New Fondriest TFD Becomes First Disc Brake Road Bike from Italian Brand

“errrnuhgud discs r so ugley”
Incorrect, that’s d*mn sexy.

@Matt they need to sell more bikes and new parts, simple biz! Also carbon clincher rims (something else to sell) are hard to drop their weight since they’re saddled with that brake track which sucks/generates heat. In the future carbon clincher disc wheels will drop to 1200g and would be solid, they’ll figure how to do new layups for strength not heat, which are easier/cheaper. Still, I was opposed to the idea of them on road. I’m a campg smitten but sram red22 swooned me.

Two A**umptions in your manipulative attempt to whine about why we need discs Skjord – 1. people don’t want change – this is just your attempt to corral all folks who don’t want discs into some group you can attack and label. It’s just stupid to say that and hold no water, I won’t waste anymore time on that statement. 2. Roadies don’t ride mountain bikes – many of us started on and still ride mountain bikes. I would be willing to bet more of us roadies have actually raced mountain bikes. Personally I’ve raced mountain bikes on canti brakes, Vbrakes, and all sorts of discs. Discs were an improvement in the woods for sure, I use Magura MT8 on my xc bike which are great. But it’s like comparing apples and bananas with road and mtb.

I don’t think discs are ready for, and don’t bring enough advantage to road racing bikes. They’re boat anchors, they look like sh*t, and they still haven’t been proven in hardcore descents or better yet in a serious racing group descent. If they do become legal to race with it will have to happen across the board, as a mix of discs and rim brakes will cause a mess of crashes in the peloton.

@matt. Don’t take this the wrong way but are you mentally challenged? do i really need to explain myself, the rim can be designed for pure structural and aero capabilities, along with how the tire sets up on the wheel. there will be lighter weights, but more important strength, aero, and zero wear on an expensive wheel set.

I bought a hydraulic disc road bike about a year ago after an extended test ride (2+ hours). From the first application there was absolutely no way I would not have this bike. The confidence inspired by the brakes is almost beyond description. They are extremely powerful but so easily modulated and controllable that there is never any fear of unintentionally locking the brakes. Coupled with no appreciable fall off in the rain they are hard not to love, just better than the best rim brake I’ve ever ridden, Shimano 9000 on alloy brake track.

I might be wrong but didn’t Colnago release the c59 disc like 2 years ago? They are Italian, right?

You can go faster if your brakes let you, Matt.

Disc brakes are an ideal solution for braking on the road, even for racing. There’s less hysteresis in a disc system compared to a rim brake system. That reduced hysteresis results in better modulation. Better modulation results in later, harder braking for corners, thus raising over all speeds. Things get only better if there’s rain falling or the road is wet or dirty since the disc is far from the road and thus road spray compared to a the brake track on a rim brake wheel. Not needing a reinforced brake track means that the wheels can potentially be lighter, and without the need for a flat brake track, the rims can be more aero.

Of course no one is forcing anyone to use disc brakes. If you think that rim brakes on bikes are going to suddenly disappear, it’s time to get a firmer grip on reality. If you don’t intend to use disc brakes, why do you care what others might use?

@Ventruck
Thank you! Someone else noticed! That’s honestly what I’m most excited about.

Do you guys really use brakes on a road bike ?

Alright, let’s copy and paste this discussion for the next road bike with disc brakes.

This whole “gimme disc brakes debate” is hilarious to read along side the “don’t take away my threaded BB debate”.

@shore

I agree it seems weird to have the same people supporting threaded BB (old tech) and supporting disc brakes (new tech)…

Except that press-fit BB – whether BB30, PF30, BBright, or whatever – was a “solution” to a problem that no one was having, namely flexible BB axles.

Disc brakes are a possible solution to a problem that lots of people were having, namely sub-par braking and excessive heat build-up on carbon rims and concern about excessive wear on those rims.