Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.Lalato
10-14-09, 04:36 PM
I started my new job last week... and conveniently my wife had to borrow the car for a roadtrip this week so I've been doing a multi-modal commute with the bus systems and my Bike Friday Tikit.
Lucky for me, I only have to ride one bus and I can get off early to ride if I feel like it. Actually, if I really wanted to I could easily walk and not bike at all... but where would the fun be in that.
Anyway, as I've noted in another thread, I live in the foothills of Salt Lake City. The bus stop is up hill from my place so I basically just coast the whole way home. The downside to this is that there are a couple of stop signs on the way home where it's important to stop. Adding to that my place is on the middle of a hill so as I pull into my drive way I can be going pretty fast just from gravity pulling me down the hill.
All of this preamble is building up to the smell my brakes made last night as I slowed myself down. You know the smell... that burning rubber smell. I'm just wondering if maybe it isn't time to upgrade my brake system to something that can handle stopping on steep hills when needed.
Is it just a matter of switching to Kool Stops or should I really be looking into a complete braking system change? If I should consider different braking systems... which would be the best for hills?
Thanks!
--sam
Lucky for me, I only have to ride one bus and I can get off early to ride if I feel like it. Actually, if I really wanted to I could easily walk and not bike at all... but where would the fun be in that.
Anyway, as I've noted in another thread, I live in the foothills of Salt Lake City. The bus stop is up hill from my place so I basically just coast the whole way home. The downside to this is that there are a couple of stop signs on the way home where it's important to stop. Adding to that my place is on the middle of a hill so as I pull into my drive way I can be going pretty fast just from gravity pulling me down the hill.
All of this preamble is building up to the smell my brakes made last night as I slowed myself down. You know the smell... that burning rubber smell. I'm just wondering if maybe it isn't time to upgrade my brake system to something that can handle stopping on steep hills when needed.
Is it just a matter of switching to Kool Stops or should I really be looking into a complete braking system change? If I should consider different braking systems... which would be the best for hills?
Thanks!
--sam