DMC707

BAr Cons are nice - Except when youre in a criterium and your competitor reaches over and taps them to sabotage your efforts ! (This was a legitimate barstool argument we used to have against bar end shifters BITD )

Chuckk

50 Years ago (check out Eddy!)

mstateglfr 

This is fascinating to hear. I plead ignorance on road racing because I don't do it and don't have easy/quick access to watch it so I also don't see many races.
I have never heard this as a reason for the squealing.

How does a mechanic even set the brakes up to squeal? All the disc brake bikes i have built dont squeal since squealing means there is rotor rub. Rotor rub = friction and friction = slower speed as well as an annoying noise at all times.

So the mechanics obviously aren't setting the bikes up with rotor rub as that would make riders slower and also make noise st all times.
What is the process then? Do the mechanics set up the pads and add oil to the surface so it squeals only when braking?...that seems dangerous since braking effectiveness will be reduced.

Please let the ignorant in on how this works.

repechage

i prefer these routes where the majority of the race is point to point, much more a true Tour.
i should reference the last time there were no “transits”.

Cougrrcj

I've never been a racer anyway, so it doesn't matter... And I don't race on barstools either!

madpogue 

Now they can just hack your wireless shifting system.

John E

We already know that many of the newer components and frames are far less durable than their predecessors.

John E

I have no [death] wish to go 50mph. 50/14 is a high enough top gear for me, just under 35mph at 120RPM.

jackbombay

50 mph never killed anyone!


A sudden stop from 50 MPH could do it though.

Bob the Mech

Disc drake 'squeal' or 'howl' can result through (but is not limited to): vibration (pads, calipers, flex in rotor), rotors being too hot, rotors being too cold, pad mis-alignment, pads being 'glazed', water on the rotors, other 'crap' on the rotors, rotors marginally out true, position of vents in rotors, the type of rotor and type of pads being used...it's a long list....

mstateglfr 

Yes, brakes can squeal due to this list and more. All the examples you list are either poor set up or in need of service.
So are you saying pro mechanics are setting these up incorrectly and/or not servicing them correctly?

Chuckk

When I think about the switch from caliper to disk brakes, I'm taken with the different path that the energy has to take.
With our calipers, the "path" is from ground to tire, rim, caliper brake, and then the fork crown or rear brake mount - both just over the top of the tire and centered.
Disk brakes have a path from from the ground to tire, to rim, to spokes, to hub, to disk and disk caliper then up the fork legs and rear stays. Probably more on the side the brake is mounted on.
Seems to me there is more force being exerted on the fork legs, spokes, and stays then on our old bikes, and being handled by assemblies that are much lighter.
Amazing.

Bob the Mech

Or inherent flaws in the design of the frame and fork to dampen the frequency of the vibration. I can set up my discs to be silent...I take them out in the rain and they howl...like the devil himself...I changed my pad to a kevlar type now they are silent regardless of the weather. Are mechanics setting those disc breaks properly?...I believe they are following the service and installation methods as prescribed by the manufacturers, they would have been trained by SRAM and Shimano in such matters. When you think about it these systems are being used for 21 days of competiton, being pushed to there mechanical limits, limits you or I could never achive, day in day out. And frankly as long as they perform the intended function at slowing / stopping the bikes I don't think anyone in pro racing cares if they squeal or not. I certainly don't

Duragrouch

Look at the size of the largest rear cog on the new race bikes in the pics above. On a road race bike! Good direction, I believe, gives the option to spin up a long climb when you run out of out-of-the-saddle climbing power.

Duragrouch

Agreed! That was Cannondale's trademark. Two possible explanations for the new welds: a) Made overseas and they went cheap by not post-finishing the welds, or b) The newer tubes are so thin wall that they don't want to risk hitting those with the band-sander in post-finishing.

RobbieTunes

Stage 4.
19-20 mph on a 5% grade
32 mph sprint on 3% grade.
Note the big CeramicSpeed lower jockey wheels ($500), right out of the DA7700 GS approach.
One commentator said it was 1/2 watt advantage.
The two pulls by the Jumbo diesel and the Kuss kid show the advancements across the spectrum.
550w for 3 miles. Holy cow. I’d only get that with light bulbs.

