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Lotto-Soudal pro Adam Hansen says Specialized is trying to force disc brakes on peloton

Aussie rider claims “Tom Boonen was against disc brakes last year, now he’s retiring this year and loves them”

Lotto-Soudal’s Adam Hansen has weighed into the disc brakes debate by pointing the finger at US bike brand Specialized for trying to force the controversial technology on the peloton.

The Australian has been competing this week in the Abu Dhabi Tour and was the designated representative of the professional cyclists’ association the CPA on the race, which finishes today.

Two UCI WorldTour outfit currently have Specialized as bike sponsor – Bora-Hansgrohe, which has world champion Peter Sagan on its roster, and Quick Step Floors, whose line-up includes one of his predecessors in the rainbow jersey, Tom Boonen.

It was one of Boonen’s team mates, Marcel Kittel, who was in the news following the opening stage of the Abu Dhabi Tour, however, when Team Sky’s Owain Doull claimed that in a crash one kilometre from the line a disc brake rotor from the German sprinter’s bike had “sliced through” his shoe “like a knife.”

> Video: Team Sky's Owain Doull says disc rotor "cut through" his shoe "like a knife" in Abu Dhabi Tour crash, but video casts doubt on claim

Overhead camera footage suggested there was no contact between Doull and Kittel’s bike, but the following day the Quick Step Floors rider switched to conventional brakes “out of respect” for his fellow professional cyclists.

> Marcel Kittel ditches the disc brakes after Owain Doull controversy – and wins Abu Dhabi stage

The UCI reintroduced its trial of disc brakes this year after it was suspended following 2016's Paris-Roubaix, where Movistar rider Fran Ventoso blamed one for a deep cut to his leg sustained during a crash.

While disc brakes are now required to have rounded edges to reduce the risk of injury, the CPA has said that most of its members are opposed to the technology in its current form and want to see further protective features such as covers introduced.

Hansen, making it clear he was speaking in a personal capacity and not on behalf of the CPA, believes that there is pressure from manufacturers to get disc brakes into the peloton, singling out Specialized.

He told SBS: “I do believe – and this is just my opinion – that Specialized is pushing.

“Tom Boonen was against disc brakes last year, now he’s retiring this year and loves them.”

His own Lotto-Soudal team’s bike sponsor Ridley now produces disc-braked versions of its Noah SL and Fenix SL models, but Hansen said: “We’ve got bikes where we can have disc brakes, none of us want to use them.

“The other teams, they all have the option to use them but no-one is. I don’t want to be picking on sponsors or anything, but this is Specialized riders that are using them.”

The 35-year-old, who at the Vuelta last September completed a record 16th consecutive Grand Tour, revealed that the CPA was also concerned about the legal implications of disc brakes, with the riders’ union discussing the question of where liability would lie in the event of a an incident.

He said: “If you look at it as the riders are saying we’re against it, the UCI allows it … what happens if a rider did have a fatal injury from it? Who is liable for that damage? It can’t be Kittel that’s for sure.

“But if the UCI deemed it safe and it turns out it wasn’t safe in some sense, to me it seems the UCI is liable for it.

“From the industry side, I do think the bike manufacturers are pushing for it,” Hansen continued.

“They have brought it out. I know the fans they want to ride what the pros are riding, we’re not riding disc brakes and all the top line bikes [are] now with disc brakes, so in that sense I do know the manufacturers do want the riders to use disc brakes.”

He added: “It’s not that we don’t want disc brakes, or improvement in bike manufacturing, it’s just put a cover on them and then were all happy.”

> Video: Road disc brakes; what will they cut? road.cc takes an unscientific approach

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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49 comments

Avatar
Greebo954 | 7 years ago
0 likes

You have brakes!!!
Pussies ( of "pusilaminous" meaning "cowardly" not a referance to female genitalia so calm down )
Didn't have brakes on my Tomahawk, just jammed a plimmi between the back wheel and frame.

