Ron_Burgundy wrote:
milesthedog wrote:
That's awesome!
As a cyclist i see a few significant issues, in particular for a team that potentially might be invited to a grand tour.
1. You loose the ability to have climbing and sprint shifters, thats a big deal for sprinters
2. loss of small gear jumps, ideal cadence is critical in racing and that is now thrown out the window
3. If you are on a climb and get a neutral wheel you could be up a creek very fast with a standard 11/28 that neutral carries. Not to mention slower wheel changes due to the disc brake.
4. Heavy, not a big deal for most, but for a climber who is as lean as possible those extra kilos are not welcome.
5. If they race Roubaix (big if) they cannot ride anything beyond a 28mm tire
To play devil's advocate..........
1. Etap? I see no issue there.
2. Only on climbing stages with powered descents. Otherwise, pros sit in the big ring even on some pretty rolling terrain all day long anyway. Even I can't remember the last time around town I left the big ring, including some 3 min hills up to 11-12% in parts. And I'm a nobody.
3. What about the disc brake and rim brake mix you already have?
4. Heavy? I guarantee it's still probably tickling the UCI weight limit as an aero rig. The issue isn't that, it's the stiffness and geometry of the carbon versus a climbing bike. Climbing bikes aren't just light, they have different layups and geometry for the purpose.
5. Roubaix is commonly run on 28's and 30's. All the latest winners were 28's or 30's. So a 28 is still within the majority of setups for the race.