2024 TransRockies Gravel Royale, Aug 23-26 - Register Now!

Disc Brakes not Banned from Canadian Amateur Events - But not Recommended

As France and Spain bans disc brakes from competitive and non-competitive events, Canadian cycling bodies respond.

The Ontario Cycling Association, as part of their statement, stated in a press release:

Disc brakes have not been permitted under the UCI rules for use on road bikes outside of a very narrow test program with Pro riders in the World Tour. In other words, the use of disc brakes in road racing in Ontario and in Canada has never been permitted."

" In Ontario nothing has changed – Disc Brakes are banned from competitive road racing events that we sanction. In particular disc brakes on any bicycle are banned from Youth Cup events – the rules have never permitted them and no parent should be willing to accept the risk of injury from a disc brake."

"We will continue to review the events that we sanction to further ensure that we are compliant with the rules. At the club level we are following the lead of Cycling Canada and do not recommend disc brakes in any circumstance where riders will be in a group or a bunch"

"However for club activities and non-competitive events disc brakes are NOT banned at the present time."

Cycling British Columbia, in their statement, added that a ban will be in place shortly for competitve events:

Cycling Canada and the UCI have prohibited the use of disc brakes at road events at national and UCI events. Cycling BC will be enforcing this ban on disc brakes in competitive road events sanctioned at the provincial level, beginning June 13th, 2016.

This decision takes into account the current environment, where for many, the entry point into the sport is on a bicycle with disc brakes. This will allow some time for new riders to the sport to adjust to these requirements, so that they are not turned away in the next 6 weeks if a disc-brake-equipped bike is their only option.

Cycling BC will be following Cycling Canada's recommendations regarding disc brakes in non-competitive events, which state:

"We don't recommend using disc brakes in any instance where riders will be in a large group or bunch"

"However for club activities and non-competitive events, disc brakes are not banned unless otherwise directed."

So event that aren't sanctioned or non-competitive, disc brakes are not recommended but are not banned. This includes events like Gran Fondo's, Gravel Grinders. In all cases we recommed contacting the event organizers a they made impose their own rules in the light of safety concerns.

Disc Brakes not Banned from Canadian Amateur Events - But not Recommended