Avatar
D-Squared | 7 years ago
1 like

I've been riding with mechanical disks on my commuter for over 15 years ( so I'm not exactly a bike marketers dream). If I'm mixing it with cars on the road I definitely want the stopping power.

Avatar
LastBoyScout replied to D-Squared | 7 years ago
0 likes

D-Squared wrote:

I've been riding with mechanical disks on my commuter for over 15 years ( so I'm not exactly a bike marketers dream). If I'm mixing it with cars on the road I definitely want the stopping power.

And I've been riding with rim brakes on my commuter without any problems  1

I have 2 sets of hydro discs. The XT ones on my MTB are fantastic and I wouldn't ride off-road without them, the Hornet ones on my hybrid less so, but still perfect on that bike, as it's the one I use with my daughter's bike seat.

Equally, I have 2 sets of rim brakes on my road bikes (older set of 105 and Chorus - both on alu), which have been used on some pretty big hills (Alps and Pyrenees, including some pretty wet descents) and at no point on either bike have I felt I needed more braking power - as several other people have pointed out on this forum, you'll probably run out of tyre grip before you run out of braking.

Compare that to the 2 classic bikes I have with chrome rims and you'll never complain about modern rim brakes again!

I know when I'm riding disc brakes, as you can hear them occasionally "singing" riding along, because the pads don't really retract that far from the rotor and an bit of grit in there/not quite perfectly flat disk can catch, so there's definitely lost energy - my rim brakes, in comparison, are silent, as there's more clearance, so no lost energy.

There's an argument that disc brakes are higher/harder maintenance, but I don't really buy that from my experience. You do need to keep an eye on spoke tensions in disc wheels - in the early days of mountain bike discs, there were a number of folded wheels due to the leverage of the rim when the hub is stopped.

However, I am approaching the need to replace a set of rims for the first time ever due to brake wear - previously, I've only had to replace them due to breaking the rims before they wore out.

For me, the only reasons for using disc brakes on a road bike is that rotors are a lot cheaper/easier to replace when they wear out, or you have carbon rims with notoriously bad braking. Anything else is really personal preference.

Avatar
Billy1mate | 7 years ago
1 like

Professional riders, dry your eyes princesses, embrace the better stoppers and stay rubber side down, job done.

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MoutonDeMontagne | 7 years ago
2 likes

So the bloke who when recently asked what his favourite classic team jersey of all time was, replied "this one" pointing to the Lotto-Soudal logo, accuses another Pro of saying something because their sponsor told them too. Right. 

Pot, kettle? 

Avatar
IanW1968 | 7 years ago
1 like

MTB is about kit, Road is about being fit. 

 

I wonder if when it goes quiet on RoadCC its 'quick get a disc story out' !

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steviemarco | 7 years ago
2 likes

Personally I like the option of rim or disc brakes. I've nearly come a cropper a few times descending in wet conditions with rim brakes and carbon wheels, maybe it's my technique and braking too late, but I (personally) feel that disc brakes are better in the wet. In dry weather it's rim brakes all day but I live north east England and it does get a bit wet even in summer and discs are a good option. That's just my opinion and I'm not ever going to be in a peloton where Mr Hansens issues could arise.

 

PS I really don't like Specialized at all.

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Leodis | 7 years ago
5 likes

I have hydr discs on my commuter/winter bike and find them great, I get better modulation in the dry and better braking in the wet, the added bonus is in winter my bike isnt covered in black rim sludge from rim pads.  

I have just ordered my new best bike with DA discs, not because the Pro's will/wont use them but I have the choice that I can have them and enjoy the benefits.  The bike might not see much poor weather but Ijust prefer them wet or dry.

If people are resistant to change or see no benefit then thats their shout but these fake tales of disc rotor injury need to stop,  they are just aking the Pro's look like idiots, fair play if they don't want them but some do and they need to talk to the relevent people not the press.

