"Bruce McAdam" wrote in message
m...
"Peter B" wrote in message
...
keep the straddle wire short which gives a less spongy feel to the
brakes and
probably increases mechanical advantage.

On the contrary, a spongy feel indicates more mechanical advantage.

High mechanical advantage means that when the pads have made contact
with the rim if you continue to pull on the brake lever the force from
you fingers is magnified sufficiently to compress the pads and bend
the brake arms. This results in a spongy feel.

The sponginess may also be due to flex in the system which wastes effort.
IME the most powerful brakes I've used, both cable and hydraulic, have the
least sponginess.

Avid recommend using the longest stradle wire that will fit in the gap
available
http://www.avidbike.com/7_techinfo/Shorty6&Ti-0202.pdf

But Avid also state:
"A shorter straddle wire with a lower angle will feel softer at the lever
your point, but has more leverage my point"

So I'll concede I may be wrong about the sensation but not about the
mechanical advantage ;-)
--
Regards,
Pete