Few subjects have inspired more debate at this year鈥檚 first three days of the bike test than road disc brakes. What are the benefits over rim brakes? Are they worth the weight penalty? Is any brand doing them right? And, simply, do we even need them?
Of the 30 bikes we鈥檙e testing, six are equipped with discs, including the Pinarello Dogma 65.1 Hydro ($5,600 frame set). More manufacturers intended to send disc brake-equipped models, but with the and Shimano’s slow delivery of their new Ultegra R785 Hydraulics, the demand was higher than the supply.
The Dogma, like three of the six bikes with discs in the review, is equipped with , which use mechanical levers and cable actuation to control the hydraulics in the caliper. Of all three brands, these are the least expensive ($150 per wheel) and have worked flawlessly throughout our testing.
The consensus, even among the staunchest hydraulics skeptics, is that these brakes bring impressive stopping power and finesse. Everyone agrees on the benefits of separating the braking force from the rim, especially on carbon where the heat from braking has caused wheel failure in certain cases. Whether or not it鈥檚 worth the weight penalty鈥攐ur Dogma tips the scales at 17.6 pounds鈥攊s an ongoing dialogue.
But the Dogma is more than disc brakes. This, of course, is the same frame that Team Sky rode at the spring classics last year and the one that Chris Froome will likely ride when the Tour hits the cobbles in 2014 (minus the disc brakes). It鈥檚 built from Pinarello鈥檚 top-shelf Torayca 65-ton 65HM1K Nano-alloy carbon fibre, and smaller side to side differences than before, despite retaining the company鈥檚 trademark asymmetric design.
The Onda fork’s characteristic waves are also toned down, and the non-drive-side chainstays have post mounts and extra reinforcement to accomodate the added force generated by the disc brakes. We equipped ours with Vision aluminum wheels mounted to 28mm Continental Grand Prix 4000 tires, a natural combo for endurance racing and rough surfaces such as cobbles鈥攐r Tuscon’s beat-up asphalt. It鈥檚 also spec鈥檇 with Shimano Dura Ace Di2 components.
After finishing the full-fledged race bikes yesterday, I took my final lap aboard the Dogma and was floored by just how comfy and stable it was. The aches in my back and sting in my shoulders and neck that聽 developed from two hard days of riding were nearly unnoticeable aboard this cushy bike. Even after 60-plus miles, and with a fifth run up the 500-foot climb of the west side of Gates Pass ahead, the Dogma’s comfort far outweighed its extra weight. I ripped down the screaming descent back to the truck with exceptional confidence, thanks to the bike鈥檚 stability and the sureness of the disc brakes.