Avatar
Alb | 7 years ago
7 likes

Aussie rider claims “Tom Boonen was against disc brakes last year, now he’s retiring this year and loves them”

 

Maybe, just maybe he's actually spent a meaningful amount of time riding them and changed his opinion unlike the rest of the whinging dinosaurs like Hansen. 

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Simon E replied to Alb | 7 years ago
6 likes

Alb wrote:

Maybe, just maybe he's actually spent a meaningful amount of time riding them and changed his opinion unlike the rest of the whinging dinosaurs like Hansen. 

The same 'dinosaur' who, among other things, has developed & maintains a logistics software package used by several WT teams and makes his own racing shoes? He should spend more time on his sofa instead of riding his bike for a pro team as he obviously knows nothing about those races in which he participates all year.

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dreamlx10 replied to Alb | 7 years ago
2 likes

Alb wrote:

Aussie rider claims “Tom Boonen was against disc brakes last year, now he’s retiring this year and loves them”

 

Maybe, just maybe he's actually spent a meaningful amount of time riding them and changed his opinion unlike the rest of the whinging dinosaurs like Hansen. 

 

Adam Hansen the whingeing dinosaur who has ridden and raced more miles on his bike than you ever will ?

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kentos1978 | 7 years ago
3 likes

I watched a video on YouTube interviewing an independent carbon repairer. He was saying carbon wheels were pretty unsafe, as it wasn't a great material to use for a rim. Yes, you could make it work but it was never great.
His opinion was that moving to disc brakes got manufacturers away from this design flaw, hence why they push them. Seemed like a reasonable argument to me.

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risoto | 7 years ago
3 likes

Of course it's about money - "follow the money" - never fails. I have one bike with Avid BB7.  As a casual rider I see no benefits:

1. They are always noisy - dry and wet

2. Need constant adjustment - loosen caliper bolts, pull the brake, tighten bolts. After every wash or whenever the wheel has been off.  And, be extremely careful not to get soap, detergents or oil on the pads.

3. I still have no idea how to replace the pads- manual is a mess, youtube no help, shopping for pads - two or three different products: which one to buy???

4. A racer might benefit from disc brakes - they react quickly in the wet so a good thing going down a mountain. I never ride mountains so I don't need that benefit. To be honest - I've never had a problem braking fast enough with caliper brakes.

5. It is extremely fast, cheap and easy to replace normal brake pads - one standard fits all. Installation and adjustment takes seconds, not several minutes.

6. Compatibility with other bike parts like hubs, wheels etc.  is a mess as others posted.

7. They are more expensive and add weight.

8. You crash and bend the rotor - expensive, complicated to replace and can you ride home with a bended rotor?

My next bike, you guessed it, will be without disc brakes!

Avatar
japes replied to risoto | 7 years ago
3 likes

risoto wrote:

My next bike, you guessed it, will be without disc brakes!

whereas I'll never buy another bike without them. each to their own! 

: )

Avatar
sunnyape replied to risoto | 7 years ago
7 likes

risoto wrote:

Of course it's about money - "follow the money" - never fails. I have one bike with Avid BB7.  As a casual rider I see no benefits:

1. They are always noisy - dry and wet

2. Need constant adjustment - loosen caliper bolts, pull the brake, tighten bolts. After every wash or whenever the wheel has been off.  And, be extremely careful not to get soap, detergents or oil on the pads.

3. I still have no idea how to replace the pads- manual is a mess, youtube no help, shopping for pads - two or three different products: which one to buy???

4. A racer might benefit from disc brakes - they react quickly in the wet so a good thing going down a mountain. I never ride mountains so I don't need that benefit. To be honest - I've never had a problem braking fast enough with caliper brakes.

5. It is extremely fast, cheap and easy to replace normal brake pads - one standard fits all. Installation and adjustment takes seconds, not several minutes.

6. Compatibility with other bike parts like hubs, wheels etc.  is a mess as others posted.

7. They are more expensive and add weight.

8. You crash and bend the rotor - expensive, complicated to replace and can you ride home with a bended rotor?

My next bike, you guessed it, will be without disc brakes!

