Cycling is changing day by day. Bicycle manufacturers dedicate millions of euros every year to develop technical innovations and launch novelties. In the mountain segment, the arrival of the wheels of 27.5 "first, and those of 29" later, changed the market. Who now wants a 26 "bicycle?
In the road cycling segment,
THE LAST GREAT INNOVATION which seems to seek to renew the mobile bicycle park of this type are disc brakes.
It is not strange to think that all this is simply a strategy to sell more bicycles. That is why there is a lot of skeptical amateur in this regard.
[IRP posts = "1382" name = "The 10 innovations that have changed road cycling"]
But the same happened when the new wheel measures arrived at mountain bicycles. Few fans watched the change at the beginning at the beginning at 29 ”. Finally
Time has proved the design engineers, and the sector has almost completely renewed.
Will the same thing happen with the disc brakes on the road?
Is it an innovation that has come to change the market or is it simply a fashion?
Advantages of disc brakes
According to my experience using road bikes with disc brakes, and the feedback of everyone who has used them, the main advantages of road disc brakes reside in
a more progressive braking, less abrupt, and with the ability of a hurried.
On the other hand, we have the
Excellent behavior against rain Or simply wet asphalt, but this can be obvious in part, since most users do not practice road cycling under these conditions. In any case it is a point to take into account.
Disconceptions of disc brakes
Next we will expose what are the disadvantages offered by this type of brakes with respect to the traditional Zapata.
1. The weight
Both professional teams and those fans who practice cycling intensely criticize disc brakes for the overweight they entail. We talk about
More than 300 grams of difference compared to a set of Zapata brakes in the same range (Ultegra, in this case).
2. Danger
The discs themselves, like the dishes, become
a cutting element exposed to the cyclist in case of fall. It is true that not too many cases of disk cut in the international platoon have been given, but it is a fear that exists between professionals and fans, and should not be ignored.
In fact, the ICU prohibited them after an accident in 2016 where a knee cut occurred due to contact with the front disc.
3. The price
While maintenance should not be much greater than that of a group of shoe brakes (the pills cost approximately the same as some shoes, as we will see later), it is true that
The initial disbursement is much greater, and in case of fall and need to buy components, they shoot in price.
To give an example, a 105 Shimano handle for disk hydraulic brakes has a PVP price of € 429, while it manages for bridge or shoe brakes, it does not reach € 180. All this always before possible discounts.
Wheel behavior
While it is true that the wheels with discs have had less maturation time in the market, and therefore more tensions distribution problems (it is common for at least the average and low ranges), today with the axes 142mm interns account for an advantage in comfort for any cyclist that needs to regularly disassemble and mount.
In fact,
They are more comfortable than bridge brake, since only the axis has to be removed and the wheel is dismantled.
After several conversations with wheel manufacturers, we can ensure that the idea is that
In 2 years these are almost as light and reliable as bridge brake, since work is being done on better discs, whether they are in 6 screws.
Maintenance costs
In this regard we have a tie.
Bridge brakes require periodic change of cables and shoes, and disco oil change, bleeding and spare pills. We do not see excessive surpreciation.
To compare, we can notice that the price of a game of Ultegra shoes is priced at about € 14, while some pills with heat dissipation of the same range are around € 15.
There is no significant difference in price, although in benefits.
What do professionals think?
Recently, in an interview with Iván G. Cortina, from Bahrain-Merida, it was commented on the disc brakes. Gijón's cyclist showed his skepticism about it, due to the
Lack of maturation in the development of reliable wheels, and especially in relation to the weight of the brake set.
[IRP posts = "1341" name = "disc brakes are the greatest innovation I have seen on a" "] bicycle
A World Tour bicycle has a 6.8kg limit, and with this change we can exceed 7kg.
However, both he and the rest of the international squad is already using this braking system in both spring classics (Nice, Roubaix, Amstel Gold Race, etc.), as in big laps. This is the case of the last turn of Italy, where
The rain has forced the majority of runners to use bicycles with this type of brakes.
Conclusions: What will happen to Zapata brake bicycles?
We are at a point where there is no going back. Technology in cycling, as in any other business sector, advances to get better products, better sensations and, let's be clear, more sales.
In this case, as happened with the mountain bicycles of 26 ”,
Before or after the road bicycles with bridge brakes will be out of the market.
It should be noted that in the cycling on the route the figure of the
purist It is much more entrenched and we do not believe that these bicycles disappear completely from the roads.
Anyway, the evolution in any area is undeniable and, in this case,
Disc brakes on the road give us more advantages than inconveniences.
