While there are many advantages to disc brakes, I rarely hear anyone talk about one of the biggest benefits I enjoy with my disc brake bikes. Disc brakes have greatly increased the versatility of my bikes. Today there are so many different types of bikes. There are road bikes, commuter bikes, cross bikes, touring bikes, fitness bikes etc. and the list goes on and on, and the bike industry would like us to buy them all.
In actuality, there really are only minimal variations in the different bike style geometry. For the most part, the most noticeable difference in the various bike designs is the wheel size and tire width. However, with a disc brake bicycle that can accommodate a wide range of tire sizes, the versatility of the bike is greatly increased simply because it is so easy to change the wheel size and tire width.
As illustrated above, I can simply remove and change the wheel and tire set on my touring bike from 700C road wheels and tires for the road to 26″ Mountain Bike wheels and tires that I use on trails and paths. This flexibility has made my disc brake bike a great investment for me because I use the same bike to do on and off the road riding.
Ken Whittaker