Front brake only - to commute or not to commute?
Poll: Front brake only - to commute or not to commute?
Total Members Polled: 36
Discussion
Evening all,
As you may have seen in my thread about brakes, my rear one is knackered. I've got a pair of Campag Veloce calipers on order from Wiggle for the absurdly cheap price of £33, but they won't be here until Thursday at the earliest, and much rather cycle to work than get the train for the next two days.
Question is, to what extent would I be taking my life in my hands (over and above the normal) if I were to commute into central London with only the front brake fitted? We're talking standard dual-pivot road calipers if that makes a difference.
As you may have seen in my thread about brakes, my rear one is knackered. I've got a pair of Campag Veloce calipers on order from Wiggle for the absurdly cheap price of £33, but they won't be here until Thursday at the earliest, and much rather cycle to work than get the train for the next two days.
Question is, to what extent would I be taking my life in my hands (over and above the normal) if I were to commute into central London with only the front brake fitted? We're talking standard dual-pivot road calipers if that makes a difference.
gowmonster said:
what if you need to stop suddenly and you only have the front, your going to end up somewhere you don't want to be arn't you.
if it were me, i'd probably do it but be very cautious, but i'd say anyone else does so at their own risk.
That was my initial thinking until reading that Campag's higher end calipers are single pivot on the rear to save weight and reduce the braking force, which made me wonder just how much braking you do with the rear anyway?if it were me, i'd probably do it but be very cautious, but i'd say anyone else does so at their own risk.
I just tried front brake only on my (flat) road...
I shall be waiting for Wiggle to hopefully do their usual standard delivery, which for me has been almost invariably next day, just without paying 3.99 extra.
On a completely unrelated topic, how the hello do I type a pound sign on an Android phone?????
I shall be waiting for Wiggle to hopefully do their usual standard delivery, which for me has been almost invariably next day, just without paying 3.99 extra.
On a completely unrelated topic, how the hello do I type a pound sign on an Android phone?????
My commuter bike has just a front brake ( an ancient feeble DA 7400 one at that!). You'll be fine just remember to leave more room for people as your stopping distance will be worse.
The only risk is if your single brake fails you're going to have to stick your foot in the wheel to stop which is neither fun nor effective...
The only risk is if your single brake fails you're going to have to stick your foot in the wheel to stop which is neither fun nor effective...
Mr Will said:
You'll stop just as fast with only a front brake as you would using both, and the rear brake does nothing to stop you going over the bars.
Are you sure about that?1. If you need 'x' amount of force to brake hard, it is going to be more effective (easier/split second quicker) to split that force between two hands.
2. My seat-of-the-pants tells me that using the rear brake reduces forward weight transfer, i.e. reduces the likelihood of going over the bars
3. If you are braking hard and needing to swerve at the same time, I think you will be slightly more stable if both hands are exerting roughly equal braking pressure, rather than one hand being relaxed and the other squeezing the brake for all its worth (especially with drop bars).
braddo said:
Are you sure about that?
1. If you need 'x' amount of force to brake hard, it is going to be more effective (easier/split second quicker) to split that force between two hands.
2. My seat-of-the-pants tells me that using the rear brake reduces forward weight transfer, i.e. reduces the likelihood of going over the bars
3. If you are braking hard and needing to swerve at the same time, I think you will be slightly more stable if both hands are exerting roughly equal braking pressure, rather than one hand being relaxed and the other squeezing the brake for all its worth (especially with drop bars).
1. It'll be less comfortable during normal riding, but when you are doing an emergency stop for real, you won't struggle to squeeze hard enough.1. If you need 'x' amount of force to brake hard, it is going to be more effective (easier/split second quicker) to split that force between two hands.
2. My seat-of-the-pants tells me that using the rear brake reduces forward weight transfer, i.e. reduces the likelihood of going over the bars
3. If you are braking hard and needing to swerve at the same time, I think you will be slightly more stable if both hands are exerting roughly equal braking pressure, rather than one hand being relaxed and the other squeezing the brake for all its worth (especially with drop bars).
2. It feels that way, but doesn't. Braking on a bike (in the dry) is limited by the point at which you go over the bars. At this point, the rear tyre is barely touching the ground, and as such cannot generate any significant braking force.
3. Fair point, the front will just wash out and you'll go down, but braking and swerving at the same time on a bike is asking for trouble regardless!
Well, Wiggle did their usual outstanding next day delivery trick - why would anyone ever pay them for "express" delivery? - and I've just finished fitting my nice shiny new Campag Veloce brakes.
Definitely a major improvement! Can't believe they were so cheap! Only 33 quid for the pair - it's hardly worth buying replacement blocks at that price!
Definitely a major improvement! Can't believe they were so cheap! Only 33 quid for the pair - it's hardly worth buying replacement blocks at that price!
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