Jan's mention of the difference between braking needs for a 700x28 on a Rambouillet and a Hetre with fenders got me to thinking about something I've observed over the past couple years. I don't know how to explain it.
We sell a fair number of Surly bikes, mostly LHTs and Cross-checks. The LHT typically has 26" wheels with 1.75-2" tires. The Cross-check comes with 700x32 semi-knobby cross tires. Both bikes come stock with Tektro CR720 brakes and Tektro 340 levers. Many seem to find that brake configuration to be adequate on a Cross-check, but a large number of LHT test-riders and buyers express disappointment with braking performance on the LHT. I've observed it myself, as have a couple friends who own both models. I don't think it's an issue of tire adhesion, because the discrepancy is noticeable even at modest speeds without skidding the tires. The solution is relatively easy and inexpensive: v-brakes. As Jan points out, all brakes will stop you eventually. But here in the midwest, I don't usually need brakes to optimize my speed on some steep mountain descent. When I hit the brakes, it's usually because a car just pulled in front of me on my commute, and I want to slow down NOW! For me, v-brakes produce that result, and cantilevers, by comparison, are disappointing. For people with smaller and/or weaker hands, we've found v-brakes to be a near necessity on the 26" wheel LHTs mentioned above. For big strong guys who grew up milking cows by hand, it's less of an issue. On Sunday, April 7, 2013 12:45:06 PM UTC-5, Jan Heine wrote: > > Much of your brake preferences depend on how and where you ride. Just like > cars, where racing on a track probably would make my car's brakes overheat > within a lap or two, but on the road, tire adhesion is the limiting factor > (hence the usefulness of ABS for most drivers, as it optimizes tire > adhesion). > > Most cyclists never brake very hard, and most brakes will work fine. As > somebody pointed out, all brakes will stop you - eventually. However, at > least on dry pavement, there is so much tire adhesion that the brake > becomes the limiting factor. Assuming skilled riders who brace themselves > against the handlebars and shift their weight back, better brakes will > result in shorter stopping distances. (So does lower speed!) > > On your Rambouillet, the tires aren't very large. A well-designed dual > pivot brake will get you plenty of brake power. If you were trying to span > a Hetre with fenders, then I'd definitely recommend brakes that have > brazed-on pivots and thus shorter arms, whether centerpulls or cantilevers. > > Jan Heine > Editor > Bicycle Quarterly > http://www.bikequarterly.com > > Follow our blog at http://janheine.wordpress.com/ > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en-US. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
