I'm done with rim brakes now, show me the future! 

I get it! Keeping all that stock is killing business. The smaller ma and pop shops can't do it. The problem is as you pointed out, Cannondale is their worst enemy for example. New standards are created for the marketing department to work with. Manufacturers duel with their patents and royalties. Tulio Campagnolo held back innovation in his time when they had an effective monopoly. The Japanese ended all that. The bicycle used to be such a simple machine. The UCI has as part of its mission to keep the bicycle looking like a bicycle with safe equal competition between athletes. It's not America's Cup between billionaires. At some point, where do we draw the line between business and sensibility?

I like rim brakes and external cabling : it's very easy to maintain as I always try to do all the servicing myself. Sorry bike shops but I have seen too much of them working, I guess, "too fast", which I understand, but I spend too much time on my bike, I like the setup to be perfect, and if something is wrong it's my fault, I will do better next time, and I didn't pay for it anyway, you loose time for training, but you become a better mechanic, wich is skill that's valuable for my friends, colleagues, and family. And for rim brakes they are quite cheaper, I also have small hands and appreciate small shifters. I have Hydro DB on my MTB, I like them too, no worries about that, and I never thought "I would rather have V-brake on them". I have completely abandonned the idea of converging technology for bikes, but we would need are standards, the BB is indeed a great exemple about that. I guess everyone making a bit of everything is not that bad anyway. Cheers

We already are where we want to be, at least some of us. The manufacturers need to stop fuking us with bs "tech" and planned obsolescence. Riding isn't about tech its about riding. And this is coming from a professional mechanic. And we are not all appreciating going wider.

Not sure if this is sarcasm or not. I’ve never had an issue with rim brakes or mechanical 10/11 speed. Don’t have to worry about charging/replacing batteries for shifting or bleeding brakes or paying through the nose for brake pads. Quick release is awesome for travelling with a bike too. I think early to mid 2010’s was the pinnacle of road bike design. Rider focused with practicality in mind.

Even if cyclists could agree (and we can't), I don't think all of us getting behind something makes a bit of difference to the bike manufacturers. As far as rim brakes holding back wheel innovation, I don't see it. Most (all?) of the new wheels by the big names have completely written off rim brakes. I'm grateful that certain Chinese brands continue to bring out their new wheels with rim brake options.

I enjoy the sound of disc brake pads constantly rubbing as if I need something else to slow me down. Disc brakes as of now are aggravating!!

So to stop my rims wearing out (which they never have), I just need a new frame, groupset and wheels? OK that sounds like a winning idea!

I think the rim brakes on my road bike are the parts that i have the least issues with, if any. I actually doubled down on them and got me special lights that mount on rim-brakes only.

I am happy with were I am with rims and don't need cyclo-cross bike on the road

I like the performance of road disc brakes, but the maintenance requirements and therefore costs are very high compared to rim brakes. I live in Switzerland and ride a lot of hills. I have found that pad and rotor life is shockingly low (1000km for pads and 2500km for rotors), not to mention the occasional brake bleeding requirements. Compare that with my rim brake road bike where my last set of pads pads lasted 20,000 km and the wheels lasted 30,000 km. that bike needs virtually no maintenance, the disc bike is far more needy. I would like to see the manufacturers concentrate on making longer lasting components!

In reality, mere mortal weekend warriors like myself will probably set faster times on (lighter) rim brake bikes. It's difficult to justify "upgrading" to Dura Ace 9200 when I don't require more braking power or an extra 20T high gear. A new disk brake bike is likely heavier, less dependable, and more difficult to maintain/fix.

My bike riding experience would be far worse if I were stuck with disc brakes. I just don't need them. The expense, service cost, weight is enough alone to pass. Disc brakes would be trying to fix a problem that does not exist for me. My rim brakes never ever make a sound, need almost zero maintenance and cost a fraction to purchase and maintain. I put 8000 km on a new set of carbon rims last year and the pads are not used up yet and the brake track still looks like brand new. Never have I thought my braking performance was lacking. I need disc brakes because why??? I also don't think I'm an unusual case. You are suggesting your problems should be my problem... Good luck sorting your issues.

