>>9760031. Discs give the best brake performance and have great service lives (excluding certain hydraulic brakes that tend to require frequent service) but if you're not mountain biking or loaded touring it's debatable whether they're worth the associated costs to use.
2. With rim braking, the material on the braking surface determines performance. For braking power:
ceramic > aluminum > carbon > steel
Ceramic coated rims give the best rim braking performance (especially in wet conditions, because they don't get ground down like aluminum) but aren't common because they're expensive and brittle, which makes them vulnerable to damage. Aluminum is the standard because it gives very good performance, has good longevity, and is affordable. Carbon fiber braking surfaces require special brake pads that won't overhead the rims, even with the best brakes they never generate as much stopping power as with aluminum. Steel rims brake reasonably well in dry conditions but are abysmal when wet - steel rims do have one advantage in that the brake track will essentially never wear out, but they have disappeared from all but the crappiest bikes because they make for very weak wheels unless the rim is overbuilt and heavy.
>>975924I'd go for the racer if you want to ride fast on pavement, the endurance if you want a bike that you can also use comfortably for commuting/touring or gravel racing.
>>976014That's a fair asking price assuming everything works and the tires, chain, and cassette have lots of life remaining.
>>975836depends on the shorts, but as long as they fit you and aren't too baggy, they'll work fine for commuting
>>975936http://miami.craigslist.org/brw/bik/5652841516.htmlhttp://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/bik/5666337012.htmlhttp://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/bik/5640692058.htmlAll of these are your size, within price range, and would be sufficient for commuting. None are great enough that I would buy unless tires are good and no repairs required.