1. Huh? My road disc brakes make the same sound as my rim brakes... stuff rubbing on metal. Try cleaning yours properly.

2. Constant adjustment? No more than rim brakes. Even easier still with hydraulic brakes. A child could do it.

3. No idea how to replace disc brake pads? Refer to my prior statement about age requirements.

4. Never had a problem with caliper brakes? You mustn't go very fast, ride in the rain or near other riders and cars.

5. One standard fits all? There's no 'standard' bottom bracket type, chain type, gearing indexing method, headset type, wheel width or diameter etc etc, yet you seem happy to accept that.

6. Rim brakes are compatible with rim brake hubs and ONLY rim brake rims. Disc brakes are compatible with disc brake hubs and ANY RIM type. Seems like an advantage not a disadvantage

7. Expensive? If you can't afford the latest technology, get a better job. Heavier? If you're too weak to be able to cope with the few extra grams, that must be why you ride so slowly.

8. Bend the rotor? A crash big enough to bend a rotor is big enough to destroy the whole wheel... and since when haven't bent wheels affected rim braking.

Good to hear you're happy to stay with rim brakes. Have you made the leap from 8 to 9 speed yet? Wait until you try a carbon frame instead of steel! And pneumatic tyres.... WOW!

As for 'complicated' to replace... your idea of complicated differs greatly from mine.

 

 

Avatar
Ciarán Carroll replied to sunnyape | 7 years ago
1 like

sunnyape wrote:

risoto wrote:

Of course it's about money - "follow the money" - never fails. I have one bike with Avid BB7.  As a casual rider I see no benefits:

1. They are always noisy - dry and wet

2. Need constant adjustment - loosen caliper bolts, pull the brake, tighten bolts. After every wash or whenever the wheel has been off.  And, be extremely careful not to get soap, detergents or oil on the pads.

3. I still have no idea how to replace the pads- manual is a mess, youtube no help, shopping for pads - two or three different products: which one to buy???

4. A racer might benefit from disc brakes - they react quickly in the wet so a good thing going down a mountain. I never ride mountains so I don't need that benefit. To be honest - I've never had a problem braking fast enough with caliper brakes.

5. It is extremely fast, cheap and easy to replace normal brake pads - one standard fits all. Installation and adjustment takes seconds, not several minutes.

6. Compatibility with other bike parts like hubs, wheels etc.  is a mess as others posted.

7. They are more expensive and add weight.

8. You crash and bend the rotor - expensive, complicated to replace and can you ride home with a bended rotor?

My next bike, you guessed it, will be without disc brakes!

1. Huh? My road disc brakes make the same sound as my rim brakes... stuff rubbing on metal. Try cleaning yours properly.

2. Constant adjustment? No more than rim brakes. Even easier still with hydraulic brakes. A child could do it.

3. No idea how to replace disc brake pads? Refer to my prior statement about age requirements.

4. Never had a problem with caliper brakes? You mustn't go very fast, ride in the rain or near other riders and cars.

5. One standard fits all? There's no 'standard' bottom bracket type, chain type, gearing indexing method, headset type, wheel width or diameter etc etc, yet you seem happy to accept that.

6. Rim brakes are compatible with rim brake hubs and ONLY rim brake rims. Disc brakes are compatible with disc brake hubs and ANY RIM type. Seems like an advantage not a disadvantage

7. Expensive? If you can't afford the latest technology, get a better job. Heavier? If you're too weak to be able to cope with the few extra grams, that must be why you ride so slowly.

8. Bend the rotor? A crash big enough to bend a rotor is big enough to destroy the whole wheel... and since when haven't bent wheels affected rim braking.

Good to hear you're happy to stay with rim brakes. Have you made the leap from 8 to 9 speed yet? Wait until you try a carbon frame instead of steel! And pneumatic tyres.... WOW!

