Brakes. They have come a long way. Yes, I believe that disc brakes are great. I do not believe they are the end all. I do believe there are situations where the complexity of disc brakes outweighs their benefits. Heresy! I know. Glad we got that out of the way.
I own rim braked bikes and disc braked bikes. Love them all. I am thankful for brake technology progress.
In the early 80’s road bike rim brakes were ‘good.’ Then came some spoiler company (Shimano 1991) that put an extra pivot in there. Wow, that is nice. There once was a (ridiculous) saying that road brakes need to be ‘dull’ because in the heat of a race a person might pull on them too hard and lock them up and
that would be dangerous. So, they should not be very responsive? Well, thankfully that thought has passed from favor. Or that excuse for not making a better brake.
We are an intelligent species. Maybe I should rephrase that. We are a species that has some capacity for intelligence . Ok – what I mean is – we are smart enough to learn to modulate brakes. Thank you bike companies for the technological advances and trusting us to learn how to brake well.
Full disclosure – I run my brakes ‘soft’. I detest the brake feel at most bike shops.
You know the type where you pull the lever a millimeter and it locks up the brakes. What is up? Modulation please. My brakes on the other hand … they scare people. I want my brakes to lock up as my lever is about to contact my bar. Literally. Why? In a ‘hairy’ situation (rough singletrack or intense road scene), I want to reach out, grab my lever and pull it back a bit without braking. Yes, I said that. I want to get a grip on it without braking. Because when I need it – I want it. It is already in my hand, but my hand is not ‘extended’; instead, it is close to the bar, and I have a good grip. It also allows modulation. I can pull on it and get some braking but not lots until I almost bottom out on the bar and get full lockup.
Paradise. But that is me.
Back to brakes in general. In the road world the advancements have been very good – thank you.
But in the mountain bike world – it was yet another thing entirely. Back to the 80’s. Cantilever (or the dreaded U-Brake) was a thing of frustration. It worked and it was all we had. In the bike stand you could pull the lever and stop the wheel. On the trail (especially on steep descents) a maximum strength pull of the lever might slow you but would certainly not stop you quickly. Your thigh strength could be exceptional but if your forearm strength was not; you were injured. Stopping to rest was required. Stopping to walk sections of trail was required. Starting to brake very early was required. If you lived through it (good job) or have a penchant for vintage bikes then you know. Forearm cramp was real. Many things were tried. Many things failed. U-Brake – not a fan. V-Brake – still have them. Better in some ways…but … not a terminal solution. I have an old cross bike with some nice cantilever brakes on it. They are good. Best I have seen for canti’s. Still, in extreme conditions, you must plan well ahead. In the places I like to ride … sometimes you are not able to plan that far ahead. Disc brakes on mountain bikes and gravel bikes – thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I like disc brakes on all bikes even though I could have lived my life with rim brakes on a road bike. A pure road bike with disc brakes can be nice, but get off road and be thankful for the advancements in brakes, specifically disc brakes. My forearms might be weaker as a result but I probably have far less stitches on my face thanks to the advances in brake tech.
Now – can we get rid of DOT fluid?
Do you remember those brakes and what hairy experience did they create on your ride?
