in message , Helen Deborah
Vecht ') wrote:

"Paul - xxx" typed

How was the 5 lbs measured ?

As an ex Torque Control Engineer (Desoutter / Georges Renault) I feel
the tests would be more relevant using a range of braking forces from
light to as much as possible, commensurate with the force a human
hand can exert ...

This is, I believe' in the 100-200lb range and consistent with panic
braking.

IMHO all bike equipment has to cope well with maxima.

The people who point out that if you slam on the brakes on a mountain
bike you go over the top anyway are right, you know; I've seen it
happen. And hydraulic disk brakes are very sensitive. So Cannondale's
five pounds may in fact be typical of the maximum safe braking force;
certainly my Hayes HFX-9 equipped Cannondale has very light brakes. My
own guess would be that panic stop force is slightly higher but it
certainly isn't very high.

Of course by exerting more force you can lock the front wheel. But the
injury consequent on locking the front wheel at speed is not greatly
different from the injury consequent on the wheel ejecting at speed.

This isn't to say that I believe disk ejection can't happen. I think
there's enough independent testimony to indicate it can. But I believe
that it is extremely rare in practice. Me? I ride a Lefty.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; All in all you're just another hick in the mall
-- Drink C'lloid