Open letter by Vents regarding disc brakes **Graphic photos**

[Danger Dassie]

I have ridden a few bikes with discs in the last while and one thing that scared me was braking on very steep descents.Touch the front break to hard and the back wheel lifted.

 

Would be interesting to see what type of cover is used so that it doesn't effect the cooling of the callipers.

 

 

The modulation takes getting used, it's a different way of braking for sure. But I kinda like the feeling of the back wheel doing that    

I have a CX bike for road, commuting and general dicking around, cannot wait to throw discs on it! 

 

Seen previous covers on early mtb discs and motorbikes, don't think it'll be an issue. May even get some engineer using it to provide better airflow. 

 

Disc Brake Covers

[gummibear]

XCO racing has had no mayhem with discs and they've been using discs for around a decade now. Plenty close proximity racing and crashes there, especially the starts.

Don't often see more that 3-4 riders going down together in XCO racing.

 

The pro's know the risks involved with racing and that there could be crashes.What about the guys riding for fun and getting into a crash at Argus and losing a finger?

[Danger Dassie]

One exposed chain ring per bike 

Two discs per bike

Double the chance

 

Chain ring is in the centre and more or less shielded by the crank and pedal, its less likely to penetrate a rider from the sharp ends.

Discs are on the outer periphery more chance of penetrating a rider 

 

XCO and road pelotons, 2 very different scenarios cant compare

 

A cover will work but not going to be popular from an aesthetic perspective.

 

Discs on road bikes are an excellent solution in theory, but injury and traction (loss of control when panic braking) are an issue.

 

Rear rotor is centered inside of the frame, so as relative as the chainrin witch is nearly twice the size anyway.

 

XCO and road might be different but the proximity of riders are very much comparable in a crash and injury from bikes scenario.

[gummibear]

The modulation takes getting used, it's a different way of braking for sure. But I kinda like the feeling of the back wheel doing that    

I have a CX bike for road, commuting and general dicking around, cannot wait to throw discs on it! 

 

Seen previous covers on early mtb discs and motorbikes, don't think it'll be an issue. May even get some engineer using it to provide better airflow. 

 

Disc Brake Covers

I don't mind losing a bit of traction on the mtb where I'm sitting high but on the road on the drops....eish no thanks.

 

Covers will take a while to take off but hope they brought out soon.

[Danger Dassie]

Don't often see more that 3-4 riders going down together in XCO racing.

 

The pro's know the risks involved with racing and that there could be crashes.What about the guys riding for fun and getting into a crash at Argus and losing a finger?

 

Proximity with riders is the same, there's been some spectacular start crashes, even one including Buys at the Olympics. 

There's 1000s of people riding Argus with discs on their MTBs no fingers yet. 

 

I think the risk is more perception than anything else, and now there's a knee jerk reaction because of an incident that hasn't even been 100% confirmed. 

IMHO there's as much danger impaling yourself on a brake lever as there is slicing off body parts. 

[Dragu]

Disc brakes on a road bike is a bad idea for as many reasons as it is good.  At the end of the day there is no need for them and as usual it all boils down to greedy bike companies who need something new to sell us so we will buy the "latest greatest new bike"   

 

Well not me, nothing wrong with the current brakes and no desire for my road bike to look like a MTB!

[gummibear]

an incident that hasn't even been 100% confirmed. 

 

Lampre and Merida seem to be denying it.

[Danger Dassie]

Lampre and Merida seem to be denying it.

 

Yeah I noticed that, but to be fair I reckon that should also be taken with a pinch of salt, until/if it can be confirmed either way. 

[sliktrik]

Dons flameproof suit in advance :-)

 

That wound looks too messy to be caused by a disc only (which should cut cleaner; I am in my mid 40's and have raced since my teens, I think I have seen every type of road cycling accident).

 

My road bike has discs and as a big guy (6'3"/115Kg) I really appreciate the extra confidence the discs bring for stopping at speed and for descending - I don't feel the same level of comfort on my rim brake machine (Domane 6.9 Disc vs Domane 5.9)

 

The biggest issue however, to my mind, is mixing the two types of brakes in a bunch, especially in conditions that aren't optimal for rim brakes i.e. wet, muddy, etc if you grab a handful on disc based machine you are going to stop quicker and in a different manner than those around you and that brings uncertainty in the bunch and uncertainty brings accidents or worse accidents (I soon learnt to move to the back of the bunch this past Sunday morning after a couple of incidents from nervous riders in the middle of the bunch). 

