Disc brake (history of them ?)

[FluffyChicken]

So what's the history of disc brakes on bikes ?
Anyone know of any pages that cover it.
Not just MTB's as we know it, as they where around before them, Shimano had some in the mid 70's and quite a few and not too far removed from what we have today yes hydraulic too.
But this is before I was born, where they the first, where they any good and why the long wait to get to MTB's.

MTB usage history would be good too.

I ask as I know very little about disc's and the only talk I've seen here was about HOPE hubs and the disc.

 

[sunchaser]

Seem to remember Dia Compe making disc brakes in the early 90's but, that's about all I can contribute :roll:

Not much help

 

[longun]

my first intro to discs was on a dave lloyd cats wiskas,iirc. had the first hope ones that were similar to cheap cable jobbies now, prob awsome bitd! think that was about 91/2. actually got to ride one for a weekend in summer 95 for a mates mtb video

cant say id seen any earlier than that till san andreas was fitted with prostops.

 

[dan_bo]

I've got memories of an old MTB PRO with a review of a Zinn with hope discs with screw on discs that you couldnt stall on a hill on

 

[yeti-man]

Robert Reisinger made the Pro Stop in 91 See http://mombat.org/Timeline.htm . The disc brake system is british frist invented by Landcashire

 

[FluffyChicken]

These are all quite modern disc brakes though
Good for the MTB history mind.


Mid 1970's Shimano was producing some (I have other years but not in the archive) Shimano produced them in 1972 even. 1973 they added the hydraulic version.
1975

 

[Maxipedia]

I don't have time to look it up properly, but as far as I know Hope were among the first, if not the first with some mechanical brakes of theirs (1989?), Mountain Cycle Pro Stop brakes were also pretty early, as were AMP's semihydraulic ones. 1993-1994 is my guess. Formula of Italy also shouldn't be ignored as they had hydraulic discs as early as 1993.

Hayes jumped the bandwagon and became highly popular, Magura's Gustav M is an icon and a very hard to fault brake and then Shimano came in. BUT! But Shimano had disc brakes in the 70's; I am pretty sure I read that somewhere.

Mx

 

[Rumble]

Loving that 70s Shimano stuff - anyone ever ridden any of it? Why didn't it catch on until so much later - didn't work, not needed or wildly expensive?

 

[FluffyChicken]

...BUT! But Shimano had disc brakes in the 70's; I am pretty sure I read that somewhere.

Mx

Me, very first opening post


Here's the Auto adjusting 1978 version

 

[Maxipedia]

I am not blind, but I began writing on that post, started something else and then came back to it. And no, I didn't read it there, but it's nice we have some images of the stuff we're talking.

Mx