Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > General Cycling Discussion
Reload this Page >

Innovative brake in old magazine.

Notices
General Cycling Discussion Have a cycling related question or comment that doesn't fit in one of the other specialty forums? Drop on in and post in here! When possible, please select the forum above that most fits your post!

Innovative brake in old magazine.

Old 03-10-22, 04:44 AM
  #1  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2022
Posts: 7
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Innovative brake in old magazine.

Anyone remember reading an article about a new kind of break? This was back in the 90's I think. Might have been in popular science or popular mechanics. Someone came up with basically a groove like a pulley that went around the circumference of a rim. In this groove there was a Kevlar cord that went clear around and when you pulled the break lever it tightened the cord in the groove causing friction to stop the bike. It never did catch on but it was supposed to stop a bike very quickly.
EZgears is offline  
Old 03-10-22, 05:37 AM
  #2  
Happy With My Bike
 
Chuck M's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 1,892

Bikes: Hi-Ten bike boomers, a Trek Domane and some projects

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 733 Post(s)
Liked 1,920 Times in 921 Posts
Give me a break. I can't see how a brake like that would be a breakthrough in brake design over the brakes of that era. But it would be interesting to see the article to break it down. But that brake discussion would be a welcome break from the rim brake vs. disc brake debates.
__________________
"It is the unknown around the corner that turns my wheels." -- Heinz Stücke

Chuck M is offline  
Likes For Chuck M:
Old 03-10-22, 05:59 AM
  #3  
Senior Member
 
wolfchild's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Mississauga/Toronto, Ontario canada
Posts: 8,628

Bikes: I have 3 singlespeed/fixed gear bikes

Mentioned: 28 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4101 Post(s)
Liked 2,400 Times in 1,245 Posts
Sounds like a failure and more trouble than it's worth, just like an AWD bicycle.
wolfchild is offline  
Old 03-10-22, 06:31 AM
  #4  
Senior Member
 
BlazingPedals's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Middle of da Mitten
Posts: 12,436

Bikes: Trek 7500, RANS V-Rex, Optima Baron, Velokraft NoCom, M-5 Carbon Highracer, Catrike Speed

Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1493 Post(s)
Liked 718 Times in 443 Posts
I remember seeing an article about it. It was a kevlar band brake. The big problem was, it required a special rim, one with an extra track for the band. It's not hard to figure why it never caught on.
BlazingPedals is offline  
Old 03-10-22, 06:35 AM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
Ghazmh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: The banks of the River Charles
Posts: 2,005

Bikes: 2022 Salsa Beargrease, 2020 Seven Evergreen, 2019 Honey Allroads Ti, 2018 Seven Redsky XX, 2017 Trek Boon 7, 2014 Trek 520

Mentioned: 18 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 683 Post(s)
Liked 886 Times in 477 Posts
Hmm, I’m surprised it didn’t catch. I wonder why the innovations slowed down.
Ghazmh is offline  
Old 03-10-22, 06:37 AM
  #6  
Tragically Ignorant
 
livedarklions's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613

Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM

Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8185 Post(s)
Liked 9,087 Times in 5,052 Posts
Someone should start an "innovations that flopped" thread. Then we can link it whenever someone posts the "they laughed at the Wright Brothers" cliche.
livedarklions is offline  
Likes For livedarklions:
Old 03-10-22, 06:38 AM
  #7  
Tragically Ignorant
 
livedarklions's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613

Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM

Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8185 Post(s)
Liked 9,087 Times in 5,052 Posts
Originally Posted by Ghazmh
Hmm, I’m surprised it didn’t catch. I wonder why the innovations slowed down.
IKR
A Kevlar brake sounds like such a bulletproof idea.
livedarklions is offline  
Old 03-10-22, 07:08 AM
  #8  
Senior Member
 
indyfabz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 38,118
Mentioned: 209 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 17755 Post(s)
Liked 14,105 Times in 6,695 Posts
Originally Posted by livedarklions
IKR
A Kevlar brake sounds like such a bulletproof idea.
I see what you did there.
indyfabz is online now  
Old 03-10-22, 07:18 AM
  #9  
Banned.
 
