Old 06-09-07, 07:23 PM
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FarHorizon
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Originally Posted by Shaman
...I suspect that the weight distribution on most delta trikes are biased to the rear enough that the rear wheel braking is quite sufficient.
One would think that, but a recent magazine review I read stated that their experience was that not only did the rear wheels on delta trikes lock up and skid under heavy braking but also that the stopping distance (for a rear-brake-only delta trike vs. a front-brake+rear tadpole trike) was approximately a third longer. Despite the "normal" weight distribution for delta trikes, the weight-transfer to the front is inevitable under braking conditions.

The above seems consistent with the physics. Since the front wheel does most of the braking (regardless of number of wheels and regardless of wheel arrangement), it seems that a dual-front-disc, front-wheel-only pair of brakes would provide both redundancy and superior stopping distance. Of course, this is just theory and I could be wrong...
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