[V12man]

Disc brakes on a road bike is a stupid idea anyway

No - it's not stupid - stronger lighter wheels, better modulation, better wet weather performance,not too sensitive to buckled wheels - a solid development indeed.

 

As to if that cut is really from a disk - given that he didn't fall off its hard to imagine how that was achieved exactly.

 

Seen much worse damage from chainrings though.

 

Really an unlucky injury for him and hopefully it wont leave more lasting damage than some minor scarring.

[SwissVan]

Rear rotor is centered inside of the frame, so as relative as the chainrin witch is nearly twice the size anyway.

 

XCO and road might be different but the proximity of riders are very much comparable in a crash and injury from bikes scenario.

 

There are no pelotons as such in XCO or even XCM (except at the start of a UCI XCO which can have 100+ riders) that can compare to road pelotons. Groups are larger, riders in closer proximity and higher speeds. Road pelotons are like a sardine bait ball in the sea, you don't see that in mtbking.

 

A solution might be to redesign the disc shape to round it off more and loose the sharp edges and shapes....I'n not convinced a cover is the long term solution, might just create more problems.

 

And an abs system to prevent the wheel from locking for better traction.

[Ramrod]

I LOVE the disk brakes on my road bike!

[Ramrod]

I LOVE the disk brakes on my road bike!

[J∆kk∆ls]

Front wheels also come off in crashes. I think a front disk klapping you on the ear from a rider behind you could spell disaster.

 

That leg by the way. Eina bliksim.

[SwissVan]

No - it's not stupid - stronger lighter wheels, better modulation, better wet weather performance,not too sensitive to buckled wheels - a solid development indeed.

 

As to if that cut is really from a disk - given that he didn't fall off its hard to imagine how that was achieved exactly.

 

Seen much worse damage from chainrings though.

 

Really an unlucky injury for him and hopefully it wont leave more lasting damage than some minor scarring.

 

Unfortunately for bicycles in sport as we know it, chain rings are not an option

 

 

Yeah I noticed that, but to be fair I reckon that should also be taken with a pinch of salt, until/if it can be confirmed either way. 

 

http://cyclingtips.com/2016/04/ventoso-confirms-disc-brakes-sliced-his-leg-open-calls-for-action-on-giant-knives/

 

From the horses mouth:

 

Ventoso confirms disc brakes sliced his leg open, calls for action on ‘giant knives’

by Shane Stokes

April 14, 2016

Photography by Shane Stokes, Fran Ventoso Facebook page

 

Three days after Fran Ventoso was hospitalised at Paris-Roubaix amid rumours that a disc brake had caused the injury, the Movistar has confirmed this was indeed the case.

 

Ventoso has released an open letter describing the full circumstances of the accident and has called for a rethink on the usage of disc brakes in their current form in the peloton.

 

He pointed out that two teams used them in the race and, with eight riders per team and two disc brakes per bike, that equalled 32 such brakes in the peloton.

 

“Let me take you to 130km into the race: into a cobbled section, a pile-up splits the field, with riders falling everywhere,” he said, explaining the circumstances. “I’ve got to break but I can’t avoid crashing against the rider in front of me, who was also trying not to hit the ones ahead.

“I didn’t actually fall down: it was only my leg touching the back of his bike. I keep riding. But shortly afterwards, I have a glance at that leg: it doesn’t hurt, there’s not a lot of blood covering it, but I can clearly see part of the periosteum, the membrane or surface that covers my tibia.”

 

He said that he got off his bike in shock, lay on the ground and waited for an ambulance.

Dismissing any notion that it was an isolated incident, he said that the same thing happened soon afterwards.

 

“15km after my incident, Nikolas Maes, a rider from Etixx-Quick Step, comes into the very same ambulance I’m sitting in. There’s a deep wound in his knee, produced by another disc, one of those 32.

 

One question comes inevitably and immediately to one’s mind: what will happen when 396 discs get into a race where 198 riders ferociously battle for position?

 

“Disc brakes should have NEVER arrived into the peloton, not at least as we know them right now. I haven’t met any rider who has run out of braking power with traditional brakes; I haven’t known anyone who didn’t see his wheels skidding when you brake with all power you’ve got, no matter traditional or disc brakes. Then: why [are we] using them?”

[SwissVan]

I just hate the idea of listening to a disc brake rubbing sound and having to fiddle with pads and pad clearances...much easier to adjust on a rim brake and can even be done while riding.

 

hehe

 

G'night