“There was definitely pressure from the manufacturer" - Why Tadej Pogacar finally switched from rim brake to disc brake

Tadej Pogacar has been one of the peloton's leading lights for a number of years now. As his former UAE Team Emirates teammate, Ryan Gibbons recalls though, the Slovenian was one of the last riders to make the switch to disc brakes.

“There was definitely pressure from the manufacturer to be racing the disc brake bike because that’s what’s on the market, that’s what they’re trying to sell to the public,” Gibbons reveals on the Bobby & Jens podcast. It wasn't until 2022 and the introduction of the Colnago V4Rs that Pogacar finally made the switch though.

So just why did Pogacar hold off from a seemingly revolutionary idea that almost the entirety of the peloton had transferred to in the years prior? “It was 100 percent for the weight,” Gibbons believes. “Tadej definitely felt that if it can be 300 grams lighter, you need that. And especially when you’re trying to win the biggest bike race in the world, any gram can make that.”

“Of course, it is all about going as fast as you can. You want to be comfortable, but if you can be 3 watts faster, so what?” Gibbons adds. “We are fortunate that the clothing is really, really good."