I was working on a bike with 6700, short cage RD.
It had an oversized lower jockey wheel and a Roadlink, running 11-34 rear just fine and a compact front.
The key was not totally about climbing; some of the intent was minimizing HR issues.
When I’m gasping at the top, she’s a bit behind but not winded a bit, enjoying the climb.
She can likely run 36t rear if she wants, or swap all that to a long cage and run 38t rear.
I see that in my geriatric future.

Chris Chicago

These sram cranks on the red trek are cool compared to shimanos, to my eye.

jackbombay

I can appreciate the new bikes for what they are, they are disposable, but they are absurdly efficient. Would I like to go smash out a century on one? OH YES I WOULD! Would I want to own one? Not all that much. If I were to spend that kind of coin I'd get into something more unique, albeit less efficient, but special to me.

nomadmax 

This is the winning post of the thread ^^^. I'm obligated to quote it so it'll always be remembered.

blamester

The bikes are really great. I watched Sunwebs Hirschi win yesterday and boy did he descend well on that bike. He made it look easy.

sheddle

I still miss the Argon Gallium. Had a nice no nonsense look to it, one of the most traditional geo bikes in the peloton, though the Wilier isn't a bad replacement.

RobbieTunes

+1, but I'm a bit different. I certainly like the efficiency aspect, and some of the new technology. I'm starting to see some conflicts between the older steel frames and just what I can put on them. That's understandable, but I still try, 'cause if RiddleofSteel can try, so can I, right?

My used coin goes for some used modern, but not the full-on racing stuff, because my iron-ass days are well behind me.
-Cipollini Logos: And they say it's their "comfort" model. Yeah, right, but I like it. My second foray into 1x...
-Colnago CLX: Haven't ridden it yet, but it's their "comfort" model. We'll see, as it will compete with the Logos for mileage.
-Wraith Hustle: It's modern, it's steel, and was built "to be built" with standard BB, seat post, calipers, steerer, etc. My "go-to."
-Litespeed (Lynskey): It truly is a 1996 frame that performs easily with today's stuff. It is the bridge for me from then to now.
-Trek Y-Foil: While I no longer patronize anything Trek, Bontrager, Specialized or Roval, this was before and is funky.
-Cadex CFR-1: Actually rides a lot like the Litespeed. It has a good beat and you can dance to it.

-Everything else: several rungs down the ladder, but better than I deserve and easy to ride. Many of my C&V's are upgraded to modern components, but I'm learning, over time, to sort of draw the line at 7700 or 7800 to stick with polished stuff that I can "range up." The Wolftooth Roadlink is my friend, and I see Mao's kids are copying it, so when they take over, our bikes will be ready for their victory Tour.

All that being said, though I've never, ever been a green bike fan, I'd take one of those new Bianchi's in half a heartbeat.

And I now have 3 sets of tubeless wheels. Bontrager RXL/TLR, HED Ardennes, and Mavic Ksyrium Pro. They are way different.
The Mavic seem faster, using 700x25 Yksium Pro tires mated to the wheels. I bought them used, but never used.
The Bontrager are more comfortable with 700x25 Schwalbe Pro 1's that seem bigger and softer. Durability? Jury's out.
The HED's are much wider, and will be set up with Conti GP5000TL's, which feel heavy. That court is not yet in session.

RiddleOfSteel

100% agreed. His Cervelo is their aero model, and certainly not to my tastes aesthetically, but it was one half of a very dynamic duo in his stage win. Dude is a smooth machine on a bike.

Martinez's win on today's grueling summit finish was pretty epic, and his Cannondale looked great.

Watching the finish, I couldn't help but think (again) that although it's a bummer that we have so few American riders in the tour, we have plenty of American bikes at the tour. Cannondale, Specialized, Trek, Cervelo (ok, Canadian, but relocating to Orange County, CA presently). I think that's cool.