- [Dan] Disc brakes really divide opinion amongst cyclists. What you'll generally
find is that people who've used them will rave about them, whilst those that haven't
will simply say that they're unnecessary. Now, what we can say is that,
given that we've ridden and raced on rim brakes for many years,
they're certainly not essential. But how do disc brakes compare to top-of-the-range
rim brakes on a carbon wheel like this one? Can we see a difference?
- [Sy] Yeah. Very simply, can you stop faster with disc brakes?
Well, we're going to find out. We have two very similar setups here,
except Dan is using Sram Red disc brakes and I am using Sram Red rim brakes.
Otherwise, the tires are the same and our weight is broadly similar,
give or take a pint of Stella and a pasty.
- Yeah. So we've got almost identical setups except for the brakes,
and what Sy and I are going to do is ride next to each other and brake as hard as we
can on various roads in different conditions,
and then simply compare the stopping distances.
- I think we're going to have to go somewhere other than the south of France,
Dan, to find different conditions.
- Where would you suggest? Just go home?
♪ [music] ♪
- So as you can see, we have had to leave the south of France in order to finish off
this video. Anyway, in dry conditions, as you might expect, the difference between
the two different brakes are not actually that great. Rim brakes have loads of power
and loads of modulation, allowing us to slow down really quickly.
- Yeah. And discs do feel much better, but it's not the extra power and modulation
which really makes that much difference, even though it is better.
Now, on poorer surfaces, that modulation allows us to use more of the power.
So even though there's not that much traction, we're making the most of what
we've actually got. Now, as we clearly saw, in the worst conditions, disc brakes
did simply allow us to slow down a lot faster. And when it's wet,
they're simply a lot better.
- Yeah. These carbon wheels do brake really, really well in the wet,
but we can see that they're still nowhere near as effective as disc brakes.
And one of the main reasons for that is that the pads actually have to clear the
water off the surface of the rim in order for the brakes to become effective.
And at the point at which they do start to bite, well, that can sometimes lead to
quite sketchy moments, particularly on really slippery surfaces.
- On the other hand, disc brakes work just as they always do. So that's not down to
the amount of power, necessarily, but probably more down to the modulation.
So the amount of lever pull between the points at which the brake pad meets the
rotor and the rotor locks up is much greater. And what that means is we're
getting more power to the tire without causing it to break traction and skip.
So, what does this mean for you and I riding out on the roads on a day to day
basis? Well, hopefully you won't be having to do too many emergency stops like we've
been simulating for these tests. You all right there, Sy?
- Yeah, fine. Sorry about that.
- But I certainly think that we can all learn to love the consistency and
predictability of disc brakes within a matter of a few rides.
- Yeah. You can get by without them, of course, but why would you?
Now, of course, having really good brakes on your bike is one thing.
Being able to use them properly and get the most out of them is another.
So why not check out our video on how to brake like a pro? You can get through to
it by clicking just up there. Or for another video where we test whether disc
brakes are ready for the pro peloton, or actually, probably, is the pro peloton
ready for discs? To get through to that, you can click just down there.
- Yeah, and if you're not already a subscriber to the Global Cycling Network,
it is absolutely free and all you've got to do is click anywhere on the screen
which contains myself and Sy.
I think most of them have subscribed, haven't they?
There's quite a few of you who haven't subscribed.
- What are you waiting for?
- And we can tell. No, we can't tell.
- No, we can't. Just click on down there. Come on. Just do it.
Makes sense.
- Right. Let's do some braking.