3 Most Unreliable Parts On Our Bikes. Too Light, Too Fragile...

[sabamacx]

If you want longetivity, buy components made for longetivity, i.e. commuting and touring bicycle parts.

Performance parts trade off these things.

[etact]

brake rubbing is the most frustrating headache even on any high end mountain bike. That;s why I sold off my MB and use my road bike. Calliper pads are so much easier, you can even adjust it while riding like the pro.

[boatman]

I was a sports car mechanic back in the 1960s when disk brakes first became common on road cars. So when I heard that disk brake systems were coming to bicycles I had to chuckle. I remarked to a friend that disk brakes on bicycles would experience even more problems than on sports cars as they would have to be made of much lighter and less durable materials. Rotor warping and wet weather performance were huge problems on sports cars and took several years to solve. So I have avoided disk brakes on my bikes. From the sound of this video it appears I made the right decision!

I agree for the brake parts and that's why I prefer good old school calipers on road bikes. the breaking feeling is not as good as disk brake, but it's enough to stop the bike if needed, and there is much less issues with calipers.

[ZafarSami]

I think the whole bicycling industry is overpriced. Many bicycles cost more than a cheap entry level motorbike, which has an engine and can be driven longer without part replacement...

[nelsonsilva]

Why do think they want road bikes with disc brakes?
To sell more brakes, more wheels, to have more thru axel standards, etc.
At the same time you could wait until you tested all brake pads types you have and see if there ir one that lasts longer.
Tires, buy michelin, almost no flats, grip very, very well and last much longer than the competition.

[JamesFryerCreative]

I think you have these problems because you are a racer. As a "casual" rider, I haven't had any bending or premature wearing out of disc parts.

[georgejudkins]

I agree with you on the pads and rotors. Own a Specialized Roubaix Disc and I am forever replacing pads and can never get no rotor rub and effective braking at the same time

[michaelwrigley]

This comment section is just great. A bunch of people complaining about problems that aren't that hard to solve. Spend 10 minutes a month maintaining your bike and all these problems go away. That and just get more durable components. If you wanna have the lightest stuff don't be suprised when it isn't the strongest. there are always trade offs. Sure car bake rotors don't bend. Feel free to run those 10lbs rotors on you carbon race bike. I am sure they will be haslte free. Why not out on a 5 lbs motorcycle chain while your at it. Comparing car or motorcycle parts to those on bikes makes nonsense seeing as the weigh many times more.

[mlee]

I had the Same problem with Super light disc rotors, I recently changed out my front to a heavier disc with less spaces, better braking response now. Tubeless is the only way to go for mtb..

[Thereisnospn]

Disc rotors: Cheaper rotors have more material. More heavy but more durable. Buy cheaper.
Brake pads: They are what they are.
Tires: Racing tires are thinner to save weight. Again: buy cheaper but heavier tires if flats are a problem.

It's always a compromise between sturdiness and weight and you always pay more for less. If you want more sturdy, pay less.

[erlendruud]

lol, if your brakes are rubbing it means your caliper is either not centered or your discs are warped, "too much air" it is made like this to relieve heat better. "tires are too thin" buy some thicker casing tires, not that hard man. brake pads wear out too fast? buy sintered pads, or just deal with it. I have been using my stock sintered brake pads on my enduro bike for more than a year, with riding almost every single day. Still have almost half of the pads left.

[mikethomson]

I agree with the list but I'd also add the Derailleurs

[jonahbert]

You make good points. I have disc brakes on a cyclocross bike that I use only for street. I bought the bike because it has wider tire capability (now a big trend, to wider rims / tires). I use heavy Schwalbe Marathon Plus on back and Continental Travel Contact DuraSkin Reflex Tire in the front. The little side knobs of the Continental are very useful if one strays off the pavement and wants to get back on. They are also reasonably priced.

It is all a compromise of weight. My bike is quite heavy but fairly bullet proof. Perhaps for downhill they need a heavy duty version, but I am happy with the discs for my application. I have never been happy with caliper brakes. So for me it is progress. With some wrench tweaking, one can often bend the discs so they do not rub. It really helps to have a bike stand. I have a top end bb-7 (HS1) disc on front that has lots of little holes for heat dissipation, and the standard Textronic disc on the rear. In terms of rubbing, they have the same tendency, no difference.

As for tires, going tubeless will probably spread to the street, but there may be more development to get the maintenance down to the tubed tire level. It is my understanding that they dry out say over the winter, or none use, so they need to be redone several times a year? I have no experience with tubeless.

[lacucaracha]

4:12 there are kevlar inlays to help againt punctures

[jakonovski]

The brake rotor thing is so true. I've taken a liking to mechanical disc brakes because they at least can be adjusted reliably not to rub.

[pellelatooy]

I don't quite agree with the rotor critisism, cars have much thicker discs, but the rubbing of the discpads is a normal phenomenon. Because of the enginenoise noise, you just can't hear it ! As for the carbonframes, I think you are right !😊

[volksquadman]

So right!-40 years ago i was competing on motocross bikes and riding mtbs for fitness- the evolving tech from MX found its way to mtbs, everything became too thin & light on mx bikes until tbey reached a standard where riders began understanding 'Too light' means cost & unreliability- once this affected sales, the manufacturers stopped making stuff like cheese Nd a compromise became reached.that took almost 5-6 yrs.
Unfortunately the same is happening with mtbs & emtbs- lightness rules and the public are dumb, but we all will eventually become fed up with replacing overpriced rubbish- only thing is, motocross bikes were mainly only bought to compete on so the evoloution happened faster but most who buy todays mtbs or emtbs just ride for pleasure. Most will never understand we are development 'guinea pigs'. Great vids- wish more bikers would speak the truth about ' upmarket stuff being like tinsel.

[RamsayMacFarlane]

I only have two complaints: REAR MECHS and TYRES! Rear mechs are constantly vulnerable and I often have to replace them, and the wear rate of drivetrains in general is very poor. Tyres need to be stronger, punctures are horrible! Even with tubeless setup you can still get a lot of punctures and tears with aggressive riding.

I'm not sure why you complain about the brakes, perhaps you're using them too much?! :P I ride in the worst conditions all year round and only have to replace my pads once every 4-6 months - you can get really cheap aftermarket pads that are great too!

[YZEtc]

The brake rotors on my bike are thin so they can bend to compensate for brake pad alignment and wear.
On an automobile or motorcycle, the caliper will either have pistons on both sides of the caliper or have a caliper that can slide side-to-side.
This allows the caliper and pads to center themselves on the rotor and squeeze evenly from both sides.
On my bicycle, the caliper is rigidly mounted and there is a caliper piston on only one side.
When the piston moves the pad toward the rotor and the pad touched the rotor, it keeps pushing until the rotor actually bends and finally contacts the other brake pad.
So, hearing a little bit of drag from the rotor won't amount to a hill of beans because it is constantly being bent from normal use, anyway.
This is why they have to be so thin: To actually allow them to bend as needed so the brake will actually work as designed.