While those pesky 53-tooth chainrings can still maul you, the problem of disc brake rotors slicing and burning is now solved.
The engineers and designers at Tºred, an Italian brand that introduced their very cool road and cyclocross bikes at NAHBS this year, have applied for a patent on these disc brake covers. Video after the break shows how they’ll install on any bike and wheels and cover the exposed sections without affecting performance. The design is patent pending and has three options…
The rear has a mounting bracket that slots onto the hub’s axle end cap, then the shield mounts to it. The front uses the same mounting method on forks with ample clearance between the rotor and fork legs, but also has an external mounting version that clamps between the thru axle and fork leg (shown above, click to enlarge). Video below shows the standard mounting option:
Parts 3, 5 and 6 are shown being installed on the rear in the video. It’s mounted on their Manaia disc road bike.
For the actual attachment to the hub, two solutions are offered. Parts 3a and 11 work would work with most any hub by using a set screw to lock the mount into place and prevent rotation. Part 3b would work with a proprietary substitute hub end cap (5b) and use a slotted design to prevent rotation.
These are 3D printed plastic prototypes, but the final version will be made of carbon fiber, which sheds heat virtually immediately. They say the vents in the product will allow proper air flow, which would be the one immediate concern with covering the rotor.
The product was conceived and designed by Romolo Stanco and tested by Giairo Ermeti and Pietro Saccarini, the latter being a biomedical engineer that provided design input to ensure it offered actual injury protection. Their plan is to introduce the parts soon (as early as one month from this story), ideally in conjunction with a new disc brake bike.
