On Sunday at the 100th Tour of Flanders, Lampre-Merida became the first WorldTour team to start a major event entirely on disc brakes. Riding Merida Scultura Disc bikes with Shimano hydraulic brakes, the Italian team set out from Brugge amidst the standard sea of rim-brake bikes.
Lampre-Merida had a few riders on disc bikes for a single stage of Three Days of De Panne, but the team went all in for Flanders, with not only the race bikes but all the spare bikes and thus all the spare wheels being discs.
The Merida Scultura Disc frame uses the RAT system launched by Focus, which combines the quickness of a quick release with the security of a thru-axle.
ADVERTISEMENT
“It is quick to change but it is also stiff,” Lampre-Merida mechanic Ralf Tiede said of the RAT system. “The stiffness is the most important thing, so the axle doesn’t move and cause noise with the rotor.”
The Pro Continental team Roompot-Oranje Peloton has been riding a mix of SRAM disc and rim-brakes this season. At the Tour of Flanders, half the team was on discs.
“We made the decision this year to try,” said Roompot team director Michel Cornelisse. “There were some problems initially, as there always are with new things, but now things are good and the riders choose to use them.”
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://ift.tt/221BL1H
No comments:
Post a Comment