Originally Posted by
zazenzach
yes this was a syntax error. my post above yours clarified to say a back AND front brake working together is more effective than just a front alone.
i ended up reading your thread. im not sure how you came to these measurements, but according to you "a rear brake... can pull off a .33 g stop. With a front brake you can pull off a .6 g stop."
is my assumption not correct then, that a front and rear being used in tandum would be above a .6g?? that in a nutshell is my argument. rear + front = more stopping power
There is a lot of research on the effectiveness of brakes... the front brake does the majority of the work and on dry pavement, you really can't stop any faster than you can with a decent front brake that is used by itself.
The rear wheel will start to lift from the ground when you are at maximum braking and makes the rear wheel's brake useless which makes a bicycle or motorcycle different from a 4 wheeled vehicle.
It is when the road gets less than flat or wet that having a front brake gets dangerous as you cannot modulate the rear... try a steep wet / icy descent with only a front brake and a freewheel and you will know exactly how this affects performance when it gets much easier to lock up the front and you can't modulate speed with the rear.
Some of the new Shimano road brakes have posted stopping numbers of .9G and this is pretty much because of the improved front brake mechanics, pads, and rim materials.