Actually I like my rim brakes fine. However I don't care if campagnola still make them or not, I just want to know that someone makes brake pads to fit and someone makes rims and hubs to fit. It is not asking much.

To be losing the simplicity of rim brakes is a shame.

For me it came down to money. The disc version of my current bike was £700 more than the rim version. That's a lot of coffee and cake

Yes, we should get behind the disk brakes. 😂 I live in Austria. Quite some big descends here. Never had any issues with rim breakes. They are lighter, more aero and are easy to fix.

The smoothness of a 105 crank turning a threaded hambini bb. The balance of a single pivoting caliper squeezing flashpros onto a machined alloy rim. The reassurance of a svelte hooked tyre prized onto a ride. And the tangible visuals of a mechanical gear change. I think we have arrived with no batteries required mate 🤟

The rim brakes are great and external routing is awesome, easy to maintain inspect and adjust in couple of minutes. Besides that they also whey less and have similar performance, except the bad weather conditions when most people ride on the trainer. They come at a lower price, lower weight, shorter time of installation.

Money. Cyclists with large incomes will flex with the latest gear. That’s cool to see. However, I love the simplicity of things that have always worked and cost very little to upkeep - like rim brakes on road bikes. The stock issue you mention, plus multiple molds, may be why the manufacturers stopped giving consumers a choice. Luckily I still have my rim brake, mechanical shifting bike and will save the discs for the dirt.

I'll put up with discs offroad where they make a huge difference, but in my flat state rim brakes are more than enough and way easier to maintain for road.

If everyone got behind it it would definitely happen quicker which is a very good reason for me not to do it.

When we get rid of rim brakes we can really start innovating with some heavier less responsive more expensive wheelsets. Your video is a masterclass in sarcasm well done sir!

I absolutely love disc brakes but hate installing them. All my bikes are disc, but I'm building a rim brake bike because of the simplicity of it, the ease of working on it at home. The biggest downside with discs is all the extra steps.

I see nothing wrong with rim brakes and alloy rims: functional and durable. Never wanted for braking power on a road bike, including in the wet on steep descents. Nor do the brake tracks wear too quickly. But why do we need three mount standards (nut, hidden bolt & direct mount)? For racing machines & thus carbon wheels I can easily see the benefit of disc brakes to remove the brake track. And offroad. I don't think the brifter bodies can get much smaller for hydraulic brakes: there is a certain amount of liquid required in the reservoir to enable the brake blocks to move. As for mineral oil versus DOT 5.1, I'd like to see mineral oil go completely: no defined standard, with each manufacturer providing their own blends. DOT fluids are standardised and reasdily available due to the auto industry. For BBs, it's not just shell standards but also axle standards. I'd be quite happy to see DUB & 30mm disappear. In a BSA sized shell, 24mm is far superior. Never had a problem with square tapers, bu have you seen the crazy amount of axle lengths plus the 2 taper standards that created?

Be real: the motivation behind road-disk is liberation of the rim. Everyone wants deep, carbon rims primarily for aesthetic reasons, which is difficult (but not impossible) with rim-brake. The silver alloy braking track on a rim-brake wheel is the real enemy. The overall braking performance is certainly no better versus a quality rim-brake, with the disk-system being louder, heavier, less user-friendly and more problematic. Form > function alert ☝🏼

Yes, let's all get behind heavier, more expensive, harder to maintain, noisier brake technology that requires stiffer riding frames, wheels, and forks.🤣 I'll stick with my no nonsense, fully external, mechanical, rim brake on light alloy rims with 28s that I just get on and ride a big hill on every day with no issues 🙃

But if I spend a tremendous amount of money on bike today, will it be obsolete in 3 years? Not all of use want to buy an expensive new complete bike every few years just to keep up with technology that many of us don't actually need/want. I don't ride in the rain and don't have excessively long descents near me, so disc brakes are pointless for me, and I don't really miss having Di2 when I jump on my mechanical bike. I love the sport and ride about 20,000kms/yr , but I'm starting to turn to running now simply because the prices are so out of control.

