Originally Posted by
DannoXYZ
An MTB with strong cantilevers or V-brakes and fat slicks at low-pressure can come close to a car's maximum-braking force. ABS on modern cars actually increase braking-distance as it can't really modulate at the limit as well as a skilled driver. But it does allow steering control while braking under adverse conditions like rain & snow.
I'd guess this probably isn't exactly true. The problem is too much longitudinal load transfer. For a bike it is just always going to be a bit too much. The CG is too high and the wheelbase is too short.
My latest mountain bike has hydraulic discs. I've alway figured that V-brakes were just fine, since I can lock tires. These blew me out of the water. The stopping power and modulation capabilities of the new disc stuff is really impressive. You don't have to use much finger pressure, so you can control the steering much better. It makes a difference when you don't have to really crank down on the handle to slow down.
I raced my MTB in a few cyclocross races. There was one downhill brake zone that I just killed the CX guys in. I would brake 2 bike lengths later than them. I passed guys there every lap. Then I bought a used CX bike and figured out their problem....canti brakes. Trust me, they're a lot worse than you remember! I'm switching to Mini-V's ASAP....they're not discs, but they're a lot better than canti's.