Agree - those who criticise him and assume he couldn’t wrench on his bikes are missing the point: Froome has actual pro mechanics wrenching on his bikes. So if his brakes still rub and squeal, then something’s clearly not right!
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I wonder if a/the hidden culprit with discs rubbing - especially as you can get multiple guys in a room with the same setup, and some will be plagued by it, while others don’t have it at all - is the accuracy of the mount setup. A couple of degrees off, and you’ve got rub you just won’t get rid of. After all, it’s not like manufacturers’ tolerances aren’t sometimes off by a fair bit…
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Call me a cynic but given the new Dura-Ace is due out soon this feels a little staged, the same with the bar complaints - improvements are already in the pipeline. Feels like one of those, here’s our new product based on feedback from the pros moments.
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ISN isn’t sponsored by Shimano
I think whenever we are talking about a GT winner/podium we usually are talking about someone who will be very particular about their bike. I’m sure he would have given rider input into development of various Pinarellos. Now does that make him an engineer? No, but he does give his views a reasonable amount of credibility, certainly more than any of us LOL
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99% of the issues with discs rubbing in the pro peloton is after a wheel change/wheel service during a race. When a caliper is aligned for a wheel and you change said wheel you’ll likely have rub. This is the issue.
Why? I can think of more than a few posters here whose opinion on bike equipment I would take more seriously than Froome. Similarly, there are pro riders whose opinion I would rate higher than Froome’s, even though they are nowhere near his class of rider.
You’d be shocked at the makeup of Shimano’s engineers…specifically how many of them actually ride a bike.
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what makes you think that his opinion is inferior to others’ opinion on bike equipment? How do you know he is not an expert in this field and has not been directly involved in some of the technical stuff etc. ?
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I don’t… If you have any information re: his potential expertise, I’d welcome it. My point is that I am not conferring some added weight to his opinion just because he is fast.
To my knowledge, this is the first time he has weighed in on products and, based on his comments, I see no great insight. As noted, his comments re: rotor rub is based on using third party rotors with a dedicated Shimano system…it doesn’t take great product insight to realize that combining those parts may not result in optimal performance.
I am perfectly willing to reassess his product credibility if he weighs in more.
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The reason I would say his comments carry more weight is because he has actually chosen to be vocal negatively about his sponsor. He doesn’t need to show me his CV of product development. If he is willing to effectively say “I wouldn’t buy this bike in this configuration just yet, there are better options” then that is telling.
ISN may not be sponsored by Shimano, but they are sponsored by Factor, who make disc brake bikes and wheels.
yep but I was addressing the point proposed that Froome’s comments might be a staged marketing ploy in advance of next gen dura ace.
I don’t understand…how does being “vocally negative” give his voice more weight? I get complaints everyday from people using our products who say they aren’t accurate, don’t work well, etc…and over 99% of the time they aren’t using the product properly or don’t understand it.
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I think the fact he thinks the pads are called rotors doesn’t bode well for a start 
That being said I happen to agree with him - i’m not 100% sold on the need for disk brakes on a road bike either.
Froome has been in the Malibu area, training. he does not have his team mechanics with him and we don’t know who setup his bike(s) and if they were done properly.
But just to be clear…I am not criticizinfg him or saying he can’t wrench on his bikes. My point has been very consistent - riding your bike a lot and being fast does not automatically convey you with enhanced product insight. Saying we should listen to his opinions because he has won 7 GT’s simply doesn’t make sense.
Similarly, he may very well have excellent insight on product, I don’t know…but based on comments made in that video, I have some pretty big reservations about his product knowledge / understanding.
I wonder how many coaches there are out there who this might apply to also…
I was disappointed with this review. It was pretty bland, and the only thing of note was his negative take on disc brakes - which let’s face it, is not very thought provoking based on everything that’s already been said on the topic.
Froomey should take some classes from the Mike Levy school of bike reviewing.
Sadly, quite a few…
The reverse is also true…I know I actively have had to fight against my internal bias when I I have seen coaches offer advice in the past “WTF…they are slow as schitt. What do they know?” It is a very natural reaction, but not necessarily accurate.
Knowledge has nothing to do with physical abilities.
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My review of the Factor Ostro with SRAM Force disc brakes: it’s freakin fast!
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I think that’s a fair comment. The bloke has been pretty much been riding the same bike for the last decade without any incentive to try disc brakes or any other element of his set up that is fundamentally different. When you’re racing at that level, if everything isn’t ‘just so’ he’ll be looking for the tiniest differences. Similar in F1 as well when they make rule changes.
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Agreed. That reminds me of Walter Röhrl who has been involved in the development of new Porsches. He said it took him a bit to understand he isn’t optimizing the suspension setup for a race car that is to be driven by a skilled race car driver, but everyday people, most of whom will never, ever go to a track. Röhrl was able to make that switch, which is why Porsches handle the way they do.
IMHO an over reliance on world tour pros in the development process can negatively impact the development of new products. It took way too long IMHO for the industry to move into the gravel market, for example. Most road bikes, even with compact cranks, are still overgeared for the average consumer. (Phil Gaimon did his last Everesting attempts with a 34 chainring and a 11-40 cassette. I reckon many amateurs would find it enjoyable to climb mountains with a 34:40.) Ditto for 1x, wider tires and disc brakes (which allow for wider tires), this is not something pros asked for en masse.
Although to be fair, Shimano does have quite a few enthusiasts. A former team mate (I think he is still considered an honorary team member) of mine moved to Osaka to start a job with Shimano. They have a race team that is actually very good, he claimed it’ll be hard for him to get into.
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That’s a good observation, I find that apparent lack of curiosity unappealing and hard to understand. If you gave me access to the best-of-the-best, prototypes, engineers to help develop new technologies, I’d be all over that.
It seems that he wasn’t very curious about trying and helping to develop disc brakes. As a recovering mountain biker, I’m always amazed by the conservatism of many roadies. The advantages are so obvious (not just when it comes to braking, but also tire choice and frame design) and in principle the tech is very, very mature, it just needs to be optimized properly.
What remains is polish, i. e. to find the perfect balance between weight, robustness and consistency. To find the right “brake lever feel”. I heard that Shimano purposefully tried to give their hydraulic disc brakes a road brake-like feel rather than just a MTB feel.
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