The only benefit of disc brakes for the average rider, is the ease of adding fatter tires onto road bikes. That’s it. But a redesign of mechanical brakes also would have worked fine for road bikes and been hella easier to maintain.
Conventional brakes are surprisingly effective when paired with fresh, quality pads that are properly installed.
I have both types on road bikes, and there is a definite improvement in stopping distance, which can be a selling point for faster riders in cluttered areas. I haven’t quantified it nor have I seen studies, but surely someone has done them.
I highly recommend trying out Swissstop BXP blue brake pads. They are night and day better than a standard pad for far less than the cost of a new scooter.
Won’t argue that a bit. But … discs require less hand force on the brakes and are much easier to stop quickly in a panic situation.
And I say this as a rim brake advocate. I have both types and appreciate them both for different reasons.
And I agree that for the average recreational rider on flat ground, disc brakes are mostly unnecessary and a rim brake would actually be better from an all-in utility standpoint.
As long as we’re talking the average road bike rider, the average rider rides on the hoods, not in the drops, and disc brakes make a world of difference in the amount of force that can be applied and modulated in that case. Discs can also be appropriate for those with weaker hands/arthritis & make things safer.
But once again, a higher performance or even just a fresh rim brake pad can close a bit of the performance gap.