It has been well established that, when it comes to aero bikes, disc brakes are worse than rim brakes in every sense. They are heavier. They are slower. They are expensive as all fuck. They aren't compatible with our existing equipment infrastructure. Aesthetically, they look downright terrible. The new Cervelo dentist bike effectively comes with four derailleurs, strapped all over the frame, which is defiled further by sloppy routing and mechanical cables and shit. What a nightmare.
At any rate, disc brakes are here, and there is simply no going back. Cannondale's P4x, Parlee's jawn, Cervelo's P5 BryanD edition, Diamondback's Andean -- they have officially arrived, so welcome to a new era in which rim brake-based frames and wheels are as good as irrelevant. You just bought a Dimond Marquise? Congratulations, you're a common moron. Show me a man who just dropped $2k for a Zipp Super 9 for racing this year, and I'll show you a man who just lost $1,000 in equipment equity.
One year from today, the most expensive equipment that you presently own will be worth shockingly little. Like tubulars and 26ers before them, rim-brake frames and wheels will be swept into the bowels of the classifieds, rendered obsolete by this new standard that has been forced upon us by the cycling industry generally and stan specifically. There really is no going back.
We as consumers are left with a pretty shitty choice. You can pay through the nose right now and acquire first generation product that broadly blows (but will undoubtedly become significantly better in six or twelve or eighteen month's time), or you can stand pat while your 808s depreciate in value down to approximately the square root of zero. Either way, it's going to be expensive. The only thing that is possibly worse than being an early adopter right now is being a late one.
So how will the rest of you navigate rapid equipment obsolescence? Storm the exits now or later? If you aren't buying now or in a year or so, you better be saving your shekels, because your old equipment won't be worth shit by the time you try to join the rest of us (i.e. the majority of us, who have already succumbed to this inferior braking system).
Welcome to the future. It's worse than the past. It's slower. It's heavier. It's expensiver. You better hold on to your wallet, because whether you like it or not you're about to get fleeced.
At any rate, disc brakes are here, and there is simply no going back. Cannondale's P4x, Parlee's jawn, Cervelo's P5 BryanD edition, Diamondback's Andean -- they have officially arrived, so welcome to a new era in which rim brake-based frames and wheels are as good as irrelevant. You just bought a Dimond Marquise? Congratulations, you're a common moron. Show me a man who just dropped $2k for a Zipp Super 9 for racing this year, and I'll show you a man who just lost $1,000 in equipment equity.
One year from today, the most expensive equipment that you presently own will be worth shockingly little. Like tubulars and 26ers before them, rim-brake frames and wheels will be swept into the bowels of the classifieds, rendered obsolete by this new standard that has been forced upon us by the cycling industry generally and stan specifically. There really is no going back.
We as consumers are left with a pretty shitty choice. You can pay through the nose right now and acquire first generation product that broadly blows (but will undoubtedly become significantly better in six or twelve or eighteen month's time), or you can stand pat while your 808s depreciate in value down to approximately the square root of zero. Either way, it's going to be expensive. The only thing that is possibly worse than being an early adopter right now is being a late one.
So how will the rest of you navigate rapid equipment obsolescence? Storm the exits now or later? If you aren't buying now or in a year or so, you better be saving your shekels, because your old equipment won't be worth shit by the time you try to join the rest of us (i.e. the majority of us, who have already succumbed to this inferior braking system).
Welcome to the future. It's worse than the past. It's slower. It's heavier. It's expensiver. You better hold on to your wallet, because whether you like it or not you're about to get fleeced.
