DirtyWorks said:
Opinion -> The Europeans understand that 'cross is not a braking contest.
Look at it another way, what would be the point of discs at elite level racing if most are still using conventional cantilevers and getting a podium?.
Whilst that is true, there is an underlying reason why big names such as Sven Nys have been late to the party (and of course everybody is looking at him) and that is to do with the availability of the right equipment and more crucially from the right sponsors. For example Sven Nys didn't have a lot of options with wheel choices.
You have to remember that the professional riders have a huge amount of equipment. If they made the decision to stay with cantis before the season that’s a whole heap of equipment wasted for all their sponsors. They are looking at each other to see if the stuff works and after Lars Van Der Haar won the first 2 world cups, Nys decided to try it out.
But, you are quite correct when you mention the commercial aspect of this, and it is certainly true that disc usage is in the hands of the manufacturers rather than the riders.
Also in the US, frame manufacturers are advancing the technology and the groupset /compnent companies are collaborating. Whereas in Europe its the opposite with a lot of frame companies being very much behind in developing frames that can take discs.