down a 30 degree graded on the front tire alone w/ just 1 finger on the lever and control it very easily. but i used the bike for desert mtn biking and in some areas would hit some decent speeds - nothing a good set up w/ regular "y" brakes would work, but the discs were definiately nice and strong - and this is when they first came out on a specialized enduro. man, i miss those days...

also, this bike was kept indoors and never left unattended. they were they hydraulic discs if that matters.

 

[HannibalX]

Thanks for the input. I definitely won't be flat out replacing bike, not with almost 15 years and almost 25k miles on this one. Younger guys might not understand, that's ok.

Checking some prices online, it's definitely not as expensive as I thought it would be.

why not buy another bike rather than keep rebuilding that thing anyway?

Not really opposed to doing that. I was in the local bike store the other day... I could spend some money in there (Orange Cycle in College Park, 'burb of Orlando).

 

[thedarkwolf]

If it isn't as expensive as you thought it would be you must be looking at cheap parts . New fork, adapter for the rear so you can install disc brakes, new wheels, and the brakes. That crap adds up pretty quick. You are better off with decent rim brakes than cheap disc brakes and rim brakes are lighter.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Totally not worth it. You will need new wheels, plus the disc brakes themselves and probably a new fork as well. All your current brakes need is probably new cables and brake pads, both of which can be had for less than $20. Near as I can figure, the only advantage to disc brakes, on a bike ridden in an urban environment, is that they work well in the wet and when hauling heavy loads down big hills.

 

[senseamp]

Not worth it. Added weight, expense, etc. Plus they are mainly beneficial in the wet, but in the wet, you don't really have that much traction anyways on the road, so you don't want too much brake power. The only exception I would consider is possibly a cyclocross bike, but even then I'd probably go with cantilevers.

 

[slag]

another vote for not worth it. I have a giant iguana disc and love it, but just looking at all the parts, it would be expensive to hook up unless you have a donor bike..