Join Date: Jan 2022
Location: Kingdom of Qwaa
Posts: 307
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 211 Post(s)
Liked 79 Times in 61 Posts
I've waited all my life for a big break and I give up
qwaalodge is offline  
Old 03-10-22, 07:54 AM
  #10  
Forum Moderator
 
cb400bill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Kalamazoo MI
Posts: 21,142

Bikes: Fuji SL2.1 Carbon Di2 Cannondale Synapse Alloy 4 Trek Checkpoint ALR-5 Viscount Aerospace Pro Colnago Classic Rabobank Schwinn Waterford PMount Raleigh C50 Hybrid

Mentioned: 58 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2991 Post(s)
Liked 5,911 Times in 3,457 Posts
Thread title fixed.
__________________
Cold-hearted orb that rules the night / Removes the colors from our sight / Red is grey and yellow, white / But we decide which is right / And which is an illusion.






cb400bill is offline  
Old 03-10-22, 07:59 AM
  #11  
Half way there
 
Moe Zhoost's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 2,945

Bikes: Many, and the list changes frequently

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 982 Post(s)
Liked 876 Times in 524 Posts
Band brakes (and clutches) are hardly innovative. They've been used for various applications since the start of the industrial revolution.
Moe Zhoost is offline  
Old 03-10-22, 08:23 AM
  #12  
Pennylane Splitter
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Orange County, California
Posts: 1,807

Bikes: Yes

Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1549 Post(s)
Liked 1,273 Times in 873 Posts
Originally Posted by livedarklions
IKR
A Kevlar brake sounds like such a bulletproof idea.
If it would have been made of Nomex it probably would have spread like a wildfire.
skidder is online now  
Old 03-10-22, 09:06 AM
  #13  
Senior Member
 
BobbyG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 5,901

Bikes: 2015 Charge Plug, 2007 Dahon Boardwalk, 1997 Nishiki Blazer, 1984 Nishiki International, 2006 Felt F65, 1989 Dahon Getaway V

Mentioned: 54 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1342 Post(s)
Liked 1,606 Times in 796 Posts
Here's the article:
https://books.google.com/books?id=l3...icycle&f=false
BobbyG is offline  
Likes For BobbyG:
Old 03-10-22, 09:49 AM
  #14  
Senior Member
 
70sSanO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Mission Viejo
Posts: 5,523

Bikes: 1986 Cannondale SR400 (Flat bar commuter), 1988 Cannondale Criterium XTR, 1992 Serotta T-Max, 1995 Trek 970

Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1843 Post(s)
Liked 2,013 Times in 1,230 Posts
Maybe the publication should have been called Unpopular Science.

John
70sSanO is offline  
Likes For 70sSanO:
Old 03-10-22, 01:35 PM
  #15  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: North Central Wisconsin
Posts: 4,533
Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2918 Post(s)
Liked 1,111 Times in 735 Posts
Originally Posted by EZgears
Anyone remember reading an article about a new kind of break? This was back in the 90's I think. Might have been in popular science or popular mechanics. Someone came up with basically a groove like a pulley that went around the circumference of a rim. In this groove there was a Kevlar cord that went clear around and when you pulled the break lever it tightened the cord in the groove causing friction to stop the bike. It never did catch on but it was supposed to stop a bike very quickly.
Is this a rest break or bike brake?
prj71 is offline  
Old 03-10-22, 07:13 PM
  #16  
Senior Member
 
surveyor6's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: Houston area
Posts: 246

Bikes: 1961 Higgins Flightliner

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 68 Post(s)
Liked 101 Times in 70 Posts
Probably wouldn't work very well in wet conditions.
surveyor6 is offline  
Old 03-10-22, 07:48 PM
  #17  
Senior Member
 
wolfchild's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Mississauga/Toronto, Ontario canada
Posts: 8,628

Bikes: I have 3 singlespeed/fixed gear bikes

Mentioned: 28 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4101 Post(s)
Liked 2,400 Times in 1,245 Posts
Tesla needs to start making self-braking and self-shifting bicycles. All you need to do is just hold the handlebars and pedal ....and the software will decide when to apply the brakes and when to shift your gears.
wolfchild is offline  
Old 03-10-22, 08:19 PM
  #18  
Senior Member
 
