In the wake of the UCI banning disc brakes from professional road racing following injury at Paris-Roubaix, bike brands and drivetrain companies have defended their products with varying levels of vigor.
Some, like Shimano, defer to the pro riders' decisions. Others, Cannondale for instance, argue that disc brakes are a benefit for rider safety, not a deterrent to it. And others, such as former rider and current bike company executive Baden Cooke, reckon the whole thing has been blown out of proportion.
"For me personally, coming from a racing side, I was against disc brakes from the outset because of the weight," says Cooke, a co-owner of Factor Bikes. "If you want to use disc brakes, I have no issue. I wouldn’t have an issue with cutting myself. That’s a bit of a joke. When you consider the things that we would slam into – posts, curbs, parked cars, et cetera — a brake is the least of your problems."
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A brief history of road discs’ brief appearance in the pro peloton
After a limited trial period at the end of last season where teams could try road disc brakes at two events, professional cycling’s ruling body, the UCI, deemed 2016 as a trial year, during which teams could use disc brakes whenever they liked. Use of discs began as a trickle, not a flood. It wasn’t until the Tour of Flanders in early April that Lampre-Merida became the first WorldTour team to field a full squad on discs. All other WorldTour teams opted to continue on rim brakes.
The following week, Movistar rider Francisco Ventoso injured his left leg at Paris-Roubaix, and published an open letter about rotors being "giant knives". Other riders voiced their support of banning discs, and the UCI quickly announced that the technology would no longer be allowed in pro racing until further notice.
Bike and component makers react
'I don’t think they are dangerous – I think that’s bullshit'
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