We all have a favourite bike, could be old or new, could be cheap or expensive, but the most important thing is what the bike represents to you. Join Alex as he shows us his favourite bike, which has… rim brakes! As the years go by, rim brakes become less and less common. Is this a good thing? Is there still a place for them in modern cycling? Watch this video to find out.
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49 Comments
Rim or Disc? Which do you prefer?! Let us know ๐
For me to replace my sub-14lbs Cannondale SSE HiMod with an equivalent spec new disc bike would be looking at over $10k usd, and then would lose a lot of the simplicity i love on that bike. Not worth it imo
I finally built what I think is my favorite bike. 2012 S-Works Venge with rim brakes. It's been my grail since I saw it for the first time in LeTour. I did a full Dura-Ace 9100 build. It's spectacular.
I love the rim brakes on my 2011 Trek Madone. In my part of the world they stop me just fine. The Ultegra brakes are easy to service and maintain but that is rare. Disc brakes are much more finicky (I have both cable and hydro) and take more time to adjust. Great for a mountain bike but rim brakes are my go to for the road.
Now is the best time to get a rim-break bike. Dentists have moved to disc breaks and deals for rim-break bikes are incredible.
Get better tyre life with rim brakes (on road).
Rim at the moment, never had disc yet.
If the F12 is that good then buy it and dont hand it back!
Leave MTB tech where it belongs!!
two and a half minutes out of 8, and I have no idea what this video is about. Alot of words, but no meaning. ๐๐
Just saying but with UE side brake the front brake cable goes straight line to the rim brakeโฆ smoth and perfect ๐
Disk for dirt Rim for road.
Rim breack bikes are cheap as hell. And in the Netherlands (were it is flat) you don't need disk breaks.
Rim for summer – Disc for Winter
Add in Hed black wheels for their superior braking vs carbon brake tracks.
The F12 is a much watered down version of the original Dogma. However the wave still exists and is capable of absorbing some road noise. That's a major advantage of the entire Pinarello line.
Alex very measured my friend โฆ chapeau
Good rim brakes on alloy wheels are more than most riders need. They suffer a bit on carbon wheels but most riders can still easily get a handful of brake and lock the wheel up at which point the limiting factor for you stopping is the wheels not the brakes.
disc because its much easier to hide housing, thru axles and its also easy enought to maintain; but rim is still very good option on cheap, nothing bad with it
I am surprised so many people ride in the rain.
Why did they ask for the bike back after so long? They should have put it out for a raffle to gcn viewers
Why do you have to give it back if youโve had it since 2019? And do you get to keep any of the parts from it like saddle or pedals
I have both but I had a massive crash on my rim brake bike because I didnโt stop in time because I misjudged the stopping distance on the rim brakes after using discs so much. It hurt a lot. Ha ha.
Moving forward, the issue for those who want rim brake bikes is wheel choice and sometimes tire availability. High end wheel manufacturers seem to be abandoning rim brake wheels. So those with high performance older framesets who want high performance clincher tires are being abandoned by manufacturers. Tire manufacturers seem to be abandoning high end narrower clincher tires that work for older framesets (that wonโt accommodate tires over 24mm wide). Iโm having this issue now โฆ my 2009 Dogma frameset wonโt accommodate 25mm or higher tires.
I donโt want low performance tires for my high end frame Even though my frame is somewhat dated, it still kicks ass and I want the best components, wheels and tires for it.
I also donโt want hookless wheelsโฆ I want to use high performance beaded clinchers with tubes.
Seems like manufacturers are driving tech versus the market. I donโt appreciate being forced onto tech that is unnecessary and sometimes counterproductive.
as a Car mechanic i hate rim brakes since the 90` ^^ i Was very happy when V-Brakes arrived^^
Iโve got a sl6 rim brake and a sl7 disc brake tarmac . I have to say I havenโt discovered the advantages of discs yet ,other than the hassle of build, weight and maintenance hahaha. And yes, Holland is flat.
Whatโs this? Are GCN pushing back against the industry?
Another clickbait title. Yawn…disc vs rim …..
06:37 tears are coming!
I have a pinarello f10 with rim brakes and dura aces c50 tubular, and my friends don't get me. Thanks Alex, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one. I watch you guys every week, best wishes from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!
"Everyone is free to use what they want to use" – Umm no. Not when the major brands make all their top models in disc only.
Men sad, Men see rim brake bikes. Men Like, Men happy,
They both work. My first experience with disc brakes was in 1974. Shimano came out with a mechanical rear disc. POS. So, I am prejudiced.
Disc or rim, ride what you want. I think the conversation really needs to focus on the fact that technological advances and changes used to be fueled by the consumer. (disc brakes on mountain bikes is a good example of a consumer demand based advance) Now? It's the industry telling us how much better this or that is and how badly we need it. Coming soon…gravel time trial bikes. ๐
Give me one please ๐คญ๐
if that's a 51.5 or 54, I'll gladly take those off your hands for free. ๐
Imo, bike is a simple machine that can brings joy to anyone, and I prefer not to complicate or make it overly expensive. I hope that one day we can hear about new technology for rim brakes.
2015 BMC SLR01 with Di2 ultegra and DT Swiss wheels. Rim brakes, v.light for climbing, v. fast downhill. My favorite road bike.
Rim. Simple, effective .
@Alex:
PLEASE tell me you bought that bike. ๐ฅบ
@Alex & @GCN:
If I was Alex, and/or if I was in Alexโs shoes, thatโs what I would have done. I would have BOUGHT that borrowed-bike from Pinarello. Thereโs no sense in letting a beauty like that go to waste.
Rim been dead for years.
Rim
Long live rim brakes โค
New bike these days are really over priced, thanks bike industry ๐
Yep got a rim brake bike and love it. Lots of great second hand high spec gear out there for upgrades too. Best bang for buck you can get.
The most important thing is to enjoy your cycling and ride safely. Use whatever you are comfortable with and works for you. Heck cyclists have enough haters out there without turning on ourselves. I just like seeing cyclists out there enjoying themselves in the community of cyclists. When I'm out there riding and start chatting with a cyclist, whether they are riding with rim or disc brakes, a hybrid, road, gravel or mountain bike, steel, carbon, titanium or alloy is not a concern. What is important, is that it is another fellow brother or sister on the road enjoying the sport!
Pinarrili want their bike back? Why it's got rim brakes. If they all have switched over to disc why would they want that thing. Another GCN work of fiction.
Just bought the SL6 S-works ultralight rim for 2300 euro and gonna sell my 2022 canyon ultimate disc. Stiffer, lighter, cheaper and so much easier to work on urself. Wish they still made top tier bikes with rim brake option so everyone could choose what they prefer.
How does it have to go ๐คท๐ปโโ๏ธ. Or secondly you could diss the marketing bullshit by big companies. Rim brakes are far better looking than half the shite thatโs going about just now.
Great video gang!
CANT go past that pure road riding experience that ONLY a stiff rim brake whip can provide.
IYKYK.