Under the trend of disc brake road bikes this year, the masses "get on" one after another, replacing or directly buying disc brake road bikes. So today I will share some details and experiences that need to be paid attention to when using a disc brake road bike.

tire

Disc brakes have stronger braking power than rim brakes, which is obviously nonsense. But you may not know that the biggest bottleneck limiting braking force is not the type of braking, but the tires. The grip of the tires directly affects the output of the braking force and the braking distance. However, the pitiful width of the road bike tire is destined to not have the tolerance of a mountain bike. In order to cope with greater braking force, the tire grip is very important. Therefore, for a road bike with disc brakes, you cannot save money on tires. Try to buy some mid-to-high grade tires with strong grip.

After actual tests, replacing the better tires can make the brake lock critical point come later, which means that more force can be used to brake and the braking distance can be shortened. When you need extreme braking and grip conditions, you can consider using 28c tires. After all, the inner width of carbon fiber disc brake wheels can basically match the 28c tires perfectly. Of course, tubeless tyres are even better. In addition, it should be noted that the wear rate of the tires of the disc brake road bike will be relatively faster, so pay more attention to checking the wear.

Brake disc

In the choice of brake discs, the editor prefers to use the front 160mm rear 140mm collocation, so that the rear wheel brake output has a better linearity, and prevents the rear wheel from locking up. After the actual test of this editor of 75kg, due to the larger road wheel diameter, the front wheel uses 140mm discs although the linearity is better, but the braking force is slightly insufficient during emergency braking, and there is a phenomenon of friction and thermal decay, so the front 140mm is relatively safe for lightweight riders. As for the 0.1 ton users, let’s use 160mm front and rear obediently. We still have metal pads... But the size of the brake pads also depends on the frame design. The default design of the disc brake installation position of some frames is 160mm, 140mm disc is not supported.

Braking technology and routing

Since the response speed of disc brakes is faster than that of rim brakes, and the brakes feel smoother, the editor often finds that some road bike users who have just changed disc brakes have excessive braking when fine-tuning the speed during group riding, which leads to the group Broken dragon. The editor believes that some practice is still needed to adapt to the relationship between brake output characteristics and tire grip when you first get on a disc brake road bike. The exercise is very simple, set a target, use the front brake or rear brake alone at a speed of about 30km/h to incompletely lock the rear wheel (note that it is not complete, you can lock slightly, but immediately release the brake to resume grasping In the case of ground force), stop perfectly next to the target and practice repeatedly until you can fully grasp the critical point of lock. And it is necessary to perform this exercise on wet and slippery roads, which is very helpful to understand the relationship between tire grip and different roads.

In terms of curve routing, due to the stronger braking force, under the premise of "outside, inside and outside", the braking point can be delayed, and the braking point can be directly braked and then directly cut into the center of the bend (after the start of the curve, it is best Do not brake), wait for the body to return to the right angle to continue pedaling and then add your foot out of the corner.

Mentality

Because it is true that disc brakes can bring excellent braking performance, it will also bring blind confidence to some riders, leading to tragedies when going downhill at high speeds. Therefore, I suggest that even if the disc brakes are changed, the mentality should be leveled. When it is time to counsel, you should never do anything beyond your own control level before you fully grasp the handling characteristics of the disc brakes.

Inspection and maintenance

Since the disc brakes are "hidden deeper", they are not worn as obvious as the brake rubber of rim brakes. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the habit of checking the discs regularly. If it is a hydraulic disc brake, it is best to change the oil once a year. If it is used more intensively, shorten the oil change interval to half a year; due to the use of DOT oil for SRAM hydraulic disc brakes, remember to open the drain regularly if you do not use it for a long time. The oil screw releases the pressure to prevent oil swelling. In addition, because disc brakes use spokes to transmit braking force, the spokes will be elongated and metal fatigued earlier than rim brakes when used for a long time. Therefore, it is necessary to check the spoke tension or replace the spokes after reaching a certain service life.