It's essential to have disc brakes and carbon fibre rims and frames for your 10-mile Sunday bike ride, it increases enjoyment by 11.5%.

I believe you are mixing a lot of topics into one. Rim v Disc brake is not about lever size. It might be about that for disc brake afficionados, because they were clunky in the beginning, of course. But if you want a bigger brake lever body (rim or disc) and call that progress, well, bigger is always easy to manufacture. We have too many hubs out there, yes. But take away all the rim brake ones, and there are still too many. The shelves are full with stuff, because as long as there is a market niche big enough to turn profit, that's how that works apparently. My deeper point about rim v disc is - as long as disc brake systems are overall heavier, and they will be because physics, I as a consumer want to have a choice to ride what I prefer.

As someone that really likes things that are functional and clean looking aesthetic I am torn. All of the things you talked about in the video make sense but the beauty of the “bike world” is choice and opinion. I love learning about new specs and different aspects of different manufacturers. I certainly think that making standards would help bike shops a lot with tools and inventory for sure (having experience working in one). I still like rim brakes for the ease of working on them and price point. I think that new low level hydro discs are worse than high level rim. I believe to keep the sport entry level in this economy rim brakes have to be apart of the lineup.

My rim brake road bike works perfectly fine

To be honest the reason why I think that companies don't come together and make a universal standard is that it might draw some people away from a brand that they are currently using and lose a company money. I also love the rants that you post! We need more people like to to expose the BS in this sport and sort it out.

Thanks for highlighting all the issues with disk brakes I’ll stick with rim brakes.

You'll be telling me you're spending Xmas with David Arthur next. The best brakes I have had on a bike were Hydraulic rims - the feel from those I couldn't get from a disc (especially off-road) without iritating lock-ups. I'm 60 so I'm not looking for balls-out performance - just choice.

Rim brakes are lighter and more aerodynamic. For race bikes why would you want something slower?

I just upgraded the sloppy Tektro rimbrakes on my trusty Cannondale with Shimano 105 dual pivot brakes. The brake cables on the bike are external, which makes for lower friction. I replaced the cables with smoothly polished jagwire "Pro" cables, for even less friction. Also, the curvy bit of the cables is made out of metal and compressionless, which makes the brakes feel very direct and strong. No squishy brake feeling here. Braking is very good in all weather conditions, strong and easy to modulate. Can't see how it can get any better than that. A rimbrake setup is cheap, works very well when properly set up and maintained, is reliables, easy to service and best of all, it is LIGHTER. Compare bikes that are sold in both rim- and disck brake version and see that the disc brake version is at least 500-600 grams heavier. That is a lot. The reason that we went to disc brakes , apart from marketing, is that we started using carbon wheelsets. That makes sense, rim brakes on carbon rims can be problematic. But the lighter weight of the carbon wheels is offset by the higher weight of the disc brakes. You win some, you lose some...

Rim brakes for me in the summer, maintenance so simple. Disc in the winter, maintenance simple, but long winded and can be noisy. I’ve managed to do internal cabling a couple of times now, but it brings my anxiety out before hand😁

I agree with you 100% on everything you said. I am 54 years old and so have seen a lot of changes over the past nearly 30 years. Road cyclists can be luddites. I remember well when the cassette started growing from the 5 cog cassettes. I would read magazines and people would write in complaining about it. "Eddie won five on five" was the mantra most regurgitated. For some reason, they thought that a five speed cassette was good enough for Merckx the it should be enough for everyone else. Of course that is ignoring that was what was available when Merckx was racing. If he had a 12 cog cassette available, I'm sure he would have used it. As for standardization, that is one thing I complain about. We used to be able to. mix and match, but that is long gone. I've lost track of the BB standards and the proper cranksets to go with them. I am hoping that a standard, or a couple of them at least, will surface as the "winner" and simplify things

With a lot of things you say, You speak out of my heart and I agree fully with You. But not regarding rim brakes. I bought one bike with Sram Force Discs, the bike was intended for foul weather, dirty roads etc. But it does not work! I had two brake cylinders with stuck pistons which could not be refurbished to work again. As Sram does not sell cylnders, I had to buy switch gear with brakes. Very expensive experience. On the other hand I have DT Swiss Oxic wheels: No rim wear, very less brake pad wear, reasonable weight and super brake performance. Guess what my next bike will have ...

