08-07-2023, 08:56 AM
In the old days, bikes had rim brakes. They worked well, and we were happy with them.
Then one day, bikes came out with disc brakes. Then we realized, disc brakes had more stopping power than rim brakes. So if you wanted a good bike, it needed to have disc brakes.
Except:
When I come across decent bikes being trashed, I rescue them. Several years ago, I picked up a bike from the trash. It was covered in dust. I took it home, and cleaned it up. It is a 26 inch mountain bike, without suspension. My guess is that it was likely to have been made in the late 1980s or early 1990s. It seems this bike was bought, and almost never ridden. But just put in a room. It has probably never been in the rain. Then several years ago, it was thrown in the trash. I had picked up a bike around 30 years old, in new condition.
I put air in the tires, and rode the bike. This bike has rim brakes, with very little wear, and they work really well. The stopping power is as good as many disc brakes.
Then I realized, leading up to, and during the release of early disc brake bikes, brake pads for rim brakes were made from harder and harder rubber, until they had poor stopping power. Because it happened gradually, we didn't notice. I believe this is one of the dirty tricks the bike industry played on customers, so that a lot of people would go out and buy bikes with disc brakes.
Tour de France bikes have had rim brakes until very recently. So they work well.
I believe, if the brake pads on your rim brake bike wear out, and you glue strips of rubber from truck tires to them, they will work well.
The main downside of rime brakes is if the wheel goes out of true. Rim brakes then need to be adjusted to have a large gap, so a large range of movement is needed on the brake lever.
People say water on the rim is a problem. When applied, the brakes quickly remove water. For casual cyclists, water is not normally a problem. For people in competition, and people pushing bikes to near their limit, it might be.
Then one day, bikes came out with disc brakes. Then we realized, disc brakes had more stopping power than rim brakes. So if you wanted a good bike, it needed to have disc brakes.
Except:
When I come across decent bikes being trashed, I rescue them. Several years ago, I picked up a bike from the trash. It was covered in dust. I took it home, and cleaned it up. It is a 26 inch mountain bike, without suspension. My guess is that it was likely to have been made in the late 1980s or early 1990s. It seems this bike was bought, and almost never ridden. But just put in a room. It has probably never been in the rain. Then several years ago, it was thrown in the trash. I had picked up a bike around 30 years old, in new condition.
I put air in the tires, and rode the bike. This bike has rim brakes, with very little wear, and they work really well. The stopping power is as good as many disc brakes.
Then I realized, leading up to, and during the release of early disc brake bikes, brake pads for rim brakes were made from harder and harder rubber, until they had poor stopping power. Because it happened gradually, we didn't notice. I believe this is one of the dirty tricks the bike industry played on customers, so that a lot of people would go out and buy bikes with disc brakes.
Tour de France bikes have had rim brakes until very recently. So they work well.
I believe, if the brake pads on your rim brake bike wear out, and you glue strips of rubber from truck tires to them, they will work well.
The main downside of rime brakes is if the wheel goes out of true. Rim brakes then need to be adjusted to have a large gap, so a large range of movement is needed on the brake lever.
People say water on the rim is a problem. When applied, the brakes quickly remove water. For casual cyclists, water is not normally a problem. For people in competition, and people pushing bikes to near their limit, it might be.
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