Originally Posted by
trashbiker
I think it all comes down to your stoker. I've only had one incident where the stoker pulled the brake in a way that I didn't like and it was when we first started riding together. When we're on a chill ride it really doesn't matter if theres a little extra drag or miscoordiation in downtown streets. When we're out for a longer ride where I would be annoyed with extra drag the braking is mostly gradual and rare so they just brake when I brake and let go when I do. I think its pretty intuitive for the stoker to know how hard to brake if they have ridden a lot themselves, they can feel how hard the captain pulls the brake and are able to gauge how hard they need to pull. I also think its better for the captain stoker dynamic if the stoker has a brake because the stoker is putting a lot of trust in the captain and its nice to feel trust reciprocated.
I disagree. Only the captain knows how hard they are braking when they use their conventional front and rear brakes. I tune that braking effort very precisely on long technical descents. I tune it by using the drum and I want that right where I put it. I don't use the drum at all for braking before turns, stop signs, etc. I set it once and usually thereafter I ignore it, though I might need to adjust it if the steepness varies a lot.