On 2018-06-11 19:24, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 6/11/2018 6:09 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-06-11 11:35, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 6/11/2018 1:16 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-06-11 09:36, jbeattie wrote:
... Plus, for road riding, ordinary rim
brakes are fine.
As long as it does not rain or hail hard, then they are the pits.
Oh, Gawd.
I and my club mates don't live in a desert. Everyone in our club has
used rim brakes since they started cycling, and all but a very few still
do. We've ridden in countless rains, from showers to thunderstorms,
countless miles. I've been club safety chairman for decades and I hear
about the crashes. I've never heard of one caused by inadequate braking
in the rain. Never.
This is a non-issue for almost all road cyclists. It's the current big
"you _gotta_ have this!" item for the bike industry, so they can churn
bike inventory. But in real life, it's no more necessary than magic
daytime blinkies or funny plastic hats or aerodynamic sunglasses.
You obviously are not a real all-weather rider. With all-weather I
mean including full-bore hail storms, downhill and no shelter until
you get to the next tunnel.
Neither of us is a "real all-weather rider." You've never ridden at 40
below zero, and neither have I.
I have ridden at -5F. It just didn't get any colder than that in Europe.
But rain? I've done countless miles in rain. I don't like it and I try
to avoid it, but it happens. Two weeks ago I did a solo ride, shooting
for about 40 miles, but cut it short about 15 miles from home when
amazing storm clouds rolled in. I finished the ride in an extreme
downpour, one that caused flooding in the creek running through town. I
could have found shelter about five miles after the deluge started, but
I just rode on home.
Sure one can manage, I did by letting the brakes rub a bit all the
time. Which is really healthy for the rims.
I did nothing unusual with my brakes. The bike has cantilever brakes
with Kool-Stop pads; they worked fine.
Unlike you, my braking is not a constant series of "last second"
emergencies. On that ride, as on all others, I planned ahead and slowed
sufficiently with ease. I probably came to a complete stop only a few
times during that ride home.
The main concern here is loose dogs running into your path, from ranches
and other properties. Sometimes from behind bushes. Then there are wild
animals, some of which would easily win first prize for utmost
stupidity. They look you in the eyes _while_ running straight into your
path. How do you plan ahead for that? Who is your crystal ball manufacturer?
Then last year there was this guy in a pickup truck who just gunned the
engine to pull a heavy load up into the main road. "Sorry, dude, but
usually nobody ever comes".
Rim braking is a technology they used in the days of the chuck wagon
and that's where it belongs.
So we should send all the bikes with caliper brakes to the junkyard?
Bull****.
They are fair weather bikes.
When I saw a stand of poison oak at the last second on Friday I was
sure glad I had powerful disc brakes. I still did brush against some
and have a slight rash here and there but with weaker brakes that
would have been a different story.
Horrors!
"Only disc brakes can save you from itching!!!"
I guess you never had poison oak rash. I had it half a dozen times,
sometimes it looked like my lower arms would die off.
I've had the rash, Joerg. I won't describe the worst incident, since it
involved some quasi-illegal activity; but I've had it from both wrists
up over the elbows, and many other places besides.
I've never had it from inadequate braking on any bicycle.
You're a fashion queen justifying your trendiness with horror stories.
I don't care whether you believe it. It happened.
--
Regards, Joerg
http://www.analogconsultants.com/