Originally Posted by
dynaryder
Nooo...they use Roller brakes. Big difference. Roller brakes suck.
True, I was using the blanket marketing term "drums" as it's more familiar to many, and rollers are generally considered to be a subset of drum brakes.
And, to be fair, suck is dependant on context. I understand that rollers are generally considered unsuitable for sustained, high-speed use (eg: a highly technical downhill course) due to their inability to rapidly dissipate heat, but for an urban bikeshare bike which is generally run at low speeds, they're absolutely ideal. Robust, low-maintenance, all but vandal-proof, and above all, impervious to weather. The brakes on the Bixi / Citibikes may not be the best in the world, and you can definitely feel differences in the adjustment as you move from one bike to another as I do every day, but like discs they are totally impervious to rain, snow, etc. You can ride a Citibike through several inches of snowy slush (and I have on many occasions) with no loss of braking effectiveness whatsoever. Tire traction is another matter entirely, but that's just a question of rider skill.
For those interested, here are the Citibrakes, rear and front:
