Disc brakes set for BMX race bikes?

An interview by the Cycling Sports Group owned BMX.com with professional BMX racer Liam Phillips has alluded to a trend where BMX race bikes may soon be rolling up to the gate clad with disc brakes.

Phillips has just set up his custom GT Speed Series Bike with discs, telling the BMX portal that he’s long wanted to make the change, but had held out simply because he’d not wanted to switch out his Chris King Hub.

He told the portal: “I first thought about it a couple of years ago when I started using a carbon rim at certain races. I hated how my brake felt using carbon pads and the noise they make if not set-up correctly! You have to have the blocks toed-in and then it leaves you with a spongy feel which I don’t like. I haven’t switched sooner because I didn’t want to change my rear hub from Chris King which I’ve used since 2005. But then I realised this year that I can use my 110mm BMX axle, BMX internals and just switch out the Chris King hub-shell to a ISO shell!”

Phillips hasn’t switched for performance reasons as such, but says that the adaptation of his bike will now allow for year-round use of a carbon rim, something he hasn’t felt comfortable doing in the past.

He goes on to describe British Cycling’s interest in the BMX racing programme as “low priority”.

Catch the full interview here.