My short answer to this question is that I do not plan to purchase another rim brake bike. I love my bikes, especially my Madone, but disc brakes would make the ride so much better. The problem I have with the brakes on my Madone is that there’s not enough stopping power. I have the same problem when I run carbon wheels on my triathlon bikes.
Reasons I Love Disc Brakes
More stopping power
Ability to modulate braking
Less maintenance
The 2-piece rotors look cool
Easier wheel swaps
Reasons I Waited
I hadn’t ever ridden them
Most bikes until this year were rim brake
People made them seem significantly heavier
There is a price difference
I wasn’t in the market for a new bike
More Explanation
My first disc brake experiences were limited to test rides, so I didn’t know too much about the difference in feel until working on bikes with disc brakes and eventually riding a Trek Emonda Disc for a week. I knew by that point the advantages of being able to modulate the braking power and the pads moving in as they wore down from working on them, but I didn’t realize the difference in stopping power until I rode them.
Going forward, I also like not having to swap brake pads if I swap wheels. If I plan to ride my tri bike outside this winter I will ride my carbon wheels, specifically because I don’t want to swap brake pads to ride my trainer wheels outside. My Domane though I can swap wheels with my husband’s Domane if I don’t want to take the carbon rims through the dirt and salt.
Overall, I see no true disadvantages to riding disc brakes on my road bikes and in the future my tri bike. I love my Madone, but a Madone SLR 7 Disc is on my wish list too.