Bespoke Blog

RULE #85 - Descend Like A Pro

All descents shall be undertaken at speeds commonly regarded as "ludicrous" or "insane" by those less talented. In addition all corners will be traversed in an outside-inside-outside trajectory, with the outer leg extended and the inner leg canted appropriately (but not too far as to replicate a motorcycle racer, for you are not one), to assist in balance and creation of an appealing aesthetic. Brakes are generally not to be employed, but if absolutely necessary, only just prior to the corner.

From Velominati - The Rules

Its not macho to admit this but I don't particularly enjoy descending...

I know people who dislike climbing and love descending. For me a descent is a means to an end, and its binary. You either crash or you don't.

For instance today on my Instagram feed is a picture of a cyclist who hit a piece of debris whilst descending at speed, went over his bars and landed on his jaw (and only his jaw). Which was fractured in 3 places. These are the sorts of images that give me the willies.

If you think about modern caliper brakes, they have certainly improved but they are a very antiquated design. What other mode of transport can you think of that uses a rubber pad to squeeze against something in the hope of slowing you down? And whilst they work relatively well with aluminium rims, with carbon there's always some kind of compromise, whether in efficiency, noise, wear, or a combination of all three.

Disc brakes have mainly been pushed on the Endurance/Sportive scene - the idea being they work best in wet weather (like the cobbled classics). And they certainly do, but in my opinion its actually in the high mountains where you can descend at 75+ kph that you really see the benefit.

I am recently back from the Pyrenees and its the first time I have ridden disc brakes in the high mountains. Descending was a revelation.

This was my lightbulb moment... Disc brakes - I get it.

Features Ed. Dave Arthur told me he does not necessarily descend quicker on discs, but he feels much safer. He is a better descender than me though, and in my case I was certainly quicker on disc brakes.

Coming off the Peyresourde I had time to eat a baguette at the summit (that I had climbed up with in my back pocket - how laissez faire is that!) and still catch and overtake a local rider on the descent. For me that's truly unheard of!

The ability to go at full speed aiming straight at the corner and then pull hard and turn in - and to do again and again without fade - is truly hypnotic. You feel like a race car with carbon ceramic brakes.

The irony is Pros will benefit from discs less than most of us… they are naturally better bike handlers, more fearless (and, of course, riding on closed roads).

Rim brakes are a double whammy for less talented descenders - if you are a cautious descender you will likely grab your brakes a lot on a descent, and by doing so you will over heat the rim and potentially cause a catastrophic inner tube puncture. Because disc brakes stop better you grab the brakes less, and because discs don't brake on the rim, the rim does not overheat.