What is Difference between Rim brakes and Disc brakes ?

A road bike has witnessed a drastic change over the years, especially since the use of aluminium to carbon fibre. Apart from this major shift, many new components have been introduced such as electronic drive trains which have completely changed the makeover of a road bike.

Image source: blog.performancebike.com

With a lot of changes, the brakes of the bikes have also been upgraded. Earlier, rim brakes were used for stopping the bike which was not too effective. But for the past two to three years, the momentum has changed as disc brakes have come to use instead of standard rim brakes which are fast and quite effective.

The upgraded brakes do not only increase the stopping power but help the rider to control the bike which overall makes riding easier. So, let’s have a look at some of the points which clearly describe which brakes are better.

Incredible stopping power

Disc brakes definitely have better-stopping power as compared to the rim brake and deliver the same results in all weather conditions. The brake power can be easily controlled in this upgraded brake which help the rider to control the amount of brake he wants to apply at a given point of Rim brakes will never be able to match the stopping power of disc brakes. It can be dangerous sometimes, especially with carbon wheels because it might take an additional time to apply the brakes if the pads are covered with dust.

Compatibility

Rim brakes don’t have a lot to offer and so does disc brakes. However, disc brakes have more wheel options as some come with standard quick release wheels while some uses thru axle. Options are limited are for both the brakes, but in a year or two many new options will be unlocked for the disc brakes.

Weather conditions

Riding is quite difficult in bad weather conditions and if the brakes didn’t work well then things are going to be miserable for the rider. Rim brakes don’t work too well in all weather conditions, especially wet weather which decreases the stopping power of the bike. Disc brakes on the other side work efficiently in all the weather conditions as rain, snow doesn’t affect the performance of the disc brakes because of the rim material.

Installation and maintenance

The only point where rim brakes have an upper hand on disc brakes is the installation and maintenance of brakes. Rim brakes are quite easy to install and maintain whereas disc brakes are not at all easy to install and it might take hours to complete the installation process. However, some disc brakes such as hydraulic disc brakes are easy to install, but too difficult to maintain since you need to replace fluid, bleed the lines and maintain other components.

Weight

Without any second thought, a disc brake is better than rim brakes, but there are certain areas where rim brakes enjoy the advantage but not the major one. A disc brake is made up of several components because of which it delivers better results whereas, a rim brake doesn’t use too many components. With more components used, the weight of disc brake is quite heavy compared to rim brake and

With heavy weight of the brakes, the speed of the bikes with disc brakes would be comparatively less as compared to the speed of the bikes with rim brakes. But do not worry as this will not remain the same too long since the disc brakes is often used these days, especially in racing, the industry is planning to design disc brakes with lightweight so that a rider can enjoy more speed because of less weight and enjoy better braking system.

Final word

Rim brakes might be better in some areas such as weight, maintenance or few more but will never be able to deliver the results produced by disc brakes. However, there is a huge price difference between both the brakes, but disc brakes must be given utmost preference as safety is much ahead of money.

If you are looking for riding a bike for long miles, exploring new bike tricks, riding in bad weather conditions then you should definitely go for the disc brakes as it will allow you to get the most out of riding in uncertain conditions and that too without a high-level risk. If you are looking for a bike just for riding without exploring too many options, then you can go with rim brakes if you find it too hard to afford disc brakes.

Rim brakes are on the verge of its end as most of the bikes these days come with disc brakes. In the upcoming five years, all the bikes will use disc brakes so it’s better to adapt the new braking system as soon as possible to enjoy safe riding.