Originally Posted by
MEversbergII
Tim, I don't think comparing rod-brakes and spoon brakes is valid either, as rod brakes from the era were rim engaging.
As for heat capacity, FB that sounds borderline awesome and terrifying.
I guess these could work with pneumatics if you had a "warning layer" between the thread and the tread in like yellow to tell you when you're just about ground through your tyre.
M.
With spoon brakes, the steel spoon wears faster than the tire. The tire picks up abrasive media (grit) from the road and uses that to destroy the spoon. Also consider the difference in working area, 3 inches of spoon vs. 80" of tire.
Anyway most tires do have wear indicators in the form of a clear or tan gum layer between the tread rubber and tire cords. Even when they don't, the lighter cords show up in good conrast long before they're actually compromised.