Originally Posted by
FBinNY
You've identified the problem here. Skilled or knowledgeable riders don't have problems because they either avoid them with smart brake use, and/or manage the potential problem by stopping to cool brakes when needed.
Put 10 teams on the same alpine descent, and you'll see a spectrum of speeds and brake problems, running from "what's the issue", to (possibly) total brake fade. One may be tempted to draw conclusions based on the equipment, but I suspect the bigger factor would be rider skill.
Skill is always much more important than equipment. I have no doubt that a skilled tandem team can safely descent Mt Ventoux on caliper brakes. Or poor technique can oveheat the most powerfull hydraulic disc brakes (on bike, car, or motorcycle).
In one Grand Fondo, I saw a multi-rider crash just a few km from the start line. Riders were on the ground and one frame was broken into several pieces. it was a flat, smooth road in dry condition. There was no reason for these riders to crash but one over-eager rider found a way to trigger the pileup. In mtn bike races, it's not unusual to see a pileup at the first mildly technical descent. It wouldn't surprise me if one of these riders blamed the crash on equipment failure.
I don’t mean to de-legitimize safety fears, but car, motorcycles, and mtn bikes have been using hydraulic brakes for million of miles because they provide more safety at high speeds. There is no shortage of empirical data that hydraulic brakes are superior. Nevertheless, we have lawyer tabs on dropouts and safety warnings on ladders because there's always one person who defy common sense. Every crash with an injury that someone has blamed on a disc has been more or less been proven to be something else. The Bike Rumour article by Tyler Benedict is another example of a sensational headline disguishing poor component choice, installation and technique.