Team Roompot is using disc brake-equipped road bikes in the Eneco Tour that’s currently taking place in the Netherlands and Belgium. This is the first time that disc brakes have been used by professional road racers.
The Dutch Pro Continental team Tweeted this photo (above) earlier today. It’s not the best picture but they’re SRAM’s hydraulic disc brakes fitted to Roompot’s Isaac bikes.
"The aim is to eventually introduce disc brakes to all levels of road cycling," said the UCI and the World Federation of Sporting Goods Industries (WFSGI).
They announced that the process would start during August and September when all teams would be able to use bikes with disc brakes during two events.
That time has now arrived and it’ll be interesting to see how things develop from here. Although Team Roompot and Isaac appear to have jumped at the opportunity to use disc brakes in pro road racing, Trek didn’t seem particularly eager to provide their Trek Factory Racing riders with this technology when we visited them back in June. In fact, they seemed to be decidedly lukewarm on the subject.
Time will tell. We’ll keep our eyes open for more developments.
What do you reckon? Are disc brakes a welcome addition to road racing? Let us know what you think.
44 thoughts on “Disc brake-equipped bikes enter professional peloton”
Seems odd that they’re not
Seems odd that they’re not being phased in with all teams using them at once. Splitting the peloton seems to be inviting problems with neutral service, some riders being able to outbrake others etc. Still, it’s about time this finally happened.
Chuffy wrote:Seems odd that
Well, Campagnolo aren’t ready. So not everyone can start using them. It’s no different, in any event, to electric. Shimano got in first. Campag caught up. SRAM have yet to respond.
Oddly SRAM are now well positioned with Wifi and Hydraulic……
bendertherobot wrote:Chuffy
If Campag aren’t ready that’s their problem – it’s not as if discs are brand new tech that no-one has ever tried before. Holding back tech because Historically Important Supplier A is stuck in the dark ages isn’t a good reason for the sport hang about twiddling its thumbs. The comparison with electric doesn’t really hold – it has no impact on how the peloton rides or on neutral service. Discs do.
I wonder how the pro-discers
I wonder how the pro-discers will take it if/when many pros choose to stick with rim caliper brakes, for weight and heel-clearance/geometry reasons.
Paul J wrote:I wonder how the
I will be devasted and will probably do some kind of massacre somewhere….possibly involving cakes.
Though it’d be near impossible on a disc braked bike with them heel clearance issues you mentioned.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Paul J wrote:I wonder how the
dodgy wrote:Paul J wrote:I
This is definitely post of the day!
Yebbut, no Di2 on that bike,
Yebbut, no Di2 on that bike, still on prehistoric trad cabling.
Actually on the electronic,
Actually on the electronic, campaign were there first (in recent years, obviously mavic zap was the real pioneer) weren’t happy with it, kept developing it, meantime shimano came out with di2, Campag reckoned that if that was good enough for the market then theirs was indeed ready for launch hence it followed on so fast with EPS.
On the discs, Campag and Shimano reckoned they were no use for road racing a few years ago, I feel there hand has been forced.
It’s no secret who Campags partner is on this, it’s the same one that kept overheating the prototypes 10 years ago!
Well, the difference would be
Well, the difference would be in differential braking distances, particularly in the wet. If a peloton are all taking tight corners together, or if someone’s following someone else’s line on a descent, there are potential safety implications; it remains to be seen how serious they are, hence the testing period.
But there’s no analogous worry regarding electronic shifting, merely some riders’ kit potentially giving them a small extra advantage.
I think Campagnolo are
I think Campagnolo are playing it well, why rush into untested tech i.e. SRAM who have lost a lot of confidence in their product. Shimano already have been producing hydr disc and just adapted known tech. Though the one thing about Campagnolo is that like EPS it will be overly expensive to the point it becomes elite.
Leodis wrote:I think
SRAM’s tech is fine. They recalled the first gen because there was a slight risk. The second gen works well and compares very well to Shimano. It’s been out there on people’s bikes for ages now. Loads of CX’ers on it. Both SRAM and Shimano had the technical know how, they just had to adapt it to a road setting. Campag don’t have much apart from a bit of history. Brembo is quite a good partner to have mind………
There’s another issue here. Campag is really the Rapha of tech. The people that buy Campag may not be that interested in that product.
bendertherobot wrote:
SRAM’s
well, the FAQ’s on their website still state they’re working on the problem and they don’t know when it will be sorted. Perhaps the second generation is fixed, but that still leaves a problem for those with the original equipment. Which should last more than 12 months, in my book.
As for ‘slight risk’, I’d rather not take a risk, however slight, of (and I quote) ‘an abrupt loss of brake power, and an inability to stop the bike’.
Well they make their own wheels, for a start, which is more than can be said for Shimano. Sure, they don’t sponsor as many teams as Shimano do – but perhaps they don’t feel the need with the loyal following they have. And as for repairability and backward compatibility, I believe it outperforms Shimano in that regard too.
