Road racing with disc brakes; the future has arrived!
Early this week news broke that as of the 2016 race season riders in UCI races are now permitted to use disc brake equipped road bikes. At Hunt wheels we have been advocates of disc brake use from the very beginning and feel that it is no coincidence that our bestselling 2015 model is Mason x Hunt 4 Season Disc which was developed for the stunning and progressive Mason Cycles. Using Disc brakes on road bikes makes perfect sense, the braking is kept away from surface water and grit leading to consistent braking in all conditions, heat build-up isn’t caused at the rim where the tyre is mounted and all the braking friction forces are taken away from the rim paving the way for a complete redesign of the road bike rim construction, opening up the potential to lower rim weights and improve aerodynamics.
Our current Hunt disc brake offerings are already ahead of the competition in terms of weight and price with the 4 Season Disc wheelset receiving outstanding reviews.
‘Bowling along over rough terrain, these ride like a much lighter wheelset up the climbs, despite the added disc-brake stuff. Overall, these are a killer mid-priced set of hoops with all the flashiness of a top pair of hand-builts’ Cyclist Magazine
The launch of our Aerolight Disc wheelset at the Birmingham cycle show takes our disc range away from its 4 season beginnings and fully embraces the fact that soon disc brakes will be the choice for road race bikes. At only 1469g it is set to be the lightest alloy disc wheelset which will enable it to dance up the climbs, whilst the bladed Pillar spokes and a 28mm semi Aero rim ensure an aerodynamic advantage on the flats.
Our Carbon disc wheels are also ahead of the game with modern 26mm wide tubeless rims to ensure a large tyre volume for that all important grip and comfort. Using a larger tyre is especially beneficial for use with disc brakes at the extra power of the brakes and enhanced grip ensures faster and later braking, perfect for fast road race cornering! With the option of 38mm or 50mm rim depths there’s plenty of aerodynamic advantages to be sought.
Although we already have a comprehensive road disc brake range we are still working with our factory and development teams and extensively testing new products to ensure that our road disc brake wheelsets remain at the head of the pack. The future is here!