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Ineos Grenadiers are racing on disc brakes… finally

Disc brake version of Pinarello’s Dogma F will be making its WorldTour debut at tomorrow’s GP de Denain…

Team Ineos Grenadiers have confirmed they are making the switch to disc brakes at tomorrow’s Grand Prix de Denain, a key warm-up race in the lead up to Paris Roubaix on 3rd October. As the final WorldTour team to do so, could this be the move that marks the end of rim brakes in the professional peloton? 

2021 Pinarello Dogma DiskBrake Grenadiers PRBX_03866

The British WorldTour team riders will be racing on the Pinarello Dogma F Disc in the one-day race in the lead up to Paris-Roubaix, despite riding rim brakes all this season, and all seasons before.

As mentioned already, Ineos Grenadiers previously held out on discs and are the last WorldTour team to make the switch. We know team manager Sir Dave Brailsford is a convert, because we spotted him riding the disc brake version of the Dogma F12 as far back as 2019. 

2021 Pinarello Dogma DiskBrake Grenadiers PRBX_03965

This belated decision to move to disc brakes is said to have been made “after close consultation with the riders, performance team, Pinarello and Shimano”, according to the team’s press statement announcing the move.

“We are always looking at ways to improve our kit, technology and bike setup to ensure the riders have the very best options that are available,” said the team’s Head of Technical Partners.

2021 Pinarello Dogma DiskBrake Grenadiers PRBX_04089

“Working closely with Pinarello and Shimano, we will continue to develop the all-round disc package, optimising weight, the integration across Dura-Ace, and improvements in the quick release system.”

Fausto Pinarello himself added: “I’ve been convinced about disc brakes since I started riding them myself and I’m happy the team is going to race on them in the final part of this season.”

While the riders will be racing disc brakes at the GP de Denain, it is not clear if this marks the complete end for rim brakes for the British WorldTour team.

The GP de Denain is to be “the first race in the initial phase of the disc brake roll out for the team”, according to the Ineos statement; which isn't to say the disc version will be chosen for every race, taking the statement at face value. 

Pinarello revealed its latest top-level road bike, the Dogma F, earlier this year in June with the disc brake version offering lower drag than the rim brake model for the first time.

The disc brake version is claimed to be “4.8% more aerodynamic” than the equivalent Dogma F12, while the rim brake version is “3.2% more aerodynamic”.

2021 Pinarello Dogma DiskBrake Grenadiers PRBX_04104

Pinarello updated its Onda fork from scratch for the Dogma F and at the launch it said it gave the two different versions, the rim brake and disc fork, equal priority.

2021 Pinarello Dogma DiskBrake Grenadiers PRBX_04112

However brands like Shimano are instead heavily focused on developing disc brake technology, with the latest Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 groupset release overhauling the calipers for better heat dissipation and easier access to the bleed ports, while the rim calipers have remained much the same.

2021 Pinarello Dogma DiskBrake Grenadiers PRBX_03925

pinarello.com/uk

Is it about time Ineos made the switch to discs, or should we save the rim brake? Let us know your thoughts in the comments as always...

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24 comments

Avatar
Jaap | 2 years ago
1 like

I love that this is actual news. 

Avatar
ErnieC | 2 years ago
2 likes

Let it go, both sides. Is disc brakes vs rim brakes really that important?

Avatar
Captain Badger replied to ErnieC | 2 years ago
7 likes

ErnieC wrote:

Let it go, both sides. Is disc brakes vs rim brakes really that important?

HERETIC! Let's burn him

Avatar
ErnieC replied to Captain Badger | 2 years ago
5 likes

Perhaps i should first check if I can float?

Avatar
Velophaart_95 | 2 years ago
1 like

What do you think Pidcock won MTB races on? 

Avatar
Mb747 replied to Velophaart_95 | 2 years ago
4 likes

A disk brake Pinarello road bike?

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Sniffer replied to Mb747 | 2 years ago
0 likes

A BMC?  Not sure of your point.

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to Sniffer | 2 years ago
0 likes

I was going to say that but then realised s/he meant what type of brakes, not bike, and it's a fair point, the headline for real accuracy should say "INEOS Grenadiers road team finally..." Although it is a moot point as to whether they have an MTB team, they say they have but it comprises TP and...that's it.

Avatar
Dhill replied to Velophaart_95 | 2 years ago
1 like

Velophaart_95 wrote:

What do you think Pidcock won MTB races on? 

I’ll have a go at this question; a Mountain bike.

Avatar
Captain Badger replied to Velophaart_95 | 2 years ago
2 likes

Velophaart_95 wrote:

What do you think Pidcock won MTB races on? 

