3 ms·
These are justified when looking at the truly elite level. You’re looking for fractional improvements that might add up to a watt or two. Aero frames, internal
by gpapilion 4y ago
These are justified when looking at the truly elite level. You’re looking for fractional improvements that might add up to a watt or two. Aero frames, internal cables, spandex, are all about things that will make a marginal difference at an elite level.
Disc brakes have been a bit of an outlier with extra weight and safety issues brought up by riders. Though it’s easier to internally route cables, and you can stop quicker and more predictably. Maybe the aerodynamic issues of the cables are big enough to switch for the elite riders.
- midoridensha 4y agoDisc brakes are a must-have for me on a bike now. They add a tiny bit of weight, but the performance difference much more than makes up for it. They stop faster, but they're also much easier to modulate, and their performance doesn't change when it's raining, so for real-world riding (I frequently get caught in the rain where I live, and I ride my normal bike for commuting and shopping) it's a huge safety improvement. There's no way I'm going back to rim brakes. In the future, I expect to see some improvements with disc brake hose routing. They're hydraulic, so they don't actually need to be straight like mechanical cables, so this would enable a lot of changes that can't be done with old-style cables, much like electronic shifting allows changes because it uses electric wires or even wireless comms.
- lormayna 4y agoAs an amateur cyclist, I can tell you that this is false. Make a climbing with a 15 years old bike and a modern bike and you will feel the difference, even if you are not a professional rider. It's a matter of better fluency, less frictions and better power transmission.