Originally Posted by
randyjawa
Interesting but not necessarily something I would completely agree with. Area of contact does have an impact on stopping power, I think. Also, the above formula missed a really big factor - hand strength. Hand strength..?
I learned a long time ago that my hands, those of a professional tradesman, are, usually, a heck of a lot stronger in grip than a small woman's hands (I am not trying to be a chauvinist with that comment). Many of the ladies that have purchased bikes from me or from B4H find the vintage brakes hard to reach and apply with force.
That's my two bits worth, eh.
One a slight diversion, this is the basis of my argument about using steel rims. As some of you might have noticed, I tend to wade in whenever anyone on BF talks about binning their steel rims for 'safety reasons'.
After 40 years of riding not much else, I've developed a bit of a 'Death Grip' on the brake levers, so I can haul up my 'not inconsiderable' weight fairly sharply.
I don't have big hands, but I can hang on to those levers if necessary.!
That seems to work fairly well; even with the original steel callipers on my Raleigh Chiltern.
If you don't have a strong grip, or you're not used to giving the levers a good squeeze, then I suppose that steel rims might seem a bit daunting...