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Merida Scultura Disc - 12.jpgUCI to reintroduce pro race disc brake trial from June?
The UCI will reportedly recommence the trial of disc brakes in the professional peloton next month, but with certain changes aimed at improving safety.
A trial of the brakes in WorldTour races was suspended last month after Movistar rider Fran Ventoso claimed that a deep cut to his left leg sustained at Paris-Roubaix was due to a disc brake on another rider’s bike.
Much doubt has been expressed about whether a disc brake was in fact to blame for his injury, but the French and Spanish cycling federations have followed the UCI’s lead and banned them in all road events, including sportives.
> Have disc brakes really led to injuries in peloton?
According to James Huang of the website Cycling Tips, however, the trial is due to resume next month, following a conference call between the UCI and members of trade body the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI).
The website says that a doctor engaged by the WFSGI believes that Ventoso’s injury was most likely to have been due to a chainring.
The resumption of the testing of disc brakes in the peloton will see at least one safety modification, however, according to the Cycling Tips report, with rounding of the rotor edges aimed at minimising the risk of cuts.
The website, which says the trial should be reintroduced at the Criterium du Dauphine or Tour de Suisse, added that it had asked the UCI for a comment and that while no reply has yet been received, the governing body is expected to clarify its position in the coming week.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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13 comments
Finally (hopefully) . I was very sceptical about those injuries caused, the cuts and tears to the riders flesh did not appear consistent to my untrained eye with being caused by a rotor, considering that some of it, (up to 30%) is covered by the caliper unit.
And of course, the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry is a completely independent body which does not represent any vested interests. This unusual injury was due to the introduction of new chainrings, which is why such an injury has not been seen before.
All very convenient.
Well you have a point about the WFSGI but the injury apparently occured when no-one around him was using disc brakes, which he doesn't remember happening, that looked unlike a disc injury in the view to a lot of folk and had apparent striations in it that might easily be attributable to another component that was present. Chainring tattoos aren't new even in road racing, Taylor Phinney even managed a nice little one to his ribs, but they clearly aren't greeted with the same hysteria. That said, the wavy / tooth disc profiles and sharp edges that are a consequence of fashion and economics and have no place in a professional sport IMO,
Almost as convenient as a rider on a team without discs injuring their left knee on the rotor on the left side of another bike when both were upright and facing forward.
I think there could still be problems for Sportives even if the entire pro peloton went disk brake. I suspect event insurance will be the decider & we all know what they are like for inserting get out clauses.
Saw this posted on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/www.biciusbikes.es/videos/1260230137337665/
I've tried to find the video on the Bicius website but failed. Not sure whether to try it myself.
I certainly wouldn't try it with a chainring without a chain.
Time to get the pitchforks out!! "BAN CHAINRINGS! BAN CHAINRINGS! BAN CHAINRINGS!" (including from sportives)
Glad the UCI have been shown up as being dumb on this one but also that they've also backed down.
Let's hope the sportive nonsense gets sorted pronto.
I think that's a bit harsh, they just suspended them while investigations were undertaken and have now reinstated them. Surely that was the sensible thing to do.
The French & Spanish bans for sportives on the other hand is/was dumb...
And I think that's a bit harsh, they were never approved for French and Spanish sportives.
Um! Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry have a vested interest which is obvious. But it is good to see them geting a second chance.
It did get me wondering about the physics of disc brakes. does the stored rotational kenetic engergy out weigh any weight penalty? can they be sulpted/drilled to suck air from the leading edge giving an aero advantage? The answer to both is probably no but an intersting five minutes pondering.
Time to ban chainrings now
Common sense finally prevailing
?