UCI Allows Disc Brakes in International Competition.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Steigerwald on July 1, 2010 at 7:26am

It is an interesting development, but I wonder how long discs will take to really catch on? I suppose if guys like Nys, Stybar, Page etc. use them this season it will start a powerful trend, but I don’t see that happening. I could be wrong though, we’ll have to wait and see and maybe I will be eating crow.

Logically I don’t think the new legality of discs in UCI ‘cross competition will suddenly cause breakthroughs in the lightness of disc brakes due to any surge in R&D from brake companies. If racing on discs was a large factor in making them lighter wouldn’t they be super light already due to cross country MTB racing? It isn’t like pro mountain bike racers aren’t interested in saving weight too… They snap up anything that will save a couple of grams just like other bike racers and if there were super light options for disc brakes they would be on mountain bikes already. Look at the rapidity with which the new XX group took hold on pro mountain rigs. If a disc setup that was a light as cantilevers came out tomorrow they would be on XC MTBs by the next world cup race.

I don’t mean to sound like a naysayer, maybe discs will be generally accepted immediately by a majority of CXers. Disc brakes certainly have advantages and it is nice to have more options. I would be surprised if most bike manufacturers don’t have fittings for both cantis and discs on all of next year’s frames just in case.

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Permalink Reply by Rich on July 2, 2010 at 7:58pm

Good point, but, even XC riders require bigger brakes than CXers will. So dual 140mm rotors with smaller than MTB disc hubs (again, XC bike have to be beefier), and a refined brake would be significantly light than what is available on the market now for CX.

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Permalink Reply by Jeff on July 1, 2010 at 4:02pm

At this point I see the negatives far outweighing the positives on switching to discs. The weight, no neutral wheel support, and the cost are the main drawbacks I can see. I'm guessing Shimano has had something in the works and will be the first out with a setup considering they were the ones who have been in the UCI's ear to allow the change, and if the new XTR group is any indication on the direction they're going then I will definitely pass on their offering. The 2011 XTR group hasn't even come out yet and it already looks outdated. So if SRAM comes out with a XX equivalent it will probably be close to $1000 for those if you consider a flat bar front and rear setup costs almost $800, and a drop bar version will surely add to the price. Stu Thorne from cyclocrossworld.com says he's interested in working with a manufacturer to design "a tidy little hydraulic system for cross" so that sounds promising but is probably years away. I'm putting TRP's new CX9 v-brakes on my new build and will be happy with that for the time being. I think once people see how much the first disc bikes weigh the hype will die down pretty quick.

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Permalink Reply by Rich on July 2, 2010 at 7:47pm

Disc brake CX bikes have already been out:

http://www.roadbikereview.com/cat/latest-bikes/cyclocross-bike/sals...
Redline Pro's come with disc mounts on the frame, and the offer a disc compatible CX fork.
Bianchi had a SS that was basically an Axis frame with disk mounts f and r.
Heck, Bike Nashbar has been selling a CX frameset with disc mounts for a while now.

They just weren't on top end stuff cause it was banned by the UCI. We'll see what happens in the next few years.

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Permalink Reply by Jeff on July 2, 2010 at 8:16pm

I think were talking post UCI ban here. Nobody was in the market for one before because of the ban and the fact they all pretty much sucked. Clearly they've been out for a while but they were fringe offerings like this Lemond believe it or not. Now we'll start to see what the mainstream market will have to offer.

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Permalink Reply by Beth Hamon on July 3, 2010 at 8:26am

For the majority of amateur racers this will be a non-issue. If you're a mountain biker who happens tor ace cross you probably already have disc brakes on something. If you're a roadie/crosser who happens to do a little off-road now and then (i.e., short-track on a cross bike), it won't matter that your tires are skinny and that you have cantis.

Mostly I think this is about the UCI responding to the reality of trickle-down in bike technology, and wanting to maintain good relations with component manufacturers. The reality is twofold:

a. There is increasing crossover from the mountain bike scene into cross as more dirt riders get into cx. Also, the biggest youth movement in bike racing hasn't been on the road, it's been on the dirt, for at least the last decade. Anyone with an eye toward growing future markets of consumers already knows this and has been paying attention.

b. The UCI has accepted that more riders will come to cx from xc than from road for the forseeable future, and has responded with a rule change that makes commercial sense. Remember that the UCI also makes rule changes that tick off manufacturers because they seem to squelch development and innovation in the interests of slowing the component "arms race"; UCI has to make nice with bike and component makers and this is nothing more than a concession to that reality.

In any event, I see it is a non-issue for riders in the lower categories, at least for the time being.

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Permalink Reply by JesseD on September 8, 2010 at 7:45pm

Did anyone see the Stevens Cross bike with the disc setup? WOW! I'm still happy with my trp eurox's

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Permalink Reply by Jeff on September 9, 2010 at 9:13am

I would like to see a non-drive side pic of that bike. The bike they called "the real show stopper", basically the first pro carbon disc bike, and no pics of THE DISCS! Would a pro be using those pedestrian Avid mechanicals everyone else is using or does she have some new proto stuff?

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Permalink Reply by JesseD on September 9, 2010 at 6:53pm

It looks to me like those are shimano calipers. But I can't tell if they are hydro or not. I really doubt that they are, but If they are hydro that would be a major leap ahead for Shimano.

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