by Calnago on Sun Feb 18, 2018 7:46 pm
Re Blythe's Disqualification...
Ok... since no one else is going to comment, I suppose I will.
First of all, disc brakes are great... if you like 'em, ride 'em.
But in the pro peloton, there are more disadvantages than advantages, the main disadvantage illustrated very well here... disqualification due to complications arising from disc brake usage. Basically, that's what it was... he needed a bike change... but his team needed extra time to "set up" his bike due to the disc brake factor (really?... putting on a front wheel?).
So, in this case he was disqualified for an "irregular bike change", but it would never have occurred if it wasn't for the extra time the team needed to get his bike ready for a quick change, causing them to get permission to go ahead, then faff about with putting a wheel on, a front wheel no less I have to presume, then screw up with the technicalities of the actual handoff. So, too bad for Blythe... but in the heat of the moment when there's a real risk of never catching back onto the peloton if you get behind (hell if I'd wait for someone that got behind becasue they couldn't get their wheel to cooperate, or took too long to do a wheel change... so sad, too bad, see ya), then I can see being really upset if the reason a race or stage, or several places in a stage was lost because of that. D'oh... dis would never have happened with my old rim brake bike... Dammit! So, the potential disadvantage is quite large to an indiviudal rider, for sure.
Now, the advantage. It boils down to one reason, one word... MARKETING! The manufacturers need to show discs in the peloton. Becasue that sells bikes. And at the end of day, it's the only reason they are there. Very very simple.
So, there you have it in a nutshell. Discs are really an anomaly for the high end road bike market because at the highest levels of racing they're kind of a non-starter with more downsides than upsides, yet for the average consumer buying bikes, they may very well be the next best thing since anything. But marketing is all about showing the latest wares in the sexiest light possible, and that, is the pro peloton. So, marketing wins, at the expense of maybe a few individual pro racers who get caught out by a "complication due to disc usage" here and there.
Actually, maybe all they really meant by "irregular bike change", was that blythes bike is just so "irregular" that they wanted to throw it out of the peloton.
Ok... it was said... it won't change anything I know... but it needed to be said, nonetheless.