UCI are going to allow discs in cyclocross

[Oaky]

UCI Allows Disc Brakes For Cyclo-cross - BikeRadar

Interesting - some speculation as to whether this is a pre-cursor to allowing them in road events.

Personally I've never felt under-braked on the road bike (except in the wet, but even then once the rims are scrubbed by braking for a revolution or two, it only seems like the tyre/road interface is still the limiting factor), but I guess they would come into their own on the kind of big descents that I've never yet done...

[Chris N]

When asked if the scheduled project will be hydraulic, Kantor played coy.

“My opinion would be, yeah,” he said. “We obviously have those mechanicals today that work, they have the right cable pull ratios for road levers, but we’d look to make a lighter version of the mechanical as well to keep the price point down. I think the elite level guys, the Fidea guys, are going to want a full hydraulic sealed system.”

[gonzo]

That's lucky as I'm in the middle of building up a disc cyclocross bike!

[clarion]

*considers stocking up on canti brakes & blocks*

[DrMekon]

I have cantis on my tourer and can pull stoppies with loaded panniers, so no rush to upgrade. However, I recently rode a Bacchetta Giro 20 with discs and a Strada with sidepulls back to back. The strada felt underbraked in comparison. That said, I recall finding v-brakes over the top, and my sis' has some hyrdralic discs on her trek that are ridiculous - you can throw your feet off the pedals one finger.

[Biff]

Am I the only one who thought "what kind of idiot wants to use a disc wheel in CX?" upon reading the title? 

[bomber]

As a heavir rider who finds braking in the wet disconcerting, rim wear annoying and brake rub out the sadle and on hills infuriating this is rather good news.  Means someone might finally make drop bar hydraulic levers.  I love the hydro shimano discs on my mtb, they've been utterly reliable and zero maintenence for 5 years now and have self adjusted for pad wear perfectly.  Hydros on a drop bar commuter would be great

[Charlotte]

+1 to that, Bomber.  In a few years, cantis or calipers are going to seem as much of an anachronism as steel rims and rod brakes do now.

The mechanical discs on my 'bent are awesome.  Lightweight hydraulic disc brakes on road bikes would be amazing.

[Frenchie]

UCI Allows Disc Brakes For Cyclo-cross - BikeRadar
Personally I've never felt under-braked on the road bike (except in the wet, but even then once the rims are scrubbed by braking for a revolution or two, it only seems like the tyre/road interface is still the limiting factor), but I guess they would come into their own on the kind of big descents that I've never yet done...

+1. And I am 80 kg.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Big descents, riding on gritty roads; they will be great for that.

For lightweight wheels and frames - rim brakes rule.

There were quite a few disc-braked road bikes at York this year.

[clarion]

including one Rohloff equipped Bob Jackson.

[Oaky]

Am I the only one who thought "what kind of idiot wants to use a disc wheel in CX?" upon reading the title? 

Oops -- sorry!   

They would cut down on mud clagging though, wouldn't they! 

[Tim]

Looks like good news for tandems.

[David Martin]

I think it would be great. Much more controllable braking, less rim wear and so on. A number of lower end people were taking disk braked hybrid commuters and swapping the bars to drops last year (as local leagues let you race whatever as long as there are no bar ends and bars are plugged).

This allows the technology to move forward in a way that is well within the spirit of sport.

Disc brakes on the road within 5 years.

..d

[mattc]

For lightweight wheels and frames - rim brakes rule.
...

... and the pros want minimum weight, whilst not giving a toss about rim wear or other tedious maintenance issues.

[bikenerd]

For racing 'cross and crits disc brakes will allow later braking into corners.

I find I do zero maintenance on the disc brakes on my MTBs - and the singlespeed one is ridden in absolute filth.  The brakes that cost me the most time in maintenance were the cantis on my Moulton.  I swapped those to Magura hydraulic rim brakes which improved the braking massively and also meant I had to do no more maintenance on the brakes until I sold the bike (about 3 years later!)

[LittleWheelsandBig]

For racing SNIP crits disc brakes will allow later braking into corners.

I found tyre traction was always the limiting factor in how fast I could decelerate during criteriums, even with single pivot brakes.

[Jacomus]

[bugbear]

Disk brakes aren't about absolute power! Argh! It is about modulation - how you make use of that power.

[/bugbear]

The few extra grams of weight can easily be removed from the rims that don't need such thick walls thanks to no wear and if push comes to shove, what manufacturer couldn't shave a few grams off their frame? The weight argument is a total red herring IMO.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Wheel strength.

16-spoke radial wheels aren't going to like disc brakes.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

[bugbear]

Disc brakes aren't noticeably better in modulation than decent rim brakes!

[/bugbear]

Lightweight rims don't allow for significant wear.  Disc-specific rims aren't noticeably lighter than normal rims from the same manufacturer.

Regarding power - There are plenty of tandems getting around on dual pivots.  Check out Erickson and Calfee.

[Jacomus]

[bugbear]

Disc brakes aren't noticeably better in modulation than decent rim brakes!

[/bugbear]

Lightweight rims don't allow for significant wear.  Disc-specific rims aren't noticeably lighter than normal rims from the same manufacturer.

Regarding power - There are plenty of tandems getting around on dual pivots.  Check out Erickson and Calfee.

I totally disagree with your bugbear about my bugbear!

Seriously though, I have got good DPs with good pads, well set up, on one bike and a quality hydro disk on another and the difference is most apparent.

To add balance though, I have a couple of other hydro disks that I would rate the same as my DPs in terms of modulation and a cable disk that is more 'wooden'.

[Zoidburg]

[bugbear]

Disc brakes aren't noticeably better in modulation than decent rim brakes!

[/bugbear]

Lightweight rims don't allow for significant wear.  Disc-specific rims aren't noticeably lighter than normal rims from the same manufacturer.

Regarding power - There are plenty of tandems getting around on dual pivots.  Check out Erickson and Calfee.

I totally disagree with your bugbear about my bugbear!

Seriously though, I have got good DPs with good pads, well set up, on one bike and a quality hydro disk on another and the difference is most apparent.

To add balance though, I have a couple of other hydro disks that I would rate the same as my DPs in terms of modulation and a cable disk that is more 'wooden'.

Do some all mountain riding and you will learn that discs offer much more modulation than rim brakes.

Point a MTB down a 45 degree sloped single track and try getting down it just on rim brakes.

[gonzo]

For lightweight wheels and frames - rim brakes rule.
...

... and the pros want minimum weight, whilst not giving a toss about rim wear or other tedious maintenance issues.

But as the UCI limits the minimum weight, the weight distribution is far more important.

[Zoidburg]

I don't think the carbon team frames are up to the forces created disc braking either, not for mountain stages anyway.

At descending speeds found on mountain stages you would not be able to use quick release either, too much chance of the braking forces torquing the wheel out of the fork ends.

[mattc]

For lightweight wheels and frames - rim brakes rule.
...

... and the pros want minimum weight, whilst not giving a toss about rim wear or other tedious maintenance issues.

But as the UCI limits the minimum weight, the weight distribution is far more important.

Err .. <cogs whirl> ... you may be right ... but surely total weight still matters, as you then have ballast to move around.
Someone will soon link this with the "Rotating Weight" thread