I’m a cyclist based in SE Asia (Bangkok, Thailand). Having rim rakes & external cables means the technician doesn’t have to be as skilled to work on my bike when skills are lacking here. Plus finding brake pads is so simple compared to all the variations of disc pads on the market today. The cable routing conversation really is a different topic. As for BB’s I do prefer threaded but as you mentioned that could scuffle frame development. I’ve been outta the bike shop business for over 10 years now, if I was to go back I’d definitely need a refresher course.

Luckily, square-taper BBs are still the latest and greatest for nice steel bicycles, when not using components from the big 3. It's just so nice to have one Standard, and you can easily get exact replacement parts for a >30 year old frame. The only annoyance there is ISO vs. JIS, of course 😭

The reticence is coming as much from the fact that the shift to discs requires the purchase of the whole bike, a big money making/ profit enhancing trick that brands learnt from MTB in the last decade - so it cuts out the rider on a limited budget who was able to source carefully selected older gen components to make a competitive build. Progress is fine but pulling up the stepladder of participation is not and will ultimately damage the industry in our current economic dystopia which is disproportionately affecting the youngsters who will form the industry's future customer base- we're in the region where 4/5/6k just gets a relatively stodgy mid range build with 11spd, the progress of the new group sets may be great but the pricing is for dentists/ bankers. And yeah BB30/PF30 is the spawn of the devil himself, possibly the industry's worst invention, lots of otherwise perfectly good bikes ruined or short-lived by sloppy implementation ... and they know it.

I fully agree with the fact that the explosion of "standards" in terms of hubs and BBs is dreadful. The former is a consequence of introducing a mountainbike technology to roadbikes with as little adaptation as possible. Direct mount rim brakes in my experience need less maintenance than a seat post. Disc brakes howerver are straight away the most service intensive component on a road / gravel / cx bike. I can't remember doing two rides in a row on my gravel bike without something annoying me about the state of my discs (Hope RX4 btw). A single bleeding session for those takes longer than all the service my rim brakes see in their entire lifetime. Yes I am sure that discs will be amazing in 10 years, but right now it is an unfinished product. Also, how ironic is it to invest hundreds of €/$/£ to save 2.5 W with ceramic bearings or 1.5 W with an OSPW when you ride arround with discs that are always rubbing after a descent or in the wet?

While I’m looking forward to new innovations in cycling, I believe for riders like me in majority of South East Asian countries, cost is still a concern and therefore many of us budget cyclist still cling onto old tech offerings in the market. I just spent GBP 300 for a second hand carbon road bike with 105 R5800 rim brake version groupset and to me that’s a significant upgrade from the hand me down aluminum Sora bike I had when I started back cycling during Covid. Using the analogy of golfing : I will start off with budget/second hand golf clubs and upgrade my drivers accordingly while pursuing a better handicap rating as time goes on. Will I be laughed at by the elitist? Most likely, but heck at least I’m out here doing my thing…

Home maintenance of rim brakes and external cables is just so much simpler. Clinging on to my rim brakes and alloy wheels as.lond as I can source the parts.

My problem with moving to disk brakes is I run a "grandfather's axe" road bike. I replace the transmission with one at the Chorus/Record level when it wears out. I did that last year, moving from 10 to 12 speed mechanical. I get a new frame every 10-15 years. I'm due one in the next year or so - can't afford good carbon so I'm looking at high end aluminium such as a Condor. Wheels are upgraded when finances allow. At no point could I get anything that would touch this for quality if I had to get a complete bike on the same budget. So like the legendary axe which has had the blade and handle replaced at different times over the years, it's never completely new. Moving to disk brakes needs everything to be changed, and the result would be a less good bike for more money with very slightly better braking.

Do you or a loved one suffer from hearing loss due to squealing disc brakes? You may be entitled for compensation!

Fair enough, industry standardization would be welcome! I bought a LOOK 795 Blade RS. I SPECIFICALLY chose a rim-brake mechanical groupset model. I was fully aware that it was a last-of-the-dinosaurs situation!!

