Did today’s Tour Stage just prove that disc brakes on road bikes are a manufactured marketing sham?

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bencolem
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by bencolem

Biggest climbs = biggest descents = most braking required.

And no disc brakes in sight today.

Did today’s Tour Stage just prove that disc brakes on road bikes are a manufactured marketing sham?

Rim brakes make for lighter (and more aero as confirmed by Argon 18 recently) bikes (which are therefore faster, more responsive and more enjoyable) and clearly offer sufficient braking power.

Manufacturer’s put disc brakes on the aero bikes for the flat stages... where braking requirements aren’t as intense.

Still, cracking stage.

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silvalis
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by silvalis

bencolem wrote:
Thu Jul 26, 2018 1:40 am
And no disc brakes in sight today.
What stage were you watching...
Chasse patate

spdntrxi
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by spdntrxi

no
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bencolem
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by bencolem

silvalis wrote:
Thu Jul 26, 2018 2:28 am
bencolem wrote:
Thu Jul 26, 2018 1:40 am
And no disc brakes in sight today.
What stage were you watching...
Stage 17

spdntrxi
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by spdntrxi

I thought Trek was disc only at TDF
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flying
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by flying

Even Lance said it on his Moves show recently
He said he thought disc's were great because what it brought to the bike industry
Basically saying it breathed new life into it. I am sure he meant financially

That aside options are always good.
Let each rider decide for himself what he wants & there it is available for him/her.
Myself I am fine on rim brakes

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Calnago
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by Calnago

Trek is disc only right now, but then they don’t really have any contenders in the game this year, do they. So may as well use the opportunity for marketing and put everyone on discs. Which is what they did. Discs have their place for sure, just not at this level of road racing. The importance of discs in races like the Tour de France boils down to marketing, plain and simple. If they were so superior the pros wouldn’t have to “be convinced”... they would already know and have been using them years ago. Greipel showed off Campy’s discs the first stage. It was a marketing show. It’s not that he’s not familiar with them. He’s been using them a lot in training. But by the second stage he was back on rim brakes. I’m all for choice. But seems some manufacturers, notably Specialized, have decided the best way to get stars like Sagan to finally use discs is to stop producing bikes with rim brakes. The great majority are still using rim. Personally, I see no reason to switch. And every time I hear another screeching stop from someone with discs, I’m even more glad I’m not using them. You can hear them on the technical decents at the Tour. Pro riders, Pro Bikes, Pro Mechanics... yet they can’t seem to stop the screeching.
Not sure why this thread was started, but the broken record continues. How many years now. A few. Let there be choice. Is that too much to ask. Not needed or wanted at the Pro level in the Grand Tours.
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silvalis
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by silvalis

bencolem wrote:
Thu Jul 26, 2018 3:17 am
silvalis wrote:
Thu Jul 26, 2018 2:28 am
bencolem wrote:
Thu Jul 26, 2018 1:40 am
And no disc brakes in sight today.
What stage were you watching...
Stage 17
Then you weren't paying attention.
for example Bora was still on discs
Chasse patate

Marin
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by Marin

Image

Sagan was on discs yesterday.

1415chris
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by 1415chris


silvalis wrote:
bencolem wrote:
Thu Jul 26, 2018 3:17 am
silvalis wrote:
Thu Jul 26, 2018 2:28 am
bencolem wrote:
Thu Jul 26, 2018 1:40 am
And no disc brakes in sight today.
What stage were you watching...
Stage 17
Then you weren't paying attention.
for example Bora was still on discs
Not all of them, Majka on calipers.

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kgt
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by kgt

Obviously Sagan's 'superior' disc brakes did not help him...
Calnago is right. Riders must be free to choose whatever they want but the promotion of discs by some big manufacturers in pro racing is just part of their marketing strategy. It's a shame that most other manufacturers are obliged to follow since more and more buyers are asking for discs nowadays.
Last edited by kgt on Thu Jul 26, 2018 4:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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themidge
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by themidge

Just a thought, why does it matter to us people who want to keep rim brakes whether they only make frames with discs or whatever? They'll make cables forever, so seeing as the humble rim brake won't be seeing much improvement, we'll be just fine with what we've got.

Jugi
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by Jugi

themidge wrote:Just a thought, why does it matter to us people who want to keep rim brakes whether they only make frames with discs or whatever? They'll make cables forever, so seeing as the humble rim brake won't be seeing much improvement, we'll be just fine with what we've got.
I have been pondering this exact thought myself. For some, all advances in cycling tech or the formula of a road bike seem to be only negative. Yet somehow they are very interested in the deveploments.

Right now, I'm super happy I still have a seven year old road bike. It has really good features which have disappeared from current bikes, and the thing fits me like a glove. As long as I won't crash it, I'm set for the foreseeable future.

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tymon_tm
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by tymon_tm

1415chris wrote:
Thu Jul 26, 2018 8:11 am
silvalis wrote:
bencolem wrote:
Thu Jul 26, 2018 3:17 am
silvalis wrote:
Thu Jul 26, 2018 2:28 am


What stage were you watching...
Stage 17
Then you weren't paying attention.
for example Bora was still on discs
Not all of them, Majka on calipers.
exactly. how come those who fight for something stay clear from discs? how come, even though some claim discs make for stiffer front wheel, sprinters don't really fance them as well? Canyon does their bike in discs version, why isn't Movi on them? why SKY hasn't adopted yet another marginal gain? as for Lance - he's the dude who used a downshifter in the TT, remember? I bet dollars to donuts he wouldn't even touch discs himslef if he still raced.
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LeDuke
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by LeDuke

tymon_tm wrote:
1415chris wrote:
Thu Jul 26, 2018 8:11 am
silvalis wrote:
bencolem wrote:
Thu Jul 26, 2018 3:17 am
Stage 17
Then you weren't paying attention.
for example Bora was still on discs
Not all of them, Majka on calipers.
exactly. how come those who fight for something stay clear from discs? how come, even though some claim discs make for stiffer front wheel, sprinters don't really fance them as well? Canyon does their bike in discs version, why isn't Movi on them? why SKY hasn't adopted yet another marginal gain? as for Lance - he's the dude who used a downshifter in the TT, remember? I bet dollars to donuts he wouldn't even touch discs himslef if he still raced.
Hasn’t every sprint stage been won on disc wheels?


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