As for 'complicated' to replace... your idea of complicated differs greatly from mine.

 

No need to be a complete dick in your reply

Avatar
BikeJon replied to risoto | 7 years ago
1 like

risoto wrote:

Of course it's about money - "follow the money" - never fails. I have one bike with Avid BB7.  As a casual rider I see no benefits:

1. They are always noisy - dry and wet

2. Need constant adjustment - loosen caliper bolts, pull the brake, tighten bolts. After every wash or whenever the wheel has been off.  And, be extremely careful not to get soap, detergents or oil on the pads.

3. I still have no idea how to replace the pads- manual is a mess, youtube no help, shopping for pads - two or three different products: which one to buy???

4. A racer might benefit from disc brakes - they react quickly in the wet so a good thing going down a mountain. I never ride mountains so I don't need that benefit. To be honest - I've never had a problem braking fast enough with caliper brakes.

5. It is extremely fast, cheap and easy to replace normal brake pads - one standard fits all. Installation and adjustment takes seconds, not several minutes.

6. Compatibility with other bike parts like hubs, wheels etc.  is a mess as others posted.

7. They are more expensive and add weight.

8. You crash and bend the rotor - expensive, complicated to replace and can you ride home with a bended rotor?

My next bike, you guessed it, will be without disc brakes!

I've been using BB7s since 2012 and really have experienced very few of these issues. The only real issue I had was need to adjust the caliper if swapping wheels. Maybe I've realised how to handle the pads and rotor early so avoided lots of these problems. But I basically just avoid touching the rotors with anything other than a clean cloth.

I also seem to be able to clean my bike and degrease the drivechain without covering my pads in grease. I don't generally need to even touch the pads but if they have got particularly filthy then I just remove them and scrub them together with plenty of washing up liquid and water. Dry them off and they are just like new again. They are no harder work than rim pads.

There are videos about changing the pads. It's easy. New ones are cheap and easy to find too.

I've done about 1000 miles with my BB7s since I used them for a rebuild project (I did a few thousand on them before this) and I've not touched them at all in that time. The braking is great (I really do stress you should use high quality compressionless housing) and they only briefly make an initial squeak under braking in the wet before the rotor clears and they are silent again. It sounds like you have contaminated the pad (or it's so badly worn you have metal-metal contact).

I will agree these models add weight but more expensive than what? They are similar to high quality rim calipers. 

In a crash you would be more likely to buckle a wheel than bend a rotor. The rotor wouldn't typically hit anything as other parts of the bike hit the road first. They are also inexpensive and easy to replace.

I don't mean to dismiss your experience so much but I'm struggling to see how you had so many problems.

Avatar
TypeVertigo replied to risoto | 7 years ago
1 like

risoto wrote:

Of course it's about money - "follow the money" - never fails. I have one bike with Avid BB7.  As a casual rider I see no benefits:

1. They are always noisy - dry and wet

2. Need constant adjustment - loosen caliper bolts, pull the brake, tighten bolts. After every wash or whenever the wheel has been off.  And, be extremely careful not to get soap, detergents or oil on the pads.

3. I still have no idea how to replace the pads- manual is a mess, youtube no help, shopping for pads - two or three different products: which one to buy???

4. A racer might benefit from disc brakes - they react quickly in the wet so a good thing going down a mountain. I never ride mountains so I don't need that benefit. To be honest - I've never had a problem braking fast enough with caliper brakes.

5. It is extremely fast, cheap and easy to replace normal brake pads - one standard fits all. Installation and adjustment takes seconds, not several minutes.

6. Compatibility with other bike parts like hubs, wheels etc.  is a mess as others posted.

7. They are more expensive and add weight.

8. You crash and bend the rotor - expensive, complicated to replace and can you ride home with a bended rotor?

My next bike, you guessed it, will be without disc brakes!

TRP Spyres, 2014.

1. There's some noise, yes, but nowhere near as frequent as you may think. Nor as loud or as annoying. Motorcycle brakes squeal a lot louder - and they do so consistently.

