Movistar rider injured by disc brake in Paris-Roubaix

[ergott]

i certainly wouldnt want to see someone try and stop a wheel by grabbing the cassette.

Don't google the keywords: track bike (or fixed gear), chain, finger.

[Martin.dk]

So where is the " theoretical risk" coming from ? And whose theory was it ? And how do you quantify it ? And for that matter, how do you qualify it ?

We have video evidence to qualify the reverse, you have evidence to qualify it positively ?

Else its just heresy ....

well adding two uncovered brake disks that could cause some kind of cutting injury looks like adding risk to me and yes I believe that those thin steel disks can cause injury and they get very hot in use as well. Well I don't have to quantify or qualify anything. It's solely up to the product owner to prove their product is safe and convince the UCI.

and just to be clear, I have nothing against disk brakes, but i believe the UCI is doing the rigt thing stopping UCI events from being test labs and pro riders from being guineapigs. Lets just see how the industry responds, it should be easily fixed.

/Martin

[sanrensho]

In this day and age, I'm shocked that someone didn't film the Ventoso crash, to provide some kind of evidence that he actually ran into the rear of a disc-equipped bike.

[Calnago]

In this day and age I guess a man's word means nothing, regardless of the circumstances. He was actually there. I wasn't. What possible right could I have to justify calling him a liar.

[stormur]

Question is , if it is a lie, then what kind of "profit" it gave to him in this particular situation... Don't see a reason.

[jeffy]

he didn't see what happened.

he didn't know that he was injured until later.

he says he was cut be a rotor.

If two of his statements are true, one is a lie.

If one statement is true, the other two are lies.

If he claims all are true. He is a liar, one way or the other.

[Calnago]

Well, given the circumstances, his conclusion seems highly probable. Plus, I think the conclusions that internet "doctors" quickly jumped to claiming the injury was clearly caused by a chainring are ridiculous. They simply cannot tell from any pics I've seen at least. Could it have happened by something other than a disc rotor... maybe. But could it have happened, as he seems to be believe, from a disc rotor? Absolutely it could have. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, I think the UCI has absolutely done the right thing by this incident. The risk is real, and that is what the UCI has explicitly recognized by their decision.

[ergott]

I don't think he set out to lie or deceive anyone. I think he couldn't recall exactly what happened, thought it was a disc and went with it. Now that the story has grown wings I doubt he would recant even if he did realize something other than a disc could have caused his injury.

I doubt this is the work of some conspiracy.

[ergott]

Well, given the circumstances, his conclusion seems highly probable.

How so? Rider in front of him crashed, he stopped as a result, resumed riding, then noticed blood and game over.

How do you figure the front of his left leg got into the left side of the bike in front of him when he never fell off his own bike (according to his account)?

Go try an recreate the scenario with your bike and see how it's possible to get that injury from the left side of a bike in front of him.

Crashes suck and it's not always easy to remember the details of what happened accurately. Ask me how I know.

[Calnago]

I believe you Ergott. I don't have to ask how you know.

[llhh]

Get these rotating knives away from meeee!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YJeKb_hzAE

Oh wait... pros are pussies

Great video! Except for the fact that Ventoso's knee probably hit the disc (rotating or otherwise) at slightly higher speed than a centimetre per second.

[mimason]

I just finished eating my popcorn from reading this thread.

Thought: If he didn't crash but got cut could be have unclipped, hit the rotor, then resumed riding? Pro riders are always unclipping during avoidance measures. Seems plausible.

[Lieblingsleguan]

Who remembers 1984. What where the pro's views on cliplesss pedals. Where there safety concerns or where riders then a bit more open to new tech. I feel pro riders today are just to conservative like roadies as whole. The opinion seems to be why change what sort of works well

Clipless pedals are actually easier to get out of than toe strap pedals. Also, in the event of o crash, you normally get out of them automatically. Look had a lot of experience with safety release from ski bindings.

And then, Bernard Hinault won the Tour with them, so everyone wanted them

Get these rotating knives away from meeee!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YJeKb_hzAE

Oh wait... pros are pussies

I think, the expression "rotating knives" is misleading. If you crash into a disc with more than 40kph, the small contact area becomes the problem for human flesh, no matter if the disc is hot or cold, rotating or standing still and also rounded edges won't help.
I am not fully convinced either that Ventoso crashed into a disc, but it is easily understandable that the disc is an actual risc when crashing into a rider from behind and the disc is much more exposed in that situation than the chainrings or spokes.
I think the UCI made the right decision stopping the test period for now and hopefully, they are now assessing the risk, for example via crashtests with pig skin. The bigger question is: why didn't they demand tests and data like that before starting the test period?

And a question regarding myself... Does the French disc brake ban for sportives also apply for the Paris Roubaix Challenge? (Kind of ironic, I know... ). My SuperSix Evo barely clears 25mm tires and I'd like to go wider there. That would mean using my CX bike which is equipped with disc brakes.

[tabmaster]

Conspiracy theory: Ventoso rides for a campag equipped & sponsored team, who's disc tech is literally only just ready to test. There is a crash, Ventoso is told what to say... Improbable, but stranger things have happened.
Meanwhile, back in the real world... These YouTube videos of people gingerly stopping their discs with their hands. That's sooo the same force that a rider would make contact with a disc in a crash. Idiots.

[bm0p700f]

yes the ban applies to PR sportive. Given when I did a large chunk of riders where on CX bikes or even MTB's with disc brakes this might cut numbers. Fortunately I have a couple of bikes which can take big fat tyres and have rim brakes as I want to do it again next year. I also have an old CX frame with canti's I could build up.

every rider I saw on PR on 25mm tyres looked really uncomfortable as I shot passed on my 30mm challange tyres.

I still think the industry has put so much money into disc brakes that they will not be going away. Eventually UCI will have to cave or the manufacturers will stop putting so much money the way of these pro riders and there teams. British cycling thankfully have said they have no plans to look at banning disc brakes for U.K events (except road racing) it is not even on the agenda for us.