105 Disc or Ultegra with calipers?

Quote:

I regret getting the gravel bike (last March) with discs though right now I’m not sure if you can get a gravel frame for rim brakes or v-brakes /drop bars

There’s very few left on the market although I’m speccing a ‘dream’ gravel/CX build using a Kinesis CX1 frame, available on sale at the moment for £280 in some places (frame only, a suitable carbon fork is £175).

I’ve now got it down to £1850 for a CX/gravel bike which would weigh only 8.1kg in race mode (single chainring, lightweight tyres) and 8.6kg in gravel mode with a 2x 48/32 chainset and fatter gravel tyres. That’s using Avid Shorty Ultimate cantilever brakes which I still see people racing CX on so they must be OK. The alternative would be TRP mini-Vs which are also good (I have them on my commuter) but less mud clearance. At least they are quiet in the wet though using Swisstop pads.

You’d have to spend twice that money to get a disc brake gravel bike that light, and you’d still have scrapey squeely discs in the wet!

Given that you are selling

Given that you are selling the Zoncolan and this is the “next” best bike, is resale value a consideration? The way marketing is going, will rim braking be seen in 5 years time as 

a) as nasty as gear cables coming out of the side of the hoods

b) a sadly missed aesthetic and functional high point

I suppose the other point is that 105 vs Ultegra is a head vs heart debate. This is a specal bike, so will 105 move you in the same way as Ultegra? What will get you out riding and feeling that this is so nice? Hydraulic discs feel great to me on the few rides I’ve been able to try them, but for me, 105 is special level, Tiagra entirely adequate.

My summer bike has rim brakes (on Al rims) and poor wet weather braking but I haven’t yet fitted better pads. On other bikes I have had rims written off which I hate. I’m amazed how gungy things get on a medium length wet ride and the water channels in the pads are tailor-made for girt collection. I’m not enough of a cleaner stop mid-ride…

My winter bike has cable discs which I do prefer in the wet despite the howling – the braking is so much more confidence-inspiring. I am a slightly timid descender and unlikely to brake really hard often, but it still feels far better – especially with newish pads. Have sometimes heard the grit scraping sound in very wet conditions but stopping and spinning the wheels never seems to show any frictional effect.

If it’s for your best summer

If it’s for your best summer bike unless you live at the top of a mountain then I’d go rim brakes.

Winter bike = disc brakes all day long.

Yes they might be a bit more of a faff every now & then to maintain but there’s plenty of help & info out there if you’re struggling (as I have  been on a few occasions being new to discs).

I have the AL 7.0 Disc as my winter bike & it’s been excellent.

Aesthetically, functionally,
Aesthetically, functionally, extra tyre clearance and for the sake of those lovely carbon wheels.

No brainer has to be disc.

Maintenance also very simple.

Drinfinity wrote:

105 hydraulic discs. 

Do you really want to go down a hill and use rubber blocks to grind road grit into those nice carbon rims as a way to stop? 

What grit do you get sticking to your braking surface, is that because you couldn’t be bothered to check your pads andd give your rims a quick wipe every so often? The ‘paste’ that people refer to is usually found on a commute bike that has had next to no attention to cleaning whatsoever, the amount of ‘grinding’ gunk on your best bike rims is minimal even in poor conditions because it’s very rare that riders will be riding in such conditions so often and then not bother cleaning afterwards.

And if you have to keep braking a lot going down hills then either you’re an absolute newbie riding well outside their skill level or you’re someone who isn’t interested in improving their ability to judge descents/corners and continually choosing terrain they know they cannot handle that well on the downhill sections so are always on the brakes.

Limit of braking is tyre grip and your skill level in judging when to brake and not pushing the boundaries, that applies even more so in the wet, ever wonder why those on discs have just as many incidents as those on calipers? Later braking with discs because you think you can grab a handful without worrying about modulation means you have less thinking time and more likely to put the tyre beyond its traction capability because of the higher speed into corners before braking late, this means more skids and more crashes especially riders who are a bit shonky, we see this occur in the pro ranks often because they are pushing, it’s not the lack of braking it’s the poor judgement and lack of talent.

If it’s your ‘best’ bike then

If it’s your ‘best’ bike then I would go rim brakes and Ultegra, lighter, quieter and personally the benefits of discs for me are only for really rough, long descents when your arms might get fatigued, or if you’re doing significant mileage in the wet when your rims might get worn down (or maybe carbon rims, I’ve never used them and am unlikely to ever afford them!)

I would hate to spend good money on a high end bike and then have to put up with squealing disc brakes in the wet, or rubbing pads when you’re time trialling along the road and trying to just focus on keeping the gear turning! I’ve had both happen on my gravel bike with disc brakes and now it gets left in the shed unless I really need to take it out.

If you live in a hilly area
If you live in a hilly area get discs, if not get rim brakes