Disc Brakes good for cross, but road racing?

[Todd Richards]

Please help. Have a titanium hard-tail mb with mechanical cross front. love it. Have a steel roadbike with ultegra 8 speed sti. love it. I ride local club ROAD rides, and an ocasional 'same day licesnce' cat 5 USCF road race or training race. I've raced NORBA but don't ever plan to really do this again, only use the ti mb to ride local tails when I'm tired of the road. I will certainly do more USCF stuff and local club races, and would like to try cross.

So, why not sell my 2 bikes and build-up buy the ultimate cross bike? My idea is this: Ti rear suspension Moots YBB Psycho-cross with disc front AND rear with STI levers. I'd like to do disc front and rear since then I could just get 2 wheelsets: 1 super beefy for the trail rides, and 1 super light for the road rides.
? Will I be able to use this rig in a USCF event? If not what parts can't be included to be legal?
? Why they don't use disc brakes on roadbikes? makes sence and works great, is it heavy at high speed or somethin?

[Surferbruce]

i can't really answer your questions, but i'd sell my firstborn for a YBB Psychocross. if only i had kids...

[moosetoth]

i'd sell my firstborn for a YBB Psychocross. if only i had kids... :p

Hahaha, good one. Seriously though, have you SEEN the welds on one of those bikes, its like Ansel Adams
in Ti. (drool, drool...)

To answer your original question T.R. : There's nothing wrong with your dual wheelset idea and as far as the disc brakes go, its really a weight issue IMHO, although, if your road rides typically end up in winding canyon descents under a torrential downpour... somen' to think about.

[climbo]

i don't think the USCF or UCI specifically mentions disc brakes for road events. They are definitely banned for CX events but if you call the USCF they could tell you. Problem is it's a new thing coming out so they might say they are banned unless specifically tested and approved by the UCI. I think the USCF would follow UCI regulation on bikes, as we do in Australia.

I'm almost at the same point as yourself, I've though about doing this but might wait a little while before I sell my other bikes to do it.

[flythebike]

The reason to use discs is primarily to stop well in the wet. This is mainly an issue for off road stuff. Disc brakes will be USCF illegal in 2007 when the USCF harmonizes its rules with the UCI. The chance of injury in a fall is too great, in their opinion. I don't think they're wrong to err on the side of safety. Also, I don't think suspension is necessary in most cross races, it would just add weight (as do discs). But a lot of this stuff is personal preference. I'd say just let air out of the tires if you think that you need some suspension.

BTW I just had a firstborn child and if you were in my shoes you wouldn't even sell him for a 10 pound zoot-bike.