Ben Swift gets back to training, on a disc-equipped Pinarello

There has been much talk, debate and argument about the merits of disc-equipped road bikes in the professional peloton for the past couple of years, but it does look like we're getting much closer to seeing discs being used by the pros on a regular basis. 

Today Team Sky’s Ben Swift shared a photograph of his first training ride of the winter. His bike? The new Pinarello Dogma F8 Disc.

- Pinarello unveils Dogma F8 Disc

 

First day back at school today. Nice to be back on the bike. Gave @Holmesyl & @mattgleadall few lessons.

A photo posted by Ben Swift (@swiftybswift) on Nov 17, 2015 at 4:02am PST

Team Sky actually trialled the new Dogma with disc brakes at a professional race earlier this year, as they were allowed by the UCI. Several other teams too the opportunity to try out disc brakes in smaller races during August and September.

- Team Sky races with disc brakes for the first time

The off-season is the ideal time for a racer to try out next equipment and it’s likely Ben Swift isn’t the only Team Sky rider getting some miles in on a disc-equipped race bike. It’s a useful acclimatisation exercise and with the geometry of the F8 Disc identical to the regular F8 on which this new version is based, swapping between the two bikes should be straightforward.

We'll probably start seeing a few more disc road bikes being ridden by the professional cyclists as they start to prepare for the 2016 race season.