Originally Posted by HillRider

That's interesting. I ride in steep hills a lot and very often in hard rain and I've never had the brakes fail to work. They don't work as well as in the dry and it takes a couple of rotations of the wheels to squeegee off the water film before they bite but they always work. Maybe you should consider better brake pads. As often recommended here, Kool Stop Salmon pads are among the very best in all conditions.