The Vintage Brakes Thread

My exact argument against disc brakes on MTB’s I just don’t see the point.
Having suffered V brake ineffectiveness due to mud etc, I'm happy with discs and my ability to modulate them and I don't have to hear the grit in the brake blocks grinding the rims away 😬
 
Apparently you haven't ridden down a North Shore freeride trail in the rain.

In a very direct way you've said it. 👍

Personally think like everything else bike related, it's all about purpose and application, then you get your design head on and build accordingly.

Just to play devils advocate a little though, I ditched disks deliberately for a snow-ice-bike in favor of ceramic rims with rim brakes on SS for the pure reason I couldn't go fast and to favor a style of just gently trimming off a bit of speed prior to corners rather than locking anything up.

Ti_Hag_Winter_2012.jpg
 
My exact argument against disc brakes on MTB’s I just don’t see the point.
I had hydraulic discs in 1995 so was on point back then

Shimano have had disc brakes, hydraulic disc brakes since the early 1970's

shimano_bc_200_1975.jpg
 
Well that's interesting - its funny that they made such a big deal of disc brakes in the 90's if they'd been around since the 70's. I wonder why they didn't catch on - too expensive maybe? More brake than people really needed until they started to hurl themselves down mountains in the mud and rain?

FYI, I took the EB out for spin at lunch today to test the back brake and i can lock it up from the hoods which is heartening. When I sort the cable hanger out in the front I'm hoping it will meet my needs.
 
The major cause of excessive flex and ultimately failure on center pulls can be put down to straddle wire length. I currently use Mafac's which set up correctly work very effectively even when touring fully loaded. The vast majority of Weinmann brakes i have used or seen over the years come with a very short staddle wire as standard making them flex excessively. If the straddle wire is to short the force applied to the attachment points on the stirrups becomes horizontal rather than a vertical line pull. This horizontal pull will cause excessive flex and ultimately failure at the weakest point. The attachment point brake cable thingy where the straddle wire runs through forms an angel in the straddle wire, for maximum efficiency this angle should be no more than 90°. A similar action and reaction can be seen in crane lifting operations using slings too short for the lift.

Chain Sling Load Diagram Angles Gradients.jpg
 
By utilising the greater angles, you can have longer travel on the brake lever with lighter feel and better control over modulation. I use this on some setups, giving one finger braking without loss of performance but it does require more frequent adjustment, not everyday though.
 
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