I have rim brakes they work fine for me Don’t see why i have to buy a complete new bike if i want to change or upgrade my wheels if only disc compatible are available!!!

Discs suck for road bikes (and I have a disc brake road bike along with 3 rim break road bikes) one example, I want to service my headset or change the bearings, easy job with rim brakes, with discs its a major undertaking as my hydraulic hoses are routed through the forks and so a simple task has now become something else, same with cutting down my steerer tube if I drop my stem at any point, so enjoyable tasks for home mechanics who enjoy looking after their own bikes now becomes a major bind and/or a trip to the bike shop which in turn costs more money and time off the road. You also highlighted the extortionate price of disc brake pads in a recent video which in the current financial climate is another case of customers getting screwed over and over.

It’s not for me very happy on rim brakes, tubed 25mm tyres and Shimano cable shifters. When there’s a comfortable fast accelerating disc bike on 25mm tyres I’ll make the swap. I just find all the bikes on +28mm tyres dull to ride.

I kind of like that it's a minefield in certain aspects. It has made me think about how I adapt my bikes and get the most out of them. I like the hunt for the solution. I have a 1980's Reynolds tube frame that now runs 11 speed gears, modern stem, compact bars and even has a headset with cartridge bearings. The whole bike has been an evolution over the years and I love that bike. I also have a tarmac sl6 expert that I have recently converted to bsa bb and put a power meter on. The bikes fit my needs because I have made them that way and wouldn't change them for the world

I use my bikes mainly in dry anyway so rim has enough stopping power for me. In the dry Ultegra stops on a dime. Plus easier to maintain, less drag (what’s the point in a aero frame from marketing dept saying is 1% less drag then disc adds more than this on in drag) plus you can adjust them in a second, no annoying squealing sounds and the big one disc brake bikes are about 1 kilo heavier then the rim which if you do lots of climbs like me you want the lighter bike.

I don't understand the point about iterations. Shimano have chosen to have that number of iterations. They reaped the benefits of selling them, now they have to sleep in the bed they made.

All your points are very well put and make sense for big manufacturers and carbon frames. Must not forget the smaller custom frame and custom component manufacturers though.

Late comment but I'm still doing it! Disc brake pads last weeks in the Swiss alps. They wear away on the 1200m descents very quickly. Rim brake pads last years. It's dry enough here that I can pretty much ride as much as I want without having to ever unpack my rain jacket so the one advantage of disc brakes is lost on me. I'm not a pro rider with the time and money to replace the pads every few weeks so it's rim brakes every time. I'm even selling my disc brake bike and have already replaced it with a rim brake dinosaur.

Haven't all major groupset manufactures been only focusing on disc brake groupsets for years. Shimanos new 12 speed dura ace and ultegra rim brake groupsets still come with last gen calipers. The last rim brake caliper shimano designed was 105 r7000 which came out in 2018. Also you can't ignore that disc brake bikes cost more and are more expensive to maintain. When i got into cycling in 2017 it was a struggle convince my parents to buy me road bike, now it would be impossible with current prices.

I couldn't disagree more with you on that one, I have older bikes that I love, So if we had no more rim bikes available I wouldn't be able to maintain those bikes and unlike new bikes the old bikes were not disposable, I can't imagine that the new bike I have will last as long, as there is so much that is proprietary stuff on those bikes, just try to get replacement fork or a Seatpost on one of those!!!!, the industry is going the wrong way!!!! don't get me wrong I like disk brakes and I have them on my newer bike, let's not get sucked into the industry marketing

I can setup or adjust my rim brakes in 5 minutes, I can replace my brake pads in 2 mins.

