Disc brakes on road bikes

[Yellow Fang]

I am not very in touch with cycle racing. I used to find it more interesting to read about it than watch it. To illustrate my ignorance, I am watching O Gran Cumino, and I noticed the race bikes all had disc brakes. How long has this been? It is probably a good safety thing. Beloki's crash when his tyre came off, partly owing to the heat generated by his rim brakes, makes me wince whenever I think of it.

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

I am not very in touch with cycle racing. I used to find it more interesting to read about it than watch it. To illustrate my ignorance, I am watching O Gran Cumino, and I noticed the race bikes all had disc brakes. How long has this been? It is probably a good safety thing. Beloki's crash when his tyre came off, partly owing to the heat generated by his rim brakes, makes me wince whenever I think of it.

A good few years. Disc vs rim still elicits heated debate amongst road bike users! You would struggle to find many new rim brake bikes on the market these days, mainly discs. Rim brake wheelsets are virtually obsolete. I sold two pairs on ebay recently and both were snapped up at buy it now price within 48hrs as they are a precious commodity now!

 

[matticus]

Beloki's crash when his tyre came off, partly owing to the heat generated by his rim brakes,

He locked up his front wheel under braking.

So apparently rim-brakes are :
- not good enough for descending, and also
- too good for descending

(that's enough heated debate from me ... ;P )

 

[Alex321]

I am not very in touch with cycle racing. I used to find it more interesting to read about it than watch it. To illustrate my ignorance, I am watching O Gran Cumino, and I noticed the race bikes all had disc brakes. How long has this been? It is probably a good safety thing. Beloki's crash when his tyre came off, partly owing to the heat generated by his rim brakes, makes me wince whenever I think of it.

It is several years now since almost everybody has had disc brakes in the pro peleton.

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

Disc brakes on pro road bikes must have become widely adopted maybe around 2020, certainly a few years back.

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

He locked up his front wheel under braking.

It was the rear, it locked then got stuck in the asphalt which had only been laid a few weeks before and still soft, which pulled the tyre off the rim.

Apparently Manolo Saiz had ordered Beloki to attack on the last two climbs even though he had teammate out front. He may well have won the Tour that year.