Nailed it. This is true for almost all bicycle endeavors save actual professional racing. Even then, a pro rider that isn't Egan, Sagan, or Froome is going to ride what the factory says to ride. If they (Specialized, Cannondale, Canyon, Etc.) need to pimp a new product, those dudes will pimp the product. Money talks.
Golf clubs are notorious for actually moving irons down the numbers to fool you into thinking brand new clubs are so much better. You go to a shop and hit your 6 iron on the golf simulator, then you hit a brand new 6 iron and see you hit it further, then you buy the new club thinking all your shots will go farther thanks to modern technology. What you don't realize is that what is called a 6 iron in your new set actually has the exact same specs as your old 4 iron, and might not really go any farther at all when you compare it to your old 4 iron.
It's the age old trap of selling beginners gear instead of practice (which makes manufacturers nothing).
I miss the big fat cannodale brazes, or the Tom Richie flourishes on the headtube and dropouts. But I don't miss needing massive rework to replace a rear derailleur dropout after every crash. :|
There is a lot of fud about discs in the road-biking circles, but it doesn't really hold up to scrutiny.
If you have rim brakes, and you like them, then great! Don't malign them because you dislike change though.
> Disc brakes offer better braking power, don't wear as quickly, and don't fade on long hills
These things are true, but in my experience the limiting factor is almost always grip. I've never been unable to lock up both wheels on road tyres (this is definitely not true off road where the advantage is obvious). This is even more the case in the wet, where disc brakes are touted as even more of an advantage. I do think people often use the straw man of crap cantis or centrpulls on steel rims. On maintenance I think it's less clear cut — if you don't maintain discs regularly they can get sticky and there is _nothing_ more annoying than disc rub, and this is worse on the road than off-road where a bit of grime in discs is to be expected and tolerated (and no worse than mud fouling rim brakes).
> Don't malign them because you dislike change though.
You've jumped straight to accusing me of being a luddite. I actually don't like the _look_ of discs on road bikes but will get them on my next bike for the increased tyre clearance. But I do have them on all my mountain bikes...
The post you replied to was about change for change's (and profit's) sake, to which you responded that that was the case for disc brakes, along with calling them stupid for racing.
Again, if you prefer them, aesthetically or otherwise, that's fine. They're not stupid though, or are they a money grab.
I'm considering upgrading my hybrid road bike to one with disc brakes just so I never have to deal with rim brakes again. (I currently have a 2015 Trek FX which I otherwise like a lot.)
In my 20's I learnt to ride motorbikes with associated disc brakes.
Then later a mountain bike with rim brakes. Nope, no way, never going there again.
Any bicycle I or my family has from now on is disc brakes. They are it, until I die or we find something better.
Better capability, easier servicing, more robust in terms of sidestepping rim warp. Better for the rider, better for the mechanic.
(Edit: clarity)