I don’t know what that means as I don’t know your objections to Rapha, but assuming it’s about being overpriced – well, my Veloce groupset, which has been functional on my bike since 2010, having survived various frame changes, is cheaper than the 105 equivalent.
If it’s a belief that Campag is about form over function, I’m happy to report the stuff looks good and works well too (see above).
There’s nothing wrong with Shimano either, by the way – my experience with 105 and some of their own brand wheels is that they work very well.
I think it’s good news simply
I think it’s good news simply because widespread adoption will force manufacturers to settle on axle/dropout standards.
Currently there is a mish mash of quick releases, front thru-axle/rear qr, dual thru-axle and different thru-axle designs.
Standardisation will benefit consumers, bike shops and neutral technical support at races.
Speaking of neutral
Speaking of neutral service…pity the poor mechanic trying to deal with a rubbing rotor when leaning out the side of a team car. How on earth is he supposed to do this? It takes me minutes to get mine right in a proper bike stand after swapping wheels.
I’m all for discs in other applications – commuting, winter training bikes, sportives but for me it doesn’t work in the pro peloton due to the above. So I’m interested to see what happens (probably complete bike swaps).
BikeJon wrote:Speaking of
Sounds like you need to employ some thin spacer washers to get the discs consistently aligned on all your wheels, will save lots of faff. I do see your point though, the tolerances are much closer so I suspect it could cause problems in that narrow field. Personally I wouldn’t buy a bike without disc brakes now but then I’m not a pro or a road racer and I couldn’t particularly give a monkeys if they use them or not.
joemmo wrote:BikeJon
Sounds like you need to employ some thin spacer washers to get the discs consistently aligned on all your wheels, will save lots of faff. I do see your point though, the tolerances are much closer so I suspect it could cause problems in that narrow field. Personally I wouldn’t buy a bike without disc brakes now but then I’m not a pro or a road racer and I couldn’t particularly give a monkeys if they use them or not.— BikeJon
That’s true to an extent, thin shims could correct minor variations in hub dishing between wheels, but that’s not the only factor in play.
Some calipers are worse than others, but the clearance when fully open is usually razor thin compared to rim-pad clearance, so even changing the skewer tension on the same wheel can have a deleterious effect.
It’s only a matter of time until they get the technology dialled though and I’m looking forward to it, unlike some of the luddites here!
Meh.
It’s not a revolution,
Meh.
It’s not a revolution, it’s just a different way of slowing a bike down. It has been amazingly over-done on the internet but will cause very little in the way of actual change when it comes to riding a bike.
Crikey, I’m really impressed
Crikey, I’m really impressed that you are in a position to be able to say that something wont have much of an impact on the professional peleton, what inside info do you have to be able to make such a confident and knowledgeable statement?
@bikejon
You make a good
@bikejon
You make a good point.
If the wheel is swapped like for like then there is no issue. This is where standardisation could assist.
If the hub changes the disc caliper position over the rotor centre needs resetting, due to small lateral differences on the rotor mount
@bikejon
You make a good
@bikejon
You make a good point.
If the wheel is swapped like for like then there is no issue. This is where standardisation could assist.
If the hub changes the disc caliper position over the rotor centre needs resetting, due to small lateral differences on the rotor mount
I’m trying to work out why no
I’m trying to work out why no one is taking issue with Team Roompot.
Team Roompot. I mean, really. Jeremy Beadle couldn’t have done it better =))
Well, I can only speak from
Well, I can only speak from personal experience, but having used disc brakes and caliper brakes, and racing cyclocross and mountain bikes and road bikes and having raced in the UK and Spain and Belgium and Holland, and having ridden bikes for 30 years, I can’t see that it will make any great difference to riding a bike.
Your mileage may vary, as people say…
Disc brakes work in CX
Disc brakes work in CX because you have a 2-3 bike scenario for each rider. The only way to currently do a problem free swap out if you puncture is to do a whole bike swap. Can you see every team deploying 2-3 bikes per rider in the caravan? No. This is why it won’t work until you can change a wheel on anyone’s team bike in 5-15 seconds with no issue. *walks off*
Quote:I’m trying to work out
Ha Ha Ha.
Lets all laugh at the funny foreign sounding name…
Dimwit.
If I, as a complete bonehead
If I, as a complete bonehead amateur, can modulate my (disc) braking to co-exist with my predominantly rim-braked buddies when out on a road ride completely incident-free.
To suggest that professionals cannot do the same is demeaning and disingenuous: I ride to the conditions, my skill level and the skill level of those around me – once we’re in close proximity then we all have to trust each other to do the right thing in terms of steering and braking.
Sure the pros are probably riding closer together and definitely riding faster but that’s exactly because they are pros – and I’m not.
Man of Lard wrote:If I, as a
I don’t think anybody said that they couldn’t do it, in a racing situation those with discs will be maximising the benefit of those discs. They aren’t on a club ride…
PaulBox wrote:
I don’t think
The point is that the “received wisdom” is that it will somehow cause crashes by the differentiation in braking performance – only if the riders are all gung-ho nobbers (rather than professionals).
