Join the Revolution! Trek,Surly,Masi,GT,Schwinn,Electra

The innovation of disc brakes on mountain bikes was a game changer and has been par for the course since 1991 or so. Around 2005 I began spending more time cycling in the Hudson Valley and Catskill region. Hitting the long, fast, steep descents on my road bike with its caliper brakes got me thinking about how many advantages there would be to having disc brakes instead: better modulation, stopping power, and avoiding heat build up on the rims. All the advantages I had become accustomed to from mountain biking. With disc brakes you no longer had to be concerned with over-heating the rims and blowing the tire or squeezing the brakes heavily to gain control. I could see myself actually descending faster and more confidently.

So, in 2007, I decided it had to be done. At the time there was only one builder that I knew of, Carl of Vicious Cycles right here in Hudson Valley, who was building disc-equipped steel and titanium road bikes.

Since I was looking to make this bike out of aluminum, I had to source a custom aluminum frame. I called and spoke to several road frame builders, but the idea was almost too big and complex to grasp- or maybe just too much trouble. Then it dawned on me to contact and consult with Sherwood Gibson of Ventana Mountain Bikes (I already had a mountain bike from Ventana). We hit it off and he understood what I was looking for. After a few brain-storming phone calls the frame was ready to be made. Now I had to find a fork with road bike rake and crown-to-axle measurements. At first I thought I could use carbon, but the idea proved too early and too soon for such a product. So, I decide to go steel and I went to Carl of Vicious Cycles for the custom painted fork.

Wheels are American Classic 29"ers. At the time, they were 25 grams heavier than Mavic's top-end road wheelset. I'm using road tubeless tires. The rest came together nicely. See below for all the specs.

Once I got the bike on the road, it was everything I had hoped and I couldn't see why everyone wasn't jumping on the wagon. Like any new innovation, my bike has received a range of feedback from Wow, to head-scratching to purist disdain, but I still believed that it was just a matter of time before the idea caught on.

At the 2010 Interbike Trade Show, I discovered Volagi. This company claims to be the first producing disc-brake road bikes. I recently ran into Carl and we reminisced about where our inspiration came from and I've asked him to share his own history. That will be in an upcoming post.

Today you'll find that the concept is finally generating some buzz and there are talks that by 2013 disc brake equipped road bikes will be produced by major manufacturers. Then we can all get excited about the overnight innovation that was 6 years in the making.

Ventana EL Martillio (Spanish for "The Hammer"          http://ventanausa.com/frame_elmartillo.html

Vicious Cycles Disk Road Fork                                              http://viciouscycles.com/index.php3

American Classic 29"er Disc wheelset                                   http://www.amclassic.com/en/index.php

Hutchinson Fusion Road Tubeless                                       http://www.hutchinsontires.com/en/

Avid BB7 Disc Road

Volagi                                                                                      http://volagi.com/

Bicycling Magazine The Big Squeeze, Road Disc Brakes Your brakes may never be the same

http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/bikes-and-gear-features/big-squeeze-road-disc-brakes