Road racing type bike with disc-brakes?

[bladerunner]

Does anyone make a road-race type bike for use with disc-brakes?
If you have/know one, please post picture(s) & details.
Thanks.

 

[philcrisp]

Marin do this http://www.marin.co.uk/2010/bikepage.php?ModNo=10TO

or Kona http://www.konaworld.com/bike.cfm?content=dewdrop

or Orbea http://www.orbea.com/en/bicis/modelos/diem_drop/presentacion/

 

[usedtobefast]

last year a certain 7 time tdf winner wondered when they would be using disc brakes on their race bikes. i have never used them so i have nothing to offer
on that. has anyone tried them on a road bike? and what would be pros and cons of using them, versus what we use now?

 

[Master50]

Just on less than racing bikes

With Disk brakes being illegal for use in road and Cyclo-Cross racing I doubt any racing bike has them except for custom bikes. The bikes I have seen with disks looked More Sport than racing. Probably some good bikes have them.

 

[TheNJDevil]

Disc brakes on a road bike would be awesome for larger riders. Especially if they could get a ABS feature, like my car. I tried a friend's cyclocross bike that he put disc brakes on, and I either had the brakes locked or not locked. Which is fine for a rear brake, but is very ENDO-causing as a front brake.

 

[Timeless]

Disk brakes make a big difference off-road but are overkill on the road.

Modulation of disk brakes is all about setting them up right. ABS would be pointless on a bike - if you endo'ed you did not lose traction, and so ABS not needed. On your bike, you can control the braking force of the brakes much more than you can in a car. You would not want to give up that control.

 

[ImmaculateKadence]

You see disc breaks on touring/commuter bikes, not on race bikes.

 

[Ad Rock]

I do wonder if it could be possible though.... I think the key would be downsizing...ie: reduce the diameter from the standard 6" XC rotor to a 3" rotor barely bigger than the flange of the hub...If they could do that to reduce the power and make whatever internal changes were necessary to increase modulation (...like my old Magura Louise brakes that rocked!) I think it could be a nice advance.... no more worrying about brake performance when using carbon rims in wet, no worries about brakes heating up the sidewalls and causing blowouts....

...Plus if the discs were made that small it would be less of an aesthetic monstrosity!

 

[dar227]

With Disk brakes being illegal for use in road and Cyclo-Cross racing I doubt any racing bike has them except for custom bikes. The bikes I have seen with disks looked More Sport than racing. Probably some good bikes have them.

Disc brakes are only illegal in cross, there is nothing in the rules about them being banned from road racing. However as soon as a few riders were to turn up with them, the UCI would likely ban them in short order unless it could be argued that they are safer.

last year a certain 7 time tdf winner wondered when they would be using disc brakes on their race bikes. i have never used them so i have nothing to offer
on that. has anyone tried them on a road bike? and what would be pros and cons of using them, versus what we use now?

Pros, better stopping power, better modulation, better wet performance, rims can be lighter, clinchers can be safer,

Cons, very small contact patch with road tire, hub/frame/fork have to be heavier, front wheels can't be radially laced, tire changes will be slower

 

[bladerunner]

Thanks for all the info/insight so far folks.
I'm thinking about setting up a road bike with disc-brakes for training purposes because, I think, it will be easier to maintain in the long run. I just like the idea of having full mudguards without the calipers in the way!
For racing, if allowed and if the braking can be set up to be no-so-harsh, disc-brakes will allow for all kinds of carbon rims to be used without worrying about special pads, heat-on-the-carbon-rim .. etc.

 

[Burnette]

Redline Conquest Disc R

I have been riding a Redline Conquest Disc R since the fall of '05. It came with 105 component group, Avid mech disc brakes and Velomax wheels(no longer in production, merged with another brand). She is red and black and has been a great bike. Weight is around 23lbs. I took much heat from the guys on most group rides for the disc but the more I rode, the faster I got. I live in NC where we have rolling hills with steep climbs in between.
Trained hard in '06 riding the Redline and was actually called "fast" by some. The snobs do get quiet on the climbs as you pass them. I could maintain 18 to 19 mph average alone and 21mph or more in a group.
I use to put cyclocross knobbies on it and occasionally ride the gravel Salem Lake Trail. Been riding it strictly on the road only since '07. Got a MTB for the dirty stuff.
It is true, the disc are overkill on the road but I can do some awesome stops. The brakes are low maintenance too. The Redline Conquest is still available, just saw it on their website. My old red/black paint job looks sweeter though. It is the perfect training bike/work horse. Not too heavy but with a stout frame/fork(I bought Redlines Carbon fork to replace the standard steel one just for looks). If you have the legs you can hang on club rides that average 20mhp or more in hilly terrain. It is super stable, nimble in traffic and stops on half a dime(Ha!). I may buy a light weight tool someday but I will never sell "her".

 

[bladerunner]

Burnette : Thanks for the info about Redline. This is just the type of training bike I want.