I think the introduction of
I think the introduction of disc in the pro peloton is an unstoppable train and always was. It doesn’t matter what you think about them, in 3 or 4 years from now you will only disc brakes and a common standard.
Personally, i have discs on 2 of my 3 road bikes and i love them to point where my caliper bike is now my turbo trainer bike and never sees tarmac. Discs are so much better for me, particularly in the wet. You can leave your braking, particularly on the front, so much later going into corners and it’s where j usually ambush my caliper mates and drop ’em.
Certain people just come
Certain people just come across as being so desperate for disc brakes to be fundamentally flawed in some way and the excuses for not liking them are wearing thinner than a carbon rim with rim brakes! I’ll leave it to the white heat of actual racing to decide if the things provide an advantage to certain riders in certain conditions and that is still only a relevant test for racing not the road riding that most of us indulge in.
They’re here, they work, get over it.
Mungecrundle wrote:excuses
Not a great analogy given carbon rim wear rate is very ,very slow and certainly slower than Aluminum!
But I agree that disc brakes have the potential to vastly improve braking esp in poor conditions, having used them on mountain bikes for some time.
Bernhard Eisel has tweeted
Bernhard Eisel has tweeted pics of his new disc equipped Dogma this morning. Can’t work out how to get the pic’s on to here though… :/
Add as file attachment or
Add as file attachment or upload to youtube and add a link 🙂
Add as file attachment or
Add as file attachment or upload to youtube and add a link 🙂
I think Ali rims versus
I think Ali rims versus carbon in the peloton is more of an issue, disks will give carbon the breaking it needs but at what cost, wheel change unlikely full bike change yes, but how many bikes can a team support car really carry. Does disk really give you an edge against a well set up ally rimmed wheel. I put Swiss Stop blues on my ally rimmed carbon C50’s massive improvement.
I have nothing against disc
I have nothing against disc brakes only those that insist that they are the miracle solution to braking in the wet as if a dry braking surface somehow enhances the contact between tyre and road. A slippery road is a slippery road.
I’ve dealt with braking in the wet without incident for 35 years now by braking earlier and by not going out in the wet. 😀
Also – and I realise that opinions differ on this – I think disc brakes look very ugly and clunky. If the pros need them fine but I’ll choose the equivalent of an E Type Jaguar over a Range Rover every time.
Don’t get me started on Campag V Shimano. I’ve bollocked Campag for making black brakes in recent years. Very vulgar.
Now it seems that the Flat
Now it seems that the Flat Mount and 142mm bolt thru are the standards being pushed forward there should be some interesting things to come in the years ahead.
Campagnolo will definitely have something up their sleeves, it’s naive to think the opposite, I’d hazard a guess they’ll have been working with Formula to get something ready.
Having discs on my commuter I can safely say I prefer them, guaranteed consistant functionality in all weathers and can’t wait to get my new road bike with hydro discs later this year. The thought of having lighter carbon rims with no heavy braking surface to delaminate is an exciting one.
Lighter rim weight is a major
Lighter rim weight is a major bonus 🙂
D.D. wrote:Lighter rim weight
Go tubular. That’s where you save rim weight.
earth wrote:D.D.
Tubular disc rims, next level.
Broady. wrote:
Campagnolo
been told it is Brembo but anyway, makes more sense for Campag to buy the technology than to develop from scratch.
Brembo works for me, those
Brembo works for me, those things look awesome, Ferrari yellow plz.
Was quite surprised campag
Was quite surprised campag have gone with brembo when formula have been making disc brakes for mtb for years and are not far from campag
Will have to wait and see what they come up with
I personally dont think there ever will be one standard when it comes to disc brakes and bolt thu axles just look at bb’s or seatposts for example
some manufacturers favour 140mm discs some 160mm, some prefer qr others 15/12/10mm thru axles
I know one manufacturer who says their frames wont come with a thru axle on the rear as the rear end of their frame is stiff enough as it is and it would be pointless
Im pro disc but couldn’t care less if the pro peleton adopt them or not
Disc brakes work for me in the conditions i ride in and in the areas i ride in, they have saved me more than once when i know rim brakes wouldn’t have stopped me in time (almost high sided a cow!!!!)
Once you have tried discs for a serious amount of mileage in all weathers then go back to calipers you realise just how good they are
My bike uses 6 bolt disc brakes with qr hubs front and back, ive tried my hardest to cause disc rub with no luck, out of the saddle, pulling the bars etc…
Even when removing the wheel to fix a puncture i just remember how many times i turned the skewer to release the wheel and do it back up the same amount and get no disc rub
Some people will be always against them, let disc brakes prove themselves in pro racing and if they don’t then the nay sayers can say i told you so lol
As with any new technology (well new to road bikes anyway) things will improve, get refined and made even better
The only time I’d want them
The only time I’d want them is when it is wet but I could just switch out my carbons to aluminums and reduce my PSI. I’m not sold on the need but I am on the convenience.