I am actively seeking out rim-brakes and friction shifters for ease of maintenance. I don't wanna deal with hydro fluid, kinked cables, or electronic shifting. esp. the latter. I think in one of your previous vids a commenter counted the parts on a bike one has to get charged to go on a ride and it was (at least) a total of 11 (!!). My 80ties. Randonneuring bike with friction downtube shifting and rim brakes needs nothing charged to be able to ride it. That's how cycling should be, not an elitist flex, showing off the newest wirelss (OMG!) shifting, but more inclusive to all who want to join with their mechanical shifting and rim brakes. Before rim brakes need to be done, cycling as a whole needs to improve :)

I'm a retrogrouch and the thought of a new bike is depressing. Press fit BB (vs BB86), disk vs rim (I'm fine with Alu rims and rim brakes), cable routing (can I just change the cables easily please?), Tubeless? ...Could GAF. More batteries, oh dear lord. Maybe if I had a bike shop like yours in my area I'd feel differently. But finding competent service with the right tools is just a chore more and more with all the different standards and precision needed to make sure things are aligned properly. But I have to say I've greatly enjoyed all the videos you've been making lately and while I might not agree with this particular video I think what you've been putting out is great.

Hambini entered the chat

All those standards were driven by the change to first aluminium and then carbon as a frame and components material. The old standards are still optimal for steel frames with aluminium parts. Let's look at the bottom bracket. The square taper standard works for commuters as well as sprinters. There are no alignment issues and the bearings are big enough. The whole system is easy to manufacture and therefore there are cheap options. It's not that hard to use different spindle lengths for different chainlines.

I just replaced my gravel bike brake discs after riding as commuter for 3 years. It only cost me $15 USD. If I had do replace rim wheels, the cheapest would be at least $150 USD for both wheels. I have a rim brake road bike and I only ride for weekends.

Great video! Standardization helped every industry it touched. I feel in some respects we're getting there slowly. The BB situation is additionally complicated by tons of different axle standards so the number of stuff you need to keep in stock gets ridiculous. BSA is fine with steel axles like GXP or Shimano standard, but for aluminium axles which are wider the bearings are these tiny things. I wish we'd settle on T47 and PF30 but BSA will probably live forever on sheer inertia. That'd still be 12 bottom brackets if you look at just SRAM, Shimano and Campagnolo axles plus legacy GXP (which is dying but bikes with it will still be around for years and years to come).

I love my rim brakes. A tech that is old, yes, but very mature, about 100 years mature. Maybe in the future I will get a Diskbrake bike, when the tech goes reliable, cheaper, and many iterations solve the hassle that is having them. China is making their own take on hydraulic diskbrake that don't suck and is not expensive. It's not there yet, but making enough noise to keep me interested.

This makes a great deal of sense from a forward thinking perspective. There are countless bikes from the past 40 years that are still very serviceable. There will always be a place for these older standards. I hope quality parts are available to keep these bike rideable and enjoyable.

I guess the problem with: let's get behind disc brakes is that many people feel that it was prematurely and artificially pushed by industry. I think if the industry are going to force a change on their customers then it's their responsibility to get it right. We still see stories of the pros subtlely or not so subtlely preferring rim to disc at the highest level of competition, one example being froomey. The pros have access to the best, most quality controlled stuff and the best mechanics, so if they're still having issues and preferring rim, it makes sense that the average Joe is too.

I agree abut rim brakes. My main issue is the rain and how I can’t stop with wet rims. I do not ride in the rain on purpose, but at times it happen, and I simply cannot be confident of stopping well. My next bike with have hydraulic disc.

Call me retro, but all of my bikes use rim brakes ( Bianchi TSX, Giant TCR, Waterford, and a Stumpjumper) I have no need for silly disc brakes. I also have no need for a tire wider than a 25.

I have come around to your side on this as well. It's time to move forward.

As a pro mech for years, 99% of riders have rim on there own bikes, speaks volumes

As much as I would also like to see the move to mineral oil, the problem is that the mineral oils are have no regulation or standards. If you use Morgan Blue instead of Shimano, you void the warranty with Madison on any Shimano items. At one point it was near impossible to get Shimano oil, so the only choice our shop had was to use Morgan Blue. Whereas with Dot5.1 it has all been regulated to a highway standard, and the oil you get from Fenwick's is the same as what you get from Halfords.

