- Rim brakes are cheaper. The price of carbon-frame road bikes has dramatically increased because of disc brakes and inflation.
- rim brakes are easier to maintain. Disc brake DIY maintenance required equipment and expertise beyond most riders.
- rim brakes are more than adequate for the riding the average avid cyclist does.
- A rim brake bike that has been sitting in the garage needs little TLC and service to get back in service, in contrast to a much more expensive and time-consuming effort to get a hydraulic disc back in service.
- rim brakes create torque at beefier parts of the frame (where they are mounted) than at the end of the fork and end of the chain-stays and seat-stays
There is no question a quality disc brake is better at braking than its rim brake counterpart. But generally it was a solution in search of a problem and makes cycling even more out of reach for most consumers despite the industry lamenting for decades that ridership was flat despite a growing population.
- rim brakes are easier to maintain. Disc brake DIY maintenance required equipment and expertise beyond most riders.
- rim brakes are more than adequate for the riding the average avid cyclist does.
- A rim brake bike that has been sitting in the garage needs little TLC and service to get back in service, in contrast to a much more expensive and time-consuming effort to get a hydraulic disc back in service.
- rim brakes create torque at beefier parts of the frame (where they are mounted) than at the end of the fork and end of the chain-stays and seat-stays
There is no question a quality disc brake is better at braking than its rim brake counterpart. But generally it was a solution in search of a problem and makes cycling even more out of reach for most consumers despite the industry lamenting for decades that ridership was flat despite a growing population.