Disc brakes on road bikes

[MattHB]

Colnago seem to have managed

Welcome to a new era of high performance road bike braking, the Colnago C59 Disc.
Colnago have taken a bold step towards the future of road bike evolution with the introduction of the C59 Disc. Featuring fully hydraulic front and rear disc brakes it is set to bring a whole new level of performance and safety to the Colnago road bike line. The frame and fork are fully compatible with standard PM calipers too.
With twin 140mm diameter discs the frame and fork have also been redesigned in the key areas where the brakes are mounted. The fork is completely new, whilst at the rear of the main frame the chainstays and the seatstays are also new, to cope with the increased loading that the disc brakes generate at their mounting points. The C59 Disc is compatible with both electronic and mechanical groupsets.
Along with the main chassis changes, Colnago have also designed their own matching wheel system, the Artemis Disc. These wheels feature disc-specific hubs and full carbon composite wheel rims.
Now, no matter the weather, you can have the most powerful and controllable braking system available on a road bicycle. The system is easy to service, should it ever need servicing - as the system is essentially closed and there are no cables to replace or wear out. The regular maintenance will only consist of checking the brake pads for wear, and replacing them when needed - which is a simple five minute job.

Wow cool. I'm hoping it'll become mainstream... Having just worn out my first set of rims

 

[lukesdad]

Wouldn t mind slinging the nobblies on that and slinging it round the tracks at Brechfa

 

[ianrauk]

And looks like a lot manufacturers of road bikes are getting in on the act

HERE

 

[AndyPeace]

Hydraulic discs are the business, but i doubt they'd be able to get the weight of a hydraulic system low enough for roadies? Surely they'd be mechanical only

I have mechanical avid bb7's on my hybrid, which are hassle free, easy to set up... but there's no way they'd compete with a rim brake on weight. They are more powerful than my avid single digit 5's... but then that's their basic model. Never had any issues stopping with either brake, both having been ridden in harsh weather conditions. That said I'm featherweight myself so I don't need more stopping power. I do find the disk brake wheel needs regular truing, as it becomes undished by the one sided braking force, where my rim based braking wheels stays true for much longer and has no issues with dish.

 

[400bhp]

Colnago seem to have managed

But they haven't though, have they.

Read this article:

http://road.cc/content/news/64505-eurobike-2012-colnago-c59-disc-–-first-ride

The downsides are weight, with a disc system being heavier than a caliper and the need to strengthen frames to deal with the extra strain discs put on a bike.

 

[StuAff]

But they haven't though, have they.

Read this article:

http://road.cc/content/news/64505-eurobike-2012-colnago-c59-disc-–-first-ride

Yes, they have. Not perfect, no, but it's a start. And a large chunk of the issues Jo highlighted were down to the brake system, the Formula levers in particular, rather than the frame.

 

[400bhp]

Yes, they have. Not perfect, no, but it's a start. And a large chunk of the issues Jo highlighted were down to the brake system, the Formula levers in particular, rather than the frame.

Ian was specifically referring to the weight issue, which it would seem is still heavier than the caliper version.

That what my answer was addressing.

 

[ianrauk]

But they haven't though, have they.

Read this article:

http://road.cc/content/news/64505-eurobike-2012-colnago-c59-disc-–-first-ride

Fair enough.
Your review was a posted on the same website later then the one I posted.

Bottom line is, if you're weight weenie then it's a no brainer to stick with lighter calipers. If you're not, the disc brakes are a good progression for a road bike. And I think, like electronic shifting, down the line, most road bikes will have them.

 

[StuAff]

Ian was specifically referring to the weight issue, which it would seem is still heavier than the caliper version.

That what my answer was addressing.

The frame weight penalty isn't that much (would only really make a difference to weight weenies), it's early days and that is likely to come down anyway. More scope for reducing weight on the wheels to compensate, I'd have thought.

 

[Pumpkin the robot]

A disk break should give more "feel" than a rim mounted brake. If you have more feel you can stop quicker. If you can stop quicker you can leave your braking later. If you brake later you save more time. In my opinion you would save more time braking later, than you would gain by having a few hundred grams weight saving.

 

[earth]

I don't see the need for disc brakes on a road bike, but I also don't think they would be particularly crippling either.

It would cripple my wallet unless I wait about 10 years for the price to come down. By then I will be riding slow enough not to need them..

 

[earth]

Except that on MTBs they still aren't lighter than canti's or Vs despite years of development, so why ahould road bikes be any different?
.

I think you have it there. I can only see cable disc brakes as coming close to rim callipers in weight because rim callipers are so much simpler.

And we have not started on aerodynamics. Which pro rider is going to be the first to do a TT on a disc brake bike? Not quite the same as a road bike but nobody will use disks in a TT.

The benefits seem to only be useful for MTB as Andy P says.

 

[Rob3rt]

I think you have it there. I can only see cable disc brakes as coming close to rim callipers in weight because rim callipers are so much simpler.

And we have not started on aerodynamics. Which pro rider is going to be the first to do a TT on a disc brake bike? Not quite the same as a road bike but nobody will use disks in a TT.

The benefits seem to only be useful for MTB as Andy P says.

You generally do not brake that much in a TT!

 

[earth]

You generally do not brake that much in a TT!

No, its not quite the same thing. There aerodynamics is a big factor. On the road aerodynamics is probably less important, especially as people ride in wind cheating group. But after frame builders have put so much effort into the likes of the Cervelo S5 etc, how are they going to do a U turn and sell us disc brakes.

 

[Rob3rt]

I don't see your point! Can you elaborate/clarify?