Sorry I like my rim brakes and the cost of changing to disc brakes is sky high l use alloy rims and yet to wear out a rim carbon rims not a fan 25 mm tyres have served me for years tubular tyres and still great old fashion sorry

As a guy that does all of his own maintenance plus most of his friends, I'm no fan of carbon frames, disk brakes, electronic shifting and don't even mention internal cable routing especially through the bars and stem. It is all about

This sir, needs to get heard world wide in the bike manufacturing industry. Well done. Solid and valid suggestions. Let's hope it eventually materialises.

Me and my bikes will still be here when we come back to the stuff that works, vs. the e-bike stuff I don't want.

Someone just sold its soul to BS Manufacturers and Marketing.

well made points. another problem is over-engineering simple things like aero seatposts, disc brakes for most applications, aero handlebars.

6-bolt rotors do have one advantage though -- they allow for a larger bearing on the non-drive side. Center-lock will only allow up to 28mm bearing, which forces hubs with 17-mm axles into the hard-to-find 17x28 bearings (instead of the widely available and standard 17x30).

Hub motor braking (way heavier though 🤔), has worked smoothly and flawlessly on my electronic longboard (Boosted Board, out of business) for 5 years now using a rechargeable Bluetooth remote. Get the electronics right and reliability is possible.

The big question is how to get all brands on the same page. I remember bmx brands sticking their heads together in around 2006 to come up with a universal bb standard (mid bb) that ended the mess which was usa/spanish/euro bb…

Internal cables are great, but, as a amateur cyclist I believe that fully internal going by the steam and head tube is a bit too much. It's too complicated and the aerodynamic looses for an amateur are minor. As we've seen in Tarmac SL7, it may cause more issues than advantage. I own 2022 Canyon Ultimate CFR eTap, and it's not an issue for me, that I have those two cables not fully internally routed like in the 2023 model. But I agree to the rest totally!

Who, manufacturer-wise, isn't all behind disc brakes? Very few, if any major companies offer a rim brake performance frame anymore. What groupset/component company has put one iota of R&D into rim brakes in the last ten years? I'm all for disc brake development, the difference between this Shimano 105/Ultegra/Dura-Ace is worlds better than the last iteration, but I still don't want the added expense/weight/maintenance of disc brakes. Stock in those rim brake parts is how some of us who've bought our "forever bikes" keep them running. And I'm perfectly fine not finding this stuff at LBSs, but I still want them to be able to work on them. NOS is great, but that stuff won't last forever. Love the channel! Glad I found it. Keep it up!

140mm disc Rotors have a place for light Riders, i myself am a

Aluminum rims with rim brakes are a winning combination. They work great up to 54 mm tyres. They allow for flexible forks which improve traction and comfort. That's the purpose-built no compromise high performance option.

I have lived through MTB's from U brakes ( Thanks GT Cycles, not) to cantilevers, to V brakes , to Hopes first front disc brake and kits that fitted frames with no tabs and you needed torsion arms on the back, special hubs and axles , to standard disc brakes. The technology has been on MTBS for many years. The rim brakes , where we ride, would destroy alloy rims in 6 months and you would have a concave rim. Then Mavic came out with the SUP ceramic rims. Which had a sprayed surface on them to stop the wear. Along with ceramic pads for your V brakes , was a good solution at the time. Then Hope came out with discs. There were a major jump from rim brakes. The only real wear was pads. The discs lasted for eons of rides. No mud jamming up V brakes ever again. So, we look at road brakes. The controversy in the pro peleton for 'do we or do we not ?' has made the progress cough and splutter and slow down evolution. My road bike has Ultegra rim brakes. Its old and doesn't get used much, with the first Di2 ( with the easy battery change under the down tube :) ) The brakes do work. Very agricultural compared to 185mm or 205 discs I have on the current MTB's. But, they do work better than my new gravel bike with Sram Rival discs. I wiped a set of sintered pads in 35 miles last week. Wasn't a clean ride, but a ride I could do on the mtb and not have a brake issue. So, leverage and discs are still a long way off for me. The brakes are 350 miles new. The pads were brand new as changing compounds for the weather. But, I had no brakes at all and almost head first into a rider on his gravel bike on the local canal was a bit nerving. There was no air in the brakes. I do question the tiny discs that it has and they seem the 140mm size. Its making more progress than ever for road bikes, but some way behind 'old' mtb technology still. Has anyone else had similar issues with gravel riding dinky discs ?

