Industry body reports find no evidence of disc brakes causing injuries in crashes

An industry body representing cycling brands has hit back over claims that disc brakes are dangerous in professional racing and have the potential to cause injuries.

After riders' union the Professional Cyclists Association (CPA) threatened the UCI with legal action over potential injuries caused by disc brakes, the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI), a body representing sports brands, has issued a statement disputing the danger of disc brakes.

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The statement includes two WFSGI-commissioned reports of the injury to Fran Ventoso at Paris-Roubaix and an initial report on the incident involving Owain Doull at the Abu Dhabi Tour, both of which were claimed to have involved by disc brakes.

According to the reports, Ventoso's injury "could not be reasonably explained" if it was caused by a disc brake, with the shape of Ventoso wound suggesting that it was caused "by the impact of the chainless front chainring".

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A preliminary report into the accident involving Doull at the Abu Dhabi Tour comes to the conclusion that the "facts exclude the possibility that the cut to the shoe of Owain Doull was done by a disc brake", with the report saying that the most likely cause of the cut was "the barriers or some other material on his left.

The WFSGI also addresses concerns around the "mixed peloton" (i.e. where some riders are using disc brakes and some using rim brakes, meaning different levels of braking performance) saying that there is already differences in braking performance between different wheels and brake pads in the peloton.

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Disc brakes have provided a significant talking point in the professional peloton since they were first introduced at the start of the 2016 season, a trial that was suspended after Ventoso's crash at Paris-Roubaix.

The trial was restarted at the start of the 2017 season, although the debate over discs continued after Doull's crash at the Abu Dhabi Tour.