PepeM

He is an experienced rider.

bt

I think he was planning on going off road and dropping into the next switchback until that stupid team car got in his way!

merlinextraligh

There's no doubt he messed up. My suggestion, however is that it was likely a cascading series of events, and taking a bit too much risk, as opposed to gross incompetence.

You're pushing too hard to catch; you carry too much speed into the turn above this one; you come out too wide and too hot, and then are confronted with a tight hairpin way sooner than you expected it, and a bunch of team cars in the way.

It's a bit more complicated racing down that mountain with team cars, officials, and motorcycles in the way, than just going down on it on a leisurely ride by yourself.

gregf83 

We all know that experienced athletes never make mistakes. Sometimes when you're riding on the 'edge' **** happens whether in a car or a bike.

i love Monday morning quarterbacks who've never taken a risk in their life dissecting races.

DonBjr

I don't think one is significantly better than the other for braking, but I would prefer disc brakes. I have them on my mtn bike and justified or not rim brakes make me nervous when I apply them at speed. They feel slightly grabby and unsmooth so I worry that they'll surprise me in some unpleasant way -despite all the evidence that this doesn't generally happen.

intransit1217

As soon as i saw that first support car go inside the turn, I knew it was gonna be bad. Too fast for corner coupled with organizational race issues. Not a type of brake issue. I hope the guy is alive. And the last two who hit the m/c as well.

bt

as will disc brakes when the fluid boils.

you will be in for a big surprise.

cyclistca

But he could have used the disk to fight off the bear. Try that with a rim brake.

billyymc

When I get up out of this lounge chair you are so in for it!

bt

billy, don't be a hero

merlinextraligh

broken ribs, pelvis, punctured lung.

But he appears to be doing ok.

merlinextraligh

If you look at the video at seconds 20-21, He's able to modulate his brakes quite effectively. He's on his front brake to edge of adhesion, riding a nose wheelie, which is slowing you as fast as is possible, and lets off enough to avoid flipping.

And as for hands getting tired, these guys aren't descending like that. One quick hard brake before a turn, off the brakes to the next turn. Hitting the brakes for a second 20 times is not going to wear your hand out.

Jarrett2

There's another video out there from the spectator point of view and it appears he was out of control coming out of the previous turn as well.


Sounds like he's done this before. Hope he heals well and fast.

indyfabz

Now we're cooking with gas.

exime

That is why mountain bikes all use disc brakes.

You simply attach the red-hot disc to your mini-pump and you've got a weapon to kill even the angriest predator.

Homebrew01

Looks like this thread is an excuse to post crash videos.

merlinextraligh

The spectator video pretty clearly shows that he's late out of the turn just above. This crash started on the entrance into the previous turn.

Twisty descent on a bike is similar to ski racing; you're late for a gate, it throws the next gate off, and it just gets worse, until this.

Only thing that prevents this crash is taking a better line, at a bit slower speed through the previous turn.

jaymac10

That guy was MOVING!

Stucky

A perfect illustration of why we'll be seeing more crashes and more injuries as discs become more common. People will think they have better stopping abilities because of the brakes- not realizing that the brakes are not the limiting factor; but rather traction and weight distribution/physics usually are; people will have a false sense of greater confidence, thinking they can "stop better"; and people will be more likely to grab too much brake in panic situations, and lose traction or go over the bars (etc.). That sense of false confidence will also mean that they may go faster/take more chances...thinking somehow that discs will save them.

PepeM

So a video of a professional rider crashing while using rim brakes perfectly demonstrates how regular riders will crash more often thanks to disc brakes? Fascinating.

spdracr39

I think he came into that corner hot anticipating an outside line but when he approached, all the team cars were in the outside lane. He had such a high closing speed on the team cars he had no options to correct being out of position. I don't want say I want disc brakes on road bikes but I think the point that is being overlooked is the ability to modulate the disc brakes better thus allowing enough control to possibly not skid the tire. I don't believe it would have made any difference in this scenario because he committed to a high speed outside line way to early and didn't account for traffic. No amount of modulation would have slowed him in time.

Kindaslow

I spent a lot of time on the racetrack on motorcycle, and I have seen crashes like this many times. This clearly had nothing to do with the brakes. I do think disc brakes are better brakes, but few of us need them. Yet, who cares what we need and do not need.

one question though. A lot of folks talk about the fluid boiling with disc brakes. I believe this is an Internet create fallacy for near 100% of people. So, is there anyone here that has personally experienced this? No brothers, friends, cousins, etcetera, you yourself.

3alarmer

...it works in the never ending Helment thread, why would it not apply to road discs? Once I get my discs, I'll probably ditch the helment.

andr0id

He was totally set up wrong for this, blazing away on the inside is no way to make it through a hairpin.

grolby

This video doesn't provide a case either for or against disc brakes. Discs would not have helped Brammeier in this circumstance. And his high level of brake control with rim brakes doesn't mean hydraulic discs aren't superior (they are). He was way past the point where that mattered. End of story, either way.

This got a chuckle out of me.