2. The only real adjustment I do is to account for pad wear, but nothing I wasn't already doing on my V-braked folding bike (and adjusting a V-brake is actually harder and more finicky). With hydraulic disc brakes, you don't even need to do that; they auto-adjust for pad wear. Once in a blue moon, I recenter the caliper over the rotor. I dismount and remount my front wheel on a daily basis, too. Here, I can show you how it's done on a Spyre caliper

https://accidentalrandonneur.wordpress.com/2016/02/05/adjusting-a-trp-sp...

3. I have no way of helping you, but I have something for fellow Spyre owners. It's one of my most popular posts ever. 

https://accidentalrandonneur.wordpress.com/2016/02/12/replacing-pads-on-...

4. Modulation means a Spyre caliper can react pretty quickly without lockup.

5. TRP uses pretty much the same Shimano pad shape for all its disc brake calipers for road use. Whether you use a Spyre, HY/RD or Hylex, you need only one pad shape.

6. My disc brake bike uses mountain bike QR hubs. No compatibility problems. It's not as if people have stopped making them. They're just not hogging the headlines. I don't even get rotor rubbing on my "weak-arse" QR skewers - the bike is plenty stiff enough.

7. Cheaper to replace a rotor than a wheelset once the braking track is gone. One of the only reasons why I'm considering a replacement wheelset is hub seals gone bad.

8. I've crashed on a few occasions. Rotor hasn't got bent, not even once. Even if you do bend a rotor, you can generally wrestle it back straight with a crescent wrench.

Never buying another bike with rim brakes.

Avatar
IanW1968 | 7 years ago
2 likes

Very few people would use carbon wheels in poor conditions over winter. I have a pair of Mavics that were £120 and are now in their 5th winter. 

I have no objection with anyone buying discs, go for it but they are not by any means needed for sporting riders. 

Its one of the pleasures of this sport that a good  rider who's put effort into fitness on a £200 bike will always be way ahead of a slacker with all the latest tech. 

Avatar
trohos | 7 years ago
1 like

 Who says that a wet rotor is better? Yet, who says that a hot rotor is better? Also, if the system isn't bleeding right?

For the rim wear,

rotor wear ( every company has individual system) + disc brake pads wear (every company has individual system) + bleeding + service. 

Avatar
wycombewheeler replied to trohos | 7 years ago
6 likes

trohos wrote:

 Who says that a wet rotor is better? Yet, who says that a hot rotor is better? Also, if the system isn't bleeding right?

For the rim wear,

rotor wear ( every company has individual system) + disc brake pads wear (every company has individual system) + bleeding + service. 

true but a rotor costs £25, while a pair of carbon wheels costs £600+ I know which ones of these I would rather consider to be a consumable part.

Avatar
trohos replied to wycombewheeler | 7 years ago
0 likes

wycombewheeler wrote:

trohos wrote:

 Who says that a wet rotor is better? Yet, who says that a hot rotor is better? Also, if the system isn't bleeding right?

For the rim wear,

rotor wear ( every company has individual system) + disc brake pads wear (every company has individual system) + bleeding + service. 

true but a rotor costs £25, while a pair of carbon wheels costs £600+ I know which ones of these I would rather consider to be a consumable part.

Believe me, if you have carbon wheels some carbon rotors costs +++

Avatar
sunnyape replied to wycombewheeler | 7 years ago
0 likes

wycombewheeler wrote:

true but a rotor costs £25, while a pair of carbon wheels costs £600+ I know which ones of these I would rather consider to be a consumable part.

 

Hear hear. This is a fact we've accepted on automobiles for decades.  When was the last time you heard someone say "Oh, I wish my car had rim brakes that gradually ground my magnesium alloys rims down and I had to throw them away".

