With all the talk of disc brakes coming to road bikes in the near future, Colnago released their concept C59 Disc a couple weeks back. Based on the (truly) handmade in Italy C59 platform, this model eschews regular calipers in favor of Formula produced (Colnago branded) hydraulic discs paired with what appears to be 140mm rotors. A few other surprises are noted as well as more photos after the jump.
A close look at the front discs will reveal that the caliper and rotor are undoubtedly rebadged Formula R1 units on post mounts (no special road mount yet.) The rotor is a heavily drilled and vented 140mm disc on an aluminum carrier. Colnago states that the fork has been “beefed up” against the single sided braking forces that discs produce.
The rear mount is similar post mount style, but is tucked into the rear triangle (probably for aerodynamic reasons.) The same 140mm disc is present, but dropout spacing has moved to 135mm (mountain bike standard.) Again, the rear end has been “beefed up” to combat asymmetrical braking forces.
The new Formula (even branded as Formula, unlike the calipers) levers are the most interesting bit to me. While they look unfinished (and ugly,) they supposedly house the guts of Dura Ace Di2 electronics as well as a hydraulic master cylinder. If that's the case, things are looking pretty bad for SRAM and their claim that their levers had to be significantly larger because of the master cylinder itself. Interesting to me is how they're going to coerce Shimano into signing off on this little venture, as you know it will take business away from Shimano's (almost guaranteed) future hydraulic disc project.
My take on this
The C59 represents an inexorable march towards forced obsolescence. The introduction of a 135mm rear dropout standard and a frame that can only accept disc brakes (there are no rim brake mounting points on this frame) clearly point to an industry hoping to force consumers into tossing out their old equipment and buying all new. Those of us with multiple bikes and wheelsets don't really appreciate that.
Further, Colnago states (as mentioned above) that they “beefed up” their frame and fork to handle disc braking loads. Yet one of the most important things to many road riders looking at a top flight racing frame is weight, and in this case, weight is not mentioned (neither frame nor full bike weight.) I'm going to wager a guess that this entire setup will gain probably 250 grams over a comparable C59 with rim brakes. Better than half a pound with the tradeoff of being unable to use any of the wheels in my garage is unacceptable.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: wheel and brake technology for carbon wheels (the big “issue” with rim brakes and carbon wheels being stopping power and rim damage) is still really in the formative stages. Zipp has begun to conquer the carbon clincher issues with the 303 and 404 FC CCs, and brake track technology continues to evolve. Installing an entirely new set of standards (disc tabs, no rim brake mounting and 135mm rear spacing) is a solution looking for a problem.
Actually, more than likely it's a marketing solution to the problem of “how can we sell more stuff?” From some of the rumbling I've heard, the professional ranks are seeing it as just that, and their acceptance and desire for disc frames is lukewarm at best. Time well tell though.
Agree? Disagree? Comment below.
[…] Update 3/31/12: You can check out Colnago’s C59 Disc with formula hydraulics right here. […]
Progress can be painful if you resist.
Friction shifting and toe clips are not missed.
Nor are wool shorts and leather chamois.
As 5 speed rear clusters made way for 6, then 7…now 11…
Progress marches on.
Initially the weight penalty will be minor.
In three generations of development it will likely be less than 100g.
While disc brakes may not be for everyone, I welcome the addition of modern brakes for high performance road bikes. Better modulation, power and control not to mention vastly superior wet weather performance.
Additionally, hub braking should help the engineers creating carbon rims / wheels considerably. They should be able to build lighter stronger rims as they will no longer be subjected to massive heat cycling etc.
Enjoy the ride, whatever you’re on!
Indexed (especially STI) shifting and clipless pedals were both extremely beneficial to racers: it allowed quicker gear changes and a more solid connection between man and machine, resulting in greater ability to deliver power to the wheels.
Wool and leather have gone by the wayside because the benefits of synthetic fibers have made them obsolete.
Weight penalty is still a weight penalty. When bikes are reaching the 12 pound range, a quarter pound becomes more and more a significant percentage of the bike’s weight. And disc brakes will not offer you any more power: the largest lever arm on the wheel is already used (by braking at the rim) and the limiting factor in braking is the tire’s contact patch and the traction offered by it. Without increasing the contact patch, you still have the same braking limitations.
Lastly, I highly doubt they’ll be building “lighter stronger rims” than they do now: tubular rims are already feather light, and are more limited by the forces of spoke tension than by braking factors. I’d challenge that current tubular wheels will STILL be lighter than a disc tubular 5 years from now, simply because the technology has been refined for quite some time. What hasn’t been refined is brake track technology for carbon clinchers (and I won’t get into the fact that carbon clinchers are one of the stupidest inventions to hit the market in decades) but given time, there’s no doubt that it will be refined to the point at which it can compete with aluminum rims for braking prowess.
Lastly, I’m hearing through the grapevine that there’s little to no interest from the pro ranks for discs. Lack of professional enthusiasm and use will hurt disc systems tremendously, because let’s face it: people by what wins races, and by and large that won’t be a disc equipped bike.
Either way, you’re right: enjoy the ride, whatever you’re on. I’ll be retro-grouching it all over the place with my rim calipers and 10 speed components.