is it possible for a company to add disc brake tabs

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rdy357
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Sep 08, 2011 10:23 pm

by rdy357

I have a 2011 Cronus CX.
I was wondering if anyone ever looked into having a company add disc brake tabs and reinforcement to a carbon frame?
I would assume Calfee could do this as they do tons of repairs and understand what is required to offer a warranty.

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monty dog
Posts: 127
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2004 7:48 pm

by monty dog

I'm not sure many folks would accept liability for the modification? Lots of folks modded MTB frames to accept discs when they came out but the resultant forces resulted in snapped frames and injuries to the rider. Your frame wasn't designed to be stressed in those location so any adaptation would probably require additional strengthening. Finally, your frame is designed for a 130mm OLN rear hub whereas most disc hubs are 135mm - 130s exist, but aren't common.
Just ride

by Weenie


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rdy357
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Sep 08, 2011 10:23 pm

by rdy357

Thanks
I figured they could provide additional support where needed since they typically do that on repairs.
I thought about the 130 vs 135mm problem.
I remember when we went from 7 to 8 speeds.
Steel frames were easy to flex to accept the wider hubs.
Oh well, I will ride it in Winter and cross races.
I also have a MTB 29er that I could convert if I really wanted a disc equipped cross bike.

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ms6073
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Location: Houston, Texas

by ms6073

I am considering this for a Ridley X-Night but I suspect for this to work, it will require a complete redesign of the rear triangle, not just the addition of post mounts.
- Michael
"People should stop expecting normal from me... seriously, we all know it's never going to happen"

rdy357
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Sep 08, 2011 10:23 pm

by rdy357

I also have to look at the amount of CX mud racing I do.
Since it is never too bad here for cross, it would be a waste of money.

bones
Posts: 422
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2009 10:38 am

by bones

Calfee has been successful in adding disc tabs to carbon forks. In fact, there is an option on there new Adventure carbon frame for an ENVE carbon fork with disc tabs that they added. I am not certain if they add disc tabs to other forks. I don't see why they couldn't since they have done it before.

kulivontot
Posts: 1163
Joined: Sun May 16, 2010 7:28 pm

by kulivontot

Look at the picture at the bottom of this page:
http://www.rodbikes.com/articles/brakes.html
Typically it is a very bad idea to jury rig disc brake tabs onto a fork or frame that wasn't designed to handle the additional stress from disc brakes. For cross maybe it's ok because of the low speeds and flat courses, but I certainly would never do that with a road bike. For what you'd pay for a disc conversion, you'd probably come close to what you could buy a new disc-compatible cross frame.

bones
Posts: 422
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2009 10:38 am

by bones

kulivontot wrote:Look at the picture at the bottom of this page:
http://www.rodbikes.com/articles/brakes.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Typically it is a very bad idea to jury rig disc brake tabs onto a fork or frame that wasn't designed to handle the additional stress from disc brakes. For cross maybe it's ok because of the low speeds and flat courses, but I certainly would never do that with a road bike. For what you'd pay for a disc conversion, you'd probably come close to what you could buy a new disc-compatible cross frame.




Not so fast. Calfee adds their disc tabs to an ENVE fork and they have undergone stringent testing to make sure the fork is strong enough to handle the braking force. Per Calfee webpage, "We had our ENVE disc brake fork tested by ACT and it passed the EN 14781: 4.9.7.3 – disc brake fatigue test."
Link here - scroll to paragraph near bottom of page.:
http://www.calfeedesign.com/carbon-fiber/model-calfee-adventure/

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