I rememer once I had to brake heavily on a tollway to avoid rear-ending a car in front of me that had stopped abuptly. I felt the ABS kicking in to prevent wheel lockup. I looked in the rear view mirror and noted the car behind me had done the same; he also must have had ABS. Behind him a large cloud of rubber smoke appeared along with the sound of screeching tyres followed by the lurch as his car was hit from behind by an old car with non-ABS brakes. My mind wandered back to a TV show where a guy who had restored an 1940's Ferrari and he'd done a period correct restoration.... except he'd installed disc brakes and ABS, because it was just too unsafe to drive a non ABS, hub braked car on modern roads.

Avatar
BikeJon replied to wycombewheeler | 7 years ago
0 likes

wycombewheeler wrote:

trohos wrote:

 Who says that a wet rotor is better? Yet, who says that a hot rotor is better? Also, if the system isn't bleeding right?

For the rim wear,

rotor wear ( every company has individual system) + disc brake pads wear (every company has individual system) + bleeding + service. 

true but a rotor costs £25, while a pair of carbon wheels costs £600+ I know which ones of these I would rather consider to be a consumable part.

Also, braking is superior, particularly in the wet. Anyone who has seriously tried them can confirm that. Rotors only really get hot under a lot of repeating braking (e.g. twisty descent of a col). But rims also get hot under such conditions, to the point that tub glue can melt. I've had a tub deform on me in such conditions.

Yes, disk pads wear and rotors wear, as do rims and traditional pads. Not sure what the point is there. If you are talking about hydraulic system, then there is bleeding to initially do. But you can generally just leave it and it doesn't degrade like cables (though of course you get cable disk brake systems too). Again it's not much of a stumbling block so I'm not sure what the point being made is.

Avatar
barbarus | 7 years ago
5 likes

Main reason for discs on the road is good braking in poor conditions with no rim wear. Good for ordinary punters in British weather, not so much for pros who don't have to buy their own wheels and generally ride in much closer proximity and at the limit.

Avatar
trohos | 7 years ago
6 likes

   Hey, to be honest. Can anyone tell me a main reason that the disc brakes are needed in road? I agree, that in mtb, is  the mud but in road? My opinion is that really the industry push the things in "strange ways". When we can't produce anymore innovation we name some already existing things innovation. And the story goes like this (i have take my lesson from the mtb). Disc brakes need new levers,new lightweight rotors, new more rigid hubs and new wheels, all this need some new spare parts and some new tools. Maybe the next step is a new size of wheels for better rolling, and if the weight increased for all those things we can innovate again a 1x12 or 13 who knows maybe 14 sytem with 5-7 tooth gradation. All those will be incompatible with the old systems... and all will be happy!

   Αlso relating to road races, the accidents are more brutal owing to greater speed and crowded, can anyone ensure that this is ok?

Avatar
matthewn5 replied to trohos | 7 years ago
4 likes

trohos wrote:

   Hey, to be honest. Can anyone tell me a main reason that the disc brakes are needed in road? I agree, that in mtb, is  the mud but in road? My opinion is that really the industry push the things in "strange ways". When we can't produce anymore innovation we name some already existing things innovation. And the story goes like this (i have take my lesson from the mtb). Disc brakes need new levers,new lightweight rotors, new more rigid hubs and new wheels, all this need some new spare parts and some new tools. Maybe the next step is a new size of wheels for better rolling, and if the weight increased for all those things we can innovate again a 1x12 or 13 who knows maybe 14 sytem with 5-7 tooth gradation. All those will be incompatible with the old systems... and all will be happy!

That's the logic of capitalism: invent things and then convince people they can't live without them. Always has been.

Avatar
Altimis replied to trohos | 7 years ago
2 likes

trohos wrote:

   Hey, to be honest. Can anyone tell me a main reason that the disc brakes are needed in road? I agree, that in mtb, is  the mud but in road? My opinion is that really the industry push the things in "strange ways". When we can't produce anymore innovation we name some already existing things innovation. And the story goes like this (i have take my lesson from the mtb). Disc brakes need new levers,new lightweight rotors, new more rigid hubs and new wheels, all this need some new spare parts and some new tools. Maybe the next step is a new size of wheels for better rolling, and if the weight increased for all those things we can innovate again a 1x12 or 13 who knows maybe 14 sytem with 5-7 tooth gradation. All those will be incompatible with the old systems... and all will be happy!

