Timeline for Why aren't hub/drum/roller brakes suitable for touring?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
27 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| May 16, 2022 at 3:43 | comment | added | Russell McMahon | Interest point only: I was recently talking to a man with a Harley Davidson with disk brakes. He said he had replaced 3 front disks (in about 20 years?) because they had heated enough on long descents that they had over time warped enough to then cause cycling under braking due to the distortion caused ripples. | |
| Nov 26, 2020 at 19:26 | answer | added | zeluzel | timeline score: 1 | |
| Jun 4, 2016 at 18:07 | answer | added | Jon Marks | timeline score: 12 | |
| Mar 13, 2016 at 20:52 | comment | added | Craig Hicks | A hub brake is very heavy. The Arai is no longer manufactured for tandems, but a small US company makes a replacement with no fins. (No fins because many user filed off the fins to reduce weight). People only buy them for older tandems - newer tandems have discs. | |
| Mar 7, 2016 at 1:07 | comment | added | Daniel R Hicks | It is kind of curious as maybe 40 years ago various types of drum brakes were sold specifically for heavy touring. But I never looked into them as they were expensive and hard to get (and I wasn't planning to cross any mountains). | |
| Mar 6, 2016 at 20:12 | answer | added | Povilas | timeline score: 6 | |
| Nov 9, 2015 at 0:33 | comment | added | Móż | @Criggie that's what the Arai is sold for. It's an auxiliary brake usually fitted to tandems so they can overheat that using it as a drag brake, knowing that they still have both proper brakes available and working. In many ways the "gets hot, fades, recovers when cool" is much better than the disk brake "melt the plastic bits, never work again" model. I think the magic smoke came out of my rear disk on the last little touring weekend, but I'll see how it goes over the next few Mm before I bin it. | |
| Nov 9, 2015 at 0:23 | comment | added | Criggie♦ | I understand a drum and disk won't fit on the same wheel, but is there anything to stop you using a drum on the rear as well as a rim brake, on a second lever? Essentially using three different brakes, a front disk, a rear drum, and a rear rim caliper/canti/whatever. Extra weight, and a confusing third brake lever are the only two downsides I see. | |
| Nov 8, 2015 at 23:17 | answer | added | PawelS | timeline score: 4 | |
| Jun 5, 2015 at 14:23 | vote | accept | aSemy | ||
| Jun 5, 2015 at 2:36 | history | tweeted | twitter.com/#!/StackBicycles/status/606650840036851712 | ||
| Jun 4, 2015 at 1:22 | answer | added | The McC | timeline score: 4 | |
| Jun 3, 2015 at 22:38 | comment | added | Perkins | @mikes In addition to chain failures ruining the brakes, coaster brakes only affect the rear wheel while as much as 80% of your braking ability comes from your front wheel, especially when going down hill. That's why the front brakes on lots of cars are much larger than the rear ones. | |
| Jun 3, 2015 at 21:28 | comment | added | mikes | Drum brake are prone to brake fade, whether they be on a truck ,auto or bicycle. Brake drums work by closing the small gap between the shoe and the drum surface. As heat builds the drum expands which requires more shoe movement to close the gap, This cycle continues until potentially what ever mechanism is used to move the shoe reaches the travel limit. In our litigious society this is design flaw. IMHO this is why drums aren't used. It is the same reason bikes sold in the U.S. with coaster brakes also have a hand brake because if the chain comes off the brakes won't work. | |
| Jun 3, 2015 at 21:22 | answer | added | Nik | timeline score: 7 | |
| Jun 3, 2015 at 20:29 | comment | added | whatsisname | @DanielRHicks: I'm pretty sure what you are thinking of is an auxiliary drum brake used specifically during descents, and not as the primary brake. The Arai model is an example. I don't think non-BSO tandems have ever been equipped with only hub brakes, tandems have the greatest braking demands of all bicycles. | |
| Jun 3, 2015 at 19:08 | answer | added | ALAN WARD | timeline score: 8 | |
| Jun 3, 2015 at 17:26 | comment | added | Daniel R Hicks | It is a bit curious, since 30-40 years ago tandems and heavy touring bikes were often equipped with drum brakes. My guess is that rim brakes have gotten better, and disk brakes have taken over the "heavy duty" segment of the market. | |
| Jun 3, 2015 at 16:12 | answer | added | whatsisname | timeline score: 23 | |
| Jun 3, 2015 at 15:06 | comment | added | Willeke♦ | Maybe the 'I am not familiar with them' from all people 'in the know' is the reason people do not trust them. I trust my roller breaks better than my rim breaks. | |
| Jun 3, 2015 at 15:04 | comment | added | aSemy | @blam I've asked a mechanic, a custom expedition bike builder, and the owner of the shop I got my Dutch town bike from. There's also a number of websites and forum threads that assert that roller/hub/drum brakes are barely suitable for normal riding! Even with heavy loads my experience contradicts this, or am I riding on borrowed time? | |
| Jun 3, 2015 at 14:54 | comment | added | paparazzo | Where are you getting information that they are not suitable for touring? | |
| Jun 3, 2015 at 13:53 | comment | added | Chris H | The cooling fins have to be big compared to a disc brake, because they'll be at a lower temperature to start with. This is caused by the need for the heat to get from the braking surfaces to the fins, while on a disc brake the braking surface is the fin. The drum on your brake keeps the heat inside to some extent. | |
| Jun 3, 2015 at 13:46 | comment | added | aSemy | @Kibbee I suppose my question could be rephrased: If someone didn't care that they risked being stranded would they still do the job? | |
| Jun 3, 2015 at 13:38 | comment | added | Kibbee | I'm not familiar with them, but I think there's a certain complexity to them that isn't welcome when touring. If something goes wrong and you're 100 miles from nowhere, it's going to be difficult to fix. With rim brakes there's very little that could go wrong, and you could always bring spare parts with you in the event that something does break. Also, I've heard of people being weary of disc brakes for the same heat and heavy loads concerns that you have with hub brakes. Most "real touring" bikes will come with cantilever or v-brakes. | |
| Jun 3, 2015 at 13:25 | review | First posts | |||
| Jun 3, 2015 at 22:27 | |||||
| Jun 3, 2015 at 13:21 | history | asked | aSemy | CC BY-SA 3.0 |