Good old fashioned british pluck, traditional values, and a thatcherite work ethic?

Avatar
mdavidford replied to Captain Badger | 2 years ago
0 likes

Captain Badger wrote:

Velophaart_95 wrote:

What do you think Pidcock won MTB races on? 

Good old fashioned british pluck, traditional values, and a thatcherite work ethic?

Something even more sickly than that, apparently.

https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/how-to-fuel-for-cycling-tips-tom-pidcock

Avatar
Captain Badger replied to mdavidford | 2 years ago
0 likes

mdavidford wrote:

......

Something even more sickly than that, apparently.

https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/how-to-fuel-for-cycling-tips-tom-pidcock

Interesting links, although I might have been doing MTBing all wrong...

Quote:

Has under-fuelling led to any particularly memorable bonks?

The worst was probably an Otley reliability ride. It was in winter, about 60 miles, I think I was about 15 or 16 and with about 10 miles to go, I proper bonked! I don’t really bonk anymore; you get hunger flats but you can just keep riding. But that was a proper bonk – I couldn’t pedal! A nice guy gave me a bar and helped me home.

Avatar
Nixster | 2 years ago
5 likes

I'm currently building up a frameset with disc brakes for the first time.

The Ineos mechanics have my deepest sympathies; I hope the riders experience all the well publicised benefits.

Avatar
mbprouser | 2 years ago
1 like

Presumably now that the pro-peloton are/will all be on 12speed disc brake drive trains, the neutral service will be far easier? As for the 'make more money' idea, that was already the case. Practically all new wheelsets released are disc-brake only. It won't be long before all the bike manufacturers will build disc brake only. Cervelo is already there.

Avatar
check12 replied to mbprouser | 2 years ago
3 likes

Srams 12speed axs group set requires a special ax's cassette as the teeth are shaped differently. 
not sure about shimano / campag comparability,

gone are the days of 11 speed mix and match cassettes / chains / cog|spricket spacing

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Mb747 replied to check12 | 2 years ago
0 likes

If it's Shimano neutral service will there be any SRAM wheelsets?
I assume most of the teams will still be on 11speed at the moment

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fukawitribe replied to mbprouser | 2 years ago
1 like

mbprouser wrote:

Practically all new wheelsets released are disc-brake only.

No they're not.

mbprouser wrote:

It won't be long before all the bike manufacturers will build disc brake only.

Yes it will, if ever.

Avatar
check12 | 2 years ago
3 likes

gotta cash in on those sweet sweet disc dollars. From road.cc's article in the new F frame set, so the figures above in this article must be just frameset before you add the "spinning discs of death" on the wheels, also known as disc brake rotors - "Interestingly, Pinarello says that the disc brake version of the Dogma F has lower drag than the rim brake model – 7.3% lower if you consider just the frame and fork. The difference is far less dramatic when you take the complete bike plus the rider into account; in those circumstances, the disc system has an advantage of just 0.2%."

 

Avatar
xernobyl | 2 years ago
1 like

About time.

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bobbinogs | 2 years ago
10 likes

“We are always looking at ways to improve our kit, technology and bike setup to ensure the riders have the very best options that are available, sell more bikes” said the team’s Head of Technical Partners.

Avatar
Sriracha replied to bobbinogs | 2 years ago
3 likes
bobbinogs wrote:

“We are always looking at ways to improve our kit, technology and bike setup to ensure the riders have the very best options that are available, sell more bikes” said the team’s Head of Technical Partners.

How does this sell more bikes? And if it did, why is that a bad thing?

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to Sriracha | 2 years ago
3 likes

Sriracha wrote:

How does this sell more bikes? And if it did, why is that a bad thing?

Fairly obvious, isn't it? If the team switches to disc brakes, more Pinarello fans are going to convince themselves that discs are better and want to replace their rim braked bikes with disc braked ones. Nobody ever lost money by leveraging the desire of we mortals to steal a little fire from the gods...

Avatar
Sriracha replied to Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
0 likes

I see in your reply a recognition that this is not a one way street with the gods forcing the poor fans to scourge themselves one more time to buy n+1.

I see the relationship more akin to grazers and the savannah, neither would survive without the other. If the brands don't yield up some excuse for their fans to digest every so often neither would survive. It could be that Pinarello finally caved to their fan base, hungry for an excuse to feed again.

Avatar
Rapha Nadal replied to bobbinogs | 2 years ago
2 likes

bobbinogs wrote:

“We are always looking at ways to improve our kit, technology and bike setup to ensure the riders have the very best options that are available, sell more bikes” said the team’s Head of Technical Partners.

in other news: businesses exist to make money.

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