I had tried switching the can't around previously ...that's what I meant by futzing with the toe in/heel out. 

Has anyone got experience and/or informed thoughts on disc-brakes (mechanical) for road bikes? I'm getting a custom bike made for me in January and --since I'll be in Portland-- I'm considering getting an all-conditions training bike.

My former coach, Rob English, will be building the bike. He's got experience with riding and building bikes with disc-brakes. He's a pretty sharp engineer and says that the mechanical disc-brakes have been excellent for his winter bike --which he rides tons of miles on, many of which with a trailer load bicycle-making materials/tools in-tow. And he lives in Eugene, Oregon --so the brakes do get exercised on the hills there.

Here is Rob's "winter bike":

http://www.englishcycles.com/custombikes/special-winter-bike-project/

 

 

Wow Norm, this guy English makes some amazing bikes! 

I have disk brakes on my commuter. I can't say I like yhem that much. Kind of squishy and do not stop as quickly as the rim brakes. I hear thT the pads need replacing relatively quickly. It is definitely a different philosophy and you have to decide if you want to drink the koolaide.

@dstokes --thanks for the scoop. I guess I should try out some disc-brakes out to see how they feel. I've used hydraulic brakes on MTBs and that was indeed a bit squishy. I should be able to try Rob's winter bike before I decide. He may set his brakes up and/or use special pads/rotors that get good performance for the road.

@John Malcolmson - yep, I really like Rob's unorthodox designs (although the green "Project Right" bike isn't my favorite, it is a nice piece of frame design and construction).

My experience/perception is different from yours and that of D. Stokes. Besides having had hydraulic disks on mountain bikes for years, I've had mechanical disks on two commuters and been happy with them. I think what Dr. Stokes describes as "squish" i think of as "modulation," but then again it could be a difference in the equipment or the set up itself. As much as I'm a fan of disk brakes I still think (for the time being at least) there are some negatives in the road bike world; namely (1) the bike will be heavier (understandably this may not be a big concern for a "training" or "winter" bike), and (2) there's real limitation in the choice of wheels...which necessarily leads to a lack of flexibility--so for instance, if your racing bike were not functioning for some reason and you had to race on your training bike, you wouldn't be able to get a wheel from neutral support to fit if you flat mid-race.   Or, if you're using a PT hub for training, you'd have to have an entirely new rear wheel with disk compatible hub built up for your training bike.  Similarly, I know you're a TT guy and if you wanted to try a new position with an aero rear wheel you wouldn't be able yo do it on your training bike.  These may not be a big deal for you, just thought I'd mention them.  And I really like (the look anyway) of what Rob has done with that top tube on the winter bike you attached.

Norm,

@neilx --thanks Neil... If I go this route, I figure the bike would just be for training (or, possibly cross --since I would go for a racier version of Rob's winter machine). And for road races... if Spooky #1 is out of commission, I've always got Spooky #2!

I spoke with Edwin from VD on this quite a bit when I was shopping for my new CX bike.

I've always ridden discs on mountain bikes and they allow you to brake much later when cornering. As MW notes, the traction of the tire matters more, but to me that's just honing your skillz.

@Jules -low-tolerance for dings and such would seem to preclude them from MTB duty, yet they are the default choice on the trail.

@John Malcolmson -really, I'm just looking to see if there's an advantage in terms of ease-of-maintenance and better braking in wet weather. Rob says that his are super easy to maintain, but he's an engineer and I'm an ignoramous when working with mechanical stuff. As far as Performance goes, maybe my Force and Red brakes are just sub-standard and I should switch over Shimano (or the new Red brakes, which are supposed to be excellent).

More digression... Actually, I have a brand new pair of Ultegra brakes sitting in a trunk at home. I'll go ahead and try those for a while this fall. If they're noticeably better than my Force/Red brakes, I might consider dropping the Disc-brake idea. The Force/Red brakes are pretty good, it's just that racing in the 4s often includes unfortunate slowing situations on descents and I've found especially in wet weather that the braking is a bit too slow for comfort (and I'm pretty sure there's enough traction for faster stops). Same goes for riding mountain roads that I haven't ridden before... surprise turns and/or traffic, etc. come up and I'd like more control on modulating the braking.

Norm. The latest generation of Red brakes are supposed to be very good, not sure if that is what you have. Also the Campy Record and Dura Ace brakes are recognised as being class leading for rim brakes, with great power and modulation.
If you want to tweak that set-up and make it even better then switch the stock cables for compression-less ones such a Yokozuna Reaction which will improved the modulation further and maybe Swissstop green compound pads for wet weather braking. Oh yeah - use aluminium rims too. !
I'd be amazed if a mechanical disc-brake set up would better it. As JP said the limitation is traction via the contact patch. So larger section tires and/or lower pressures help.
Ultimately though you should consider that the fastest you can stop (regardless of set-up) equates to the amount of front brake you can grab that doesn't pitch you over the bars. You can improve this by changing your weight distribution on the bike. Shift your butt over the back wheel, abs on the saddle and you can pull more front brake.

Here is your chance at a free bike fitting! Get on it.

https://www.facebook.com/ACMEBicycleCo/posts/465429356838269

Indulge me. I feel the need to chronicle my shifter saga. The moral is one I deliver to people working in my lab and I'm not sure if I learned it through my training as an experimental scientist, or as a bike mechanic. The moral is to be persistent and never give up. You will learn from your mistakes and often surprise yourself with success.

This is a question for the folks using golden cheetah. It's been a while since they released the updated version, do you like it more than the old version? I'm thinking about updating but won't if it's not worth it.

I use 2.1 - much cleaner and useable interface if you ask me

@dstokes - I went to overhaul a 9spd Dura Ace 7700 lever yesterday - WOW - talk about complicated. thankfully, when I got to the part about mount ina vise using an M4 bolt and then use Shimano super specialized tool #xx-xxxx, I just played with it and it worked again. Somehow got it back together and now Dura Ace sweetness on my new CX pit bike - Thanks Stephane.

Question is - Black or Red Bar tape? Match the FTB or go Wild for Pit Bike? 

Cheetahize it

I was going to finish my post but had a blackout. Still sitting in the dark with intermittent web access (and failing batteries).

Suffice it to say, I finally got the shifter working.

Ragot--go with red or yellow.  And then get the hoods in the other color.

Fizik dual black/red might look pretty good w yellow hoods

id go w/ red bartape. and maybe just maybe some different hoods but that might be too much.

How often do you clear memory on your Garmin edge 500?

I had to clear the memory on my old computer often and I hate losing rides, but I welcome fewer maintenance chores.

I clear once every few months, and could probably go much longer.  You upload to one of a variety of places (Gamin Connect, etc.), or copy to your hard drive.  Rides are not lost.

I think it too me over a year to fill up my 500.  Unfortunately, it filled up on a ride where I was doing some exploring and it didn't overwrite the oldest file--just didn't save the most recent.

Cool thanks guys. JP, that happened all the time on my old computer and that is what I want to avoid.

I've got a squeak coming form my rear derailleur Ultegra 6700. I took both pulleys off cleaned them up lubed the sealed one, greased the other one, put them back on...still squeaks. I guess I need new ones. I've only got 2500 miles on the bike. That seems really fast for an issue to emerge. Only $18 bucks but  still pretty annoying

Yes. I lubed them too. I think it's the bushing on the unsealed one that's the squeaker. It looked a little iffy. Are derailleur pulleys something that require a regular maintenance regimen that I missed? I don't really ride in the rain.