Road Cycling - improvments in brake technology?

Hey, how come I havnt seen any significant improvments in brake caliper technology? Yes the current system works., but I see that all over kinds of bike are using way more advanced technology.

The brakes used on todays roadbikes dates back over?????????,.........well actually I dont even know,.Im guessing 60-70 years,...maybe.................

Dual-pivot caliper brakes, which are standred on most road bikes today, go back about 20 years or so. Remember Jerk, road bikes are lighter and faster, carrying more momentum down the road, requiring longer stopping distance. There are road bikes, touring and 'cross, that are equipped with brake bosses for cantilever and V brakes.

Disc brakes...

Modern dual pivot brakes are a quantum leap in stopping power and modulation, compared to 1970s Weinman caliper brakes. Brake block compounds and rim surfaces have also improved. I also use cantelever brakes, but I dont think they are any better at stopping than dual pivots, and you have less modulation.

Modern dual pivot brakes are a quantum leap in stopping power and modulation, compared to 1970s Weinman caliper brakes. Brake block compounds and rim surfaces have also improved. I also use cantelever brakes, but I dont think they are any better at stopping than dual pivots, and you have less modulation.


Hey, thats awesome, I never new they were that high-tech

thanks for the info :D

Hey, how come I havnt seen any significant improvments in brake caliper technology? Yes the current system works., but I see that all over kinds of bike are using way more advanced technology.

The brakes used on todays roadbikes dates back over?????????,.........well actually I dont even know,.Im guessing 60-70 years,...maybe.................

The invention of a "caliper" style brake technology can be even used for more than a hundred years and on until someone can invent a better design for the caliper brake system. I remembered having a rear drum brake before and now they are using disc brakes now. That was a jump in brake improvement. Howerver on road bikes, would you put disc brakes on it? So far, "caliper" style brake systems are used in road bikes to minimize weight and get maximum effeciency. On the other hand, think about the derailleur system. Has it change over the years? The principle is the same but materials and a little of the design has change but not much. They just made it lighter.
A good example about this is the design Mr. Browning made for a pistol in 1911 commonly know as the "Colt 45 Cal. Pistol" The design was so good that until now and close to a century, gun manufacturers still use it. Although types of materials used have advanced but the design is still the same using the basic principles behind the oiriginal design dated in the year 1911.
I believe that shimano, campagnolo,and etc engineers are doing just that finding ways to improve the design and technology of a road bike brake system. But just couldn't find a better one yet. If there will be a new design, just be prepared to put more $$$$$$$ into it specially in the first 15-20 years. Intellectual property rights can go sky high. For the mean time, i'll try to dig up my coconut shell to find a better design and hopefully come up with one. It might takes years though. Heh..heh...heh...heh.... :D

Disc brakes, in their current state, probably wouldn't improve a road bike. They are mainly for better braking with mud or dirt on the bike, a condition most road bikes don't encounter very often. Otherwise, they're heavier than calipers, and impose a bit of drag when not in use.

What else can brakes do that they don't already do? Stop faster? You can already lock up the wheels, though it isn't recommended. Weigh less? Not much weight left to be lost. Current caliper technology is about as good as it gets, short of some great leap of technology that can find a way to store and later release the energy, rather than burn it off as heat.

Actually, the Browning design dates back to 1899 and a .38 automatic. But for sheer longevity, nothing beats his M2 .50 cal - designed in the early 1920's, still in use by quite a few armies, including the US.

Disc brakes, in their current state, probably wouldn't improve a road bike. They are mainly for better braking with mud or dirt on the bike, a condition most road bikes don't encounter very often. Otherwise, they're heavier than calipers, and impose a bit of drag when not in use.

What else can brakes do that they don't already do? Stop faster? You can already lock up the wheels, though it isn't recommended. Weigh less? Not much weight left to be lost. Current caliper technology is about as good as it gets, short of some great leap of technology that can find a way to store and later release the energy, rather than burn it off as heat.

Actually, the Browning design dates back to 1899 and a .38 automatic. But for sheer longevity, nothing beats his M2 .50 cal - designed in the early 1920's, still in use by quite a few armies, including the US.


If you squeeze the brake to hard, you can actually bend the rim, seriously! The caliper is strong enough to do so. Disc brakes wouldn't be a bad idea, it may improve of aerodynamics, seeing as how the wheel rim wont need that half inch flat surface area along the sidewall. Also, with the weight saved from using a rim w/ no extra surface area, the extra weight of the disc caliper will just balence the whole thing out. BTW, I dont think a disc brake setup weight that much, a disc caliper looks even smaller than a rim caliper

Well, the current brakes work fine, they are simple, they are reliable, they are inexpensive, they last a long time, and they are light. That is a hard combination to beat.

Also remember, the brakes are not really the limiting factor in stopping distance. If you hit a rear brake really hard, you will just skid. That is not hard to do. If you hit the front brake really hard, the front wheel will lock and you will go over the front wheel and into the pavement head first. Of course, you did stop fast!

They must be better.The new DA's have doubled in price because one is made for the F&R.Now thats a joke.

I'm able to shed speed and control stopping distance with my 10 yr old Record road calipers. No improvement necessary in that department.

George

It's refreshing to hear people say that something is actually good enough and not in need of improvement.
Especially at a time when carbon fibre cranks and beryllium frames are seriously discussed.

If you ride mostly in good weather, replace your pads with KoolStop black pads. If you ride in lots of wet and mud use the Salmon color pads, and if you ride with ceramic rims, use the green. You should notice an immediate improvement in the stopping power of your brakes. Personally, I don't see any need for anything beyond a good caliper brake on a road bike, especially if weight and reliability are issues. My Mirage calipers work just fine with a set of black KoolStops.

As far as new technology is concerned, a good gauge is to look at what the professionals use. That's right, every single pro level bike except one (that I'm aware of) uses calipers; the one is the Giant/ONCE TT bike, I think it has a tiny U brake on the back of the fork, but it still has a caliper on the back. If disks or cantis or Vs or anything else were any better for road racing, don't you think all the top teams would be using it?

they could make them hydraulic instead of mechanical...not sure if that would be a giant leap forward or not...but it would be kinda cool.

Just one more thing to go wrong- hydraulic problems. At least with a mechanical system, if you see cable at both ends, you can be reasonably sure that you will be able to stop.

Just one more thing to go wrong- hydraulic problems. At least with a mechanical system, if you see cable at both ends, you can be reasonably sure that you will be able to stop.

Yep. The simpler the better.

but if hydraulics could be made as light as mechanical calipers, there might be a market for them, as hydraulic brakes have a bit better modulation, and that is really what road brakes are about-not all out stopping power.

Depends on where you ride and how often you need to stop.

but if hydraulics could be made as light as mechanical calipers, there might be a market for them, as hydraulic brakes have a bit better modulation, and that is really what road brakes are about-not all out stopping power.
They will make them light enough,dont worry.The carbon calipers i saw in bicycling mag were nice.

I think disc brakes on road bikes, especially touring bikes, will accelerate in the future. The discussions of not braking too much and overheating rims on curvy downhills will bear that out. The disc brakes would not cause tire/wheel problems on these descents. People that can get up the hills but are not as good at descending could use these effectively.

yeah, I do believe the current system works to, but logic isnt always the answer. People like technology, people like new ideas and concepts. Why do you think mountain biking became so popular?

Thats why I questioned the fate of roadbike brakes........... :D that and the fact a have a huge imagination! :D