As we learned at the start of the week, the governing body for competitive cycling – the UCI – has confirmed that riders in next year’s pro peloton will be able to compete in any major races using road bikes equipped with disc brakes.
This means the 2016 season will serve as a test to allow riders and teams, as well as the UCI, to determine whether or not disc braking will work in the pro peloton.
This is a pivotal moment for the disc brake – a component that still causes controversy among roadies. Despite discs being an increasingly familiar sight on endurance bike spec sheets, and their domination in the gravel bike sector, resistance from many roadies is still strong. In fact, the disc debate ranks second only to the helmet debate in its potential for forum-based flame wars.
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Whatever you think – and do be sure to let us know in the comments below – here are five reasons why I reckon roadies should chill about discs.
1. They probably won’t kill you in a crash
Crashes are inevitable, and unfortunately so are injuries, but I don’t think the introduction of discs will end up killing anyone anytime soon. Take a look across to mountain bikes or even motocross and you’ll see that, thankfully, injuries directly relating to disc brakes are few and far between.
Many riders are concerned about burns, and it’s true, disc brake rotors and hardware can and will get seriously hot. But I think it'll be relatively easy for manufacturers to introduce guards/shields around the discs to prevent such injuries. Let's not forget that the superior braking control offered by discs might even prevent the crash in the first place..
2. You can still change a wheel, and fast
3. This technology isn’t really new
4. They work better when the weather gets foul
5. They’ll only get better!
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