50PlusCycling's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 970
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 464 Post(s)
Liked 607 Times in 332 Posts
It’s just a larger version of the strap brake found on most shopping bikes in the Asian market. It works like a drum brake, but compresses the drum from the outside instead of expanding brake shoes on the inside. It’s simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
50PlusCycling is offline  
Old 03-10-22, 08:27 PM
  #19  
Senior Member
 
drlogik's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1,763

Bikes: '87-ish Pinarello Montello; '89 Nishiki Ariel; '85 Raleigh Wyoming, '16 Wabi Special, '16 Wabi Classic, '14 Kona Cinder Cone

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 698 Post(s)
Liked 405 Times in 251 Posts
I agree with other posts that the special rim was probably a deterrent. That and I imagine that the Kevlar cord caused a lot of friction, which causes heat, which causes tire pressure fluctuations. The same can be said for rim brakes but they only touch a 2 inch section of the rim. They don't go around the whole rim.
drlogik is offline  
Old 03-11-22, 09:46 AM
  #20  
Newbie
 
Velogoth's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2022
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 47

Bikes: Yes

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 28 Post(s)
Liked 34 Times in 20 Posts
Originally Posted by 50PlusCycling
It’s just a larger version of the strap brake found on most shopping bikes in the Asian market. It works like a drum brake, but compresses the drum from the outside instead of expanding brake shoes on the inside. It’s simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
Yup. Came here to say this. I can't post links yet but Saint Sheldon has a page about this design: sheldonbrown.com/band-brakes.html
Velogoth is offline  
Old 03-11-22, 11:18 AM
  #21  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Hollister, CA (not the surf town)
Posts: 1,685

Bikes: 2019 Specialized Roubaix Comp Di2, 2009 Roubaix, early 90's Giant Iguana

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 622 Post(s)
Liked 1,385 Times in 517 Posts
"Innovative brake in old magazine."

Maybe if compared with dragging your feet on the ground or having a wood block rub on the tire.
Ogsarg is offline  
Likes For Ogsarg:
Old 03-11-22, 11:38 AM
  #22  
Randomhead
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,080
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,410 Times in 2,337 Posts
Originally Posted by Velogoth
Yup. Came here to say this. I can't post links yet but Saint Sheldon has a page about this design: sheldonbrown.com/band-brakes.html
That's interesting, it should be more impervious to weather than a band brake on the outside of the rim. Band brakes are commonly used on exercise bikes and have been for many decades, so it was hardly a ground-breaking innovation in any case.
unterhausen is offline  
Old 03-11-22, 01:51 PM
  #23  
Thread Killer
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Posts: 12,289

Bikes: 15 Kinesis Racelight 4S, 76 Motebecane Gran Jubilée, 17 Dedacciai Gladiatore2, 12 Breezer Venturi, 09 Dahon Mariner, 12 Mercier Nano, 95 DeKerf Team SL, 19 Tern Rally, 21 Breezer Doppler Cafe+, 19 T-Lab X3, 91 Serotta CII

Mentioned: 28 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2778 Post(s)
Liked 1,580 Times in 967 Posts
Originally Posted by surveyor6
Probably wouldn't work very well in wet conditions.
Article posted upthread says it works better in the wet.
chaadster is offline  
Old 03-11-22, 02:46 PM
  #24  
Tragically Ignorant
 
livedarklions's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613

Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM

Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8185 Post(s)
Liked 9,087 Times in 5,052 Posts
Originally Posted by chaadster
Article posted upthread says it works better in the wet.

Must say, I don't have enough experience with wet straps of kevlar to know if that's credible.
livedarklions is offline  
Old 03-11-22, 02:52 PM
  #25  
Tragically Ignorant
 
livedarklions's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613

Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM

Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8185 Post(s)
Liked 9,087 Times in 5,052 Posts
Originally Posted by drlogik
I agree with other posts that the special rim was probably a deterrent. That and I imagine that the Kevlar cord caused a lot of friction, which causes heat, which causes tire pressure fluctuations. The same can be said for rim brakes but they only touch a 2 inch section of the rim. They don't go around the whole rim.
All brakes cause a lot of friction if they're any good, that's the point. Wouldn't spreading all this friction over the entire circumference actually allow for more heat loss due to radiation?
livedarklions is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -

Copyright © 2023 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.