   Αlso relating to road races, the accidents are more brutal owing to greater speed and crowded, can anyone ensure that this is ok?

Nope, there never "needed" in road, its just better braking but necessary? nope . . .

Its like bike manufacturer come with new idea, new tech and new thing. They just want to sell them.

How could bike manufacturer will make profits if people already have decent bike and they no needs to buy a new one in perhaps 3-4 years? Attention! S brand released a new bike! its 10% better! wat? by 10% better, its maybe 10% of 1 sec = 0.1 sec faster then they put smart word on it "10% faster! whoo!!!", that's reality. Bike too perfect, there almost no weak point to improve, even if they manage to improve it, they do increases by decimal . . .

So what? create a new standard, forced it, convice people that "Pros use them and win, why wound't you" BS propaganda, brainwashed people.

Its like Steel vs Carbon, clipless vs flat pedals, shallow vs deep wheels debates . . they all want to sell a new thing.

New technogoly is good, its make improvement and we enjoy it.

But "needed" ? nope, its never be needs, just people want a new thing to play with, company to sell a new thing to make profits, that's all.

I am not against new thing, I actually always sought to buy new thing but in my eyes, this never necessary.

Avatar
Yorkshire wallet replied to Altimis | 7 years ago
0 likes
Altimis wrote:

trohos wrote:

   Hey, to be honest. Can anyone tell me a main reason that the disc brakes are needed in road? I agree, that in mtb, is  the mud but in road? My opinion is that really the industry push the things in "strange ways". When we can't produce anymore innovation we name some already existing things innovation. And the story goes like this (i have take my lesson from the mtb). Disc brakes need new levers,new lightweight rotors, new more rigid hubs and new wheels, all this need some new spare parts and some new tools. Maybe the next step is a new size of wheels for better rolling, and if the weight increased for all those things we can innovate again a 1x12 or 13 who knows maybe 14 sytem with 5-7 tooth gradation. All those will be incompatible with the old systems... and all will be happy!

   Αlso relating to road races, the accidents are more brutal owing to greater speed and crowded, can anyone ensure that this is ok?

Nope, there never "needed" in road, its just better braking but necessary? nope . . .

Its like bike manufacturer come with new idea, new tech and new thing. They just want to sell them.

How could bike manufacturer will make profits if people already have decent bike and they no needs to buy a new one in perhaps 3-4 years? Attention! S brand released a new bike! its 10% better! wat? by 10% better, its maybe 10% of 1 sec = 0.1 sec faster then they put smart word on it "10% faster! whoo!!!", that's reality. Bike too perfect, there almost no weak point to improve, even if they manage to improve it, they do increases by decimal . . .

So what? create a new standard, forced it, convice people that "Pros use them and win, why wound't you" BS propaganda, brainwashed people.

Its like Steel vs Carbon, clipless vs flat pedals, shallow vs deep wheels debates . . they all want to sell a new thing.

New technogoly is good, its make improvement and we enjoy it.

But "needed" ? nope, its never be needs, just people want a new thing to play with, company to sell a new thing to make profits, that's all.

I am not against new thing, I actually always sought to buy new thing but in my eyes, this never necessary.

Reviews don't help matters. They write about cycles as if they were motorcycles, almost as if you don't need to pedal such is the "response" etc. You'd also think bikes had fairings as well, such is the aero talk, most of which deals with going 40kph+ so that'll be me out unless I'm having a really good day.

Avatar
IanW1968 | 7 years ago
6 likes

New brakes =

New frames

New wheels

New Groupset

= lots of money for the company.

 

  Off course they're promoting it. 

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