Oh boy you just kicked the rim brake hornet's nest🤣 I love disc brakes but i know some people who are opposed. Of course they haven't ridden them! People tend to not like change and for some reason road cyclists are the worse😂

He doesn't believe this done with Rim brake nonsense he knew the comments would errupt. Thumbnail says it all

I disagree with everything you've said. I suspect it would be because all my bike are older than you and are 100 percent carbon fiber free. Exposed cables a easy to work on. Cup and cone bearings are easy to service and adjust. If I scratch my frame I don't cry about it. High end brake pads are available for rim brakes. I don't obsess over aerodynamics for things that make so little difference. I don't care about watts. I love "j" spokes made of stainless. And I think inter-tubes are great.

I feel like many of these points are valid, very much so for new tech, but we should definitely consider that much of the older established tech has formed into de facto standards. English threaded BB, square taper, v-brake or caliper, cable brakes/shifters, 1-1/8" threadless or quill, etc. There are more but those kinds of standards. I don't see anything wrong with builders choosing to use these kinds of old standards for components on current production bikes. The new bikes benefit from an already existing pool of inexpensive replacement parts, and the older bikes benefit from securing long term availability of their replacement parts, keeping them in service longer

Certainly agree re disc brakes. The last time I bought a rim brake bike for myself was last century. Don't agree with you on Bottom brackets but I suspect you are right anyway. Both my bikes (Giant Revolt and Norco Revolver) have press fit bottom brackets, and I've had no issues with them. However manufacturers do seem to be phasing out press fit in favour of threaded bottom brackets.

I’d like to see Santa Cruz style internal routing on road bikes. Literally easier than external routing.

an con with internal brake routing is you have to disconnect the brake, so this means no fast hot swapping of brakes. My Geometron G1 allows that, so I can do back to back testing of brakes If I wanted to. But I love the simplicity, so easyto work on. but the dropper post is internally routed but it's done well, so it goes into the seat tube, no problem, no bending of the hose or using the expensive park tool internal routing tool. I have it, but don't need it for myself, but if a friend brings a problematic bike I can sort it out.

I didn't realize rim brakes actually wear down the carbon fiber rims that much.. I assume the aluminum rims hold up better for wear?

Narrowing specs to be more universal for all make bike service more convenient that's for sure. However it makes a innovation in that particular area way more difficult.

2 things. Dot fluid is a "standard" and means whichever company doesn't have to develop the fluid and its the same wherever you get it. It's awful though. The thing I hate about internal cables the most is when they have a joint bb guide and you have to remove the front derailleur cable just to do the rear. Grrrr.

I never understood discs on a road bike.... Until I rode them. No chance of me going back, they're incredible. All the arguments are thin compared to the upsides. They're heavier... But the wheels can be more aero and tyres wider. There's no difference in dry weather... No but wet weather is worlds apart. They're more complicated... Not once you're used to them. Internal cables are neither here or there for me. As long as there's no severe kinks. Di2... That's a bit much for me. I like the feel of cables changing gears, same as with cars. Manual is more satisfying than autos with paddle shifters.

Using your logic, then we should also not have Tubular, or Clincher. We should ALL be using Tubeless! You know so we can make it easy on manufactures......

I have three rim brake eleven spd, press fit carbon wonders. I have never struggled with not enough felt or power from my brakes, and yes, lucky enough to have ridden the alps etc. Ergonomics of the levers...... sweet. Wheel rims kasting more than 30,000km. Cable routing, semi internal and easy to maintain, no rattle. Three different bb30 installations, all as quiet as a mouse. I had more trouble with the previous threaded bbkts on earlier bikes. Now we have the best or worst of both, a threaded adaptor, commonly with a cartridge bag in it. We still have that press fit bearing. My bikes aren't broke and are easy to work on. No brake noise. I feel sorry for anyone trying to keep up with evolution, must be expensive. I reckon it's gonna be a long time before evolution stops, so good luck trying to keep up with that.