Sport The Disc Brake Debate

The pro peleton are always resistant to change. Getting them to agree to anything is like turning an oil tanker. While I can't argue that having discs is another piece of metal to get you sliced, it's no worse than a chainring, bladed spokes or any other myriad of sharp bits and bobs that stick out of a bike. Quite frankley i think it's more about road race snobbery.

A bigger concern (from my perspective) is when you have half the field on discs and half not. The variation in stopping distance could make the decents quite hairy.

I do think discs are here to stay. We're already at a point where some disc brake bikes are lighter than than the rim equivalents and there are obvious benefits for the classics riders and races in bad conditions. It'll be a while before they become the norm in pro cycling though. That's less about the safety aspect and more about the fact that they're not actually a massive benefit for much of the season when it's dry, sunny and the roads are good.

 

I think discs allow for higher performance wheels, as the rim itself doesn't have to pull double-duty as both the wheel and the brake-surface. You can engineer the rim to be a rim, exclusively. Saving rotating weight is more important than static weight, and the further out from the hub you reduce it, the more performance increase you will see.

The road pros can do what they want. I just like keeping my rims from getting chewed up and having a brake that's easier to adjust and maintain.

 

Yeah. Huge benefit for the everyday consumer but barely a consideration for pro teams with sponsors and mechanics.

 

Mountain bikes have been very successfully run disc brakes for years and I see the resistance to road discs as rather misguided. Road racing is a rather conservative bunch so I'm not surprised to see the resistance.
The former CTC forum is a bastion of resistance to all that is modern. Their helmet section would be hilarious if it was so stupid.

 

All the scuttlebutt is saying it wasn't the disc at all and the incident was used to add grist to the anti disc debate. IIRC one of the manufacturers, is introducing a radiused edge to the disc which should finish the 'knife edge' debate. I'd welcome discs in the pro peleton as there's no better way to develop the technology , unless the UCI forms a committee of course.

 

If its such a big problem, make a plastic or carbon disc guard. How hard can it be?

 

Yes, I saw somewhere on net a picture with BD guard, and looks very good. I will search for it...

 

Yep, I agree. I really don't like brake disk. I don't know, made the bicycle look like motorbike. But it is a gain in performance. So it is beauty "or" the beast