The common format in bike technology is that new kit appears in the pro peloton, before making its way on to super expensive bikes, then trickling down to the mass market. Not so with disc brakes.

The pros and cons of disc brakes

Disc brakes have been banned by the UCI in pro racing over various fears, including concern over varying braking speeds in the peloton. For the average commuter or weekend warrior, who isn’t likely to race alpine descents en masse, disc brakes are a valuable asset.

Disc brakes offer fast stopping that is not affected by wet weather, and the lack of rim braking cuts down wear, allowing for lighter rims – they’re perfect for all weather British riders after long miles in any conditions.

Disc brakes are appearing most commonly on road bikes with ‘endurance geometry’ – those that place the rider in a slightly more upright position, often with skinnier seat tubes and chainstays to decrease the transmission of road bumps and vibrations.

The number of disc equipped road bikes available has been increasing year on year. For 2015 Fuji – who have been supporting women’s cycling since sponsoring pro-team Fuji-Suntour in the 1970s – added a new women’s specific model.

The new addition this year is the ‘Fuji Finest Disc’ range. The 1.3 Disc model comes in at £750 – equipped with a Shimano Sora groupset, and cable discs. The cassette on the 1.3 is an 11-32, which teamed with a 50/34 compact chainset gives a lot of gears for tackling whatever the road throws at you.

The frame is created from double-butted alloy and teamed with a carbon blade fork this promises comfort and a low weight for the price. The finishing kit – seatpost, saddle, handlebars and stem are all from Fuji’s sister brand, Oval.

If your budget is a little higher, there is also a Fuji Finest Disc 1.1 with a Tiagra groupset for £850 – both are available exclusively to Evans Cycles in the UK.

Stepping up in price, at £1,100 – just over the cycle to work scheme threshold – is the 2015 Specialized Dolce Elite Disc C2 EQ. 

A step up from the Finest, Specialized have used Shimano Tiagra components, but they still provide a compact (50/34) cassette and 12-30T tooth cassette – that’s a fairly wide spread of ratios, more so than on a race bike, and that means hills will be more approachable.

The Tektro discs are mechanical, and the Dolce comes with Specialized Body Geometry female specific handlebars and saddle.