Team Fab

I think Ritterview tried the Carbon caliper only not the disk rotor.

akexpress 

Actually he tried the rotor Originally Posted by akexpressWe are going to be an early adopter volunteer... I am anxious to hear how the carbon rotors are working.



Well, I took an early adopter one for the team with the Kettle SiCCC-SFL Rotor. It is light, and it looks nice.


It is quiet, has good modulation, and seems to handle heat quite well. It is very civilized. The only problem is that with my Avid BB7 and organic pads it has neither grab nor power. The Highway 9 descent is never above 7%, and it wouldn't bring us to a stop without assistance from the front rim caliper (it wasn't as strong as my ee brake caliper on a carbon rim). I reckon it has only 50% of the power of the Shimano ICE.

For tandems, it might only be useful as a weight weenie measure as one rotor for tandems on gentle terrain wherein two disc brakes are overkill. It might be okay as an ultralight drag brake, as it does handles heat well, and does slow you down. But it is not a brake as in something to brings you to an abrupt halt.

Switching over to the Shimano ICE was soooo nice. Real braking power that dissipates heat. The ICE's power is great on keeping the stoker from wigging out on descents. An occasional twinge on the brake demonstrates to the stoker that things are under powerful control, she is not accelerating headlong to destruction. 89 more grams than the Kettle, but it allowed us to go so much faster with confidence.



I'll keep my Kettle, as Kettle is introducing SiCCC pads that apparently have better grab. I'll wait until I can get the Shimano pads for the TRP Spyre instead of Avid BB7. I'll give it another try then, but on rolling terrain and not a big descent. I figure that I can use the Kettle as part of a weight weenie set up for Low Key Hill Climbs (and for a scale pic on the What does your tandem weigh? thread).

If the SiCCC pads help part of the way, maybe the power-endowed TRP Hy/Rd could take it the rest of the way to being nearly okay.

fietsbob

Arai Brakes, the Drum drag brake of decades use past is Gone, not much choice left.

TandemGeek

The replacement for the Arai is the Maddock Machine Mad Dog Drum Brake... or simply the Maddock Drum Brake.
https://tandemgeek.wordpress.com/2013...now-available/

It is an update on the original design that adopts Mel Kornbluh's shaved housing approach to reducing weight and visual mass.

Rambetter

But it still doesn't look the bling bling that a disc brake does. :-)

Functionally though perhaps it's superior?

scycheng

I have never been convinced that removing all that mass by shaving off the fins increase the utility of the drum brake. It's a bit lighter. If the reason you need a drum brake is as a drag brake, lighter is not a good thing.

The reason that the Arai drum works so well as a drag brake is because it has lots of metal to absorb the heat. Shaving it reduce the amount of mass considerably. We've had ours (with the fins) heated up almost to smoking point.

I've had our rear disks hot enough to warp and smoke on a minor pass so it's poorly suited as a drag brake.

You have to make a choice of whether you want the bling or something that works when you need it. I know which one my stoker prefers.

fietsbob

yea, but, as said above the unsightly parts were heat-sinks.

scycheng

Sorry. Function before form.

When it goes on a touring tandem with racks, fenders and the rest of the stuff, who cares about the looks of some fins? :-)

If it's going on a Calfee or Seven, I would have to ask why? Put a high end big disk (with plenty of bling) on there and learn to fly (or brake properly when losing elevation fast with twisted roads).

dwmckee

If you truly use it as a drag brake on long descents to scrub speed, you will eat up pads like crazy. Maybe every few weeks. Our drum brake has original pads after 13 years or regular use...

B. Carfree

My R+E tandem uses a bar end shifter to control a disc brake that is being used as a drag brake. We weigh 310 pounds and use it on every descent that requires any braking. We prefer to use the disc since it is stoker controlled and that takes the braking burden off the captain (we run large male stoker/small female captain).

We haven't taken the bike down any descents longer than 3000 feet, so perhaps we will eventually learn that the disc drag brake is not the best tool, but we haven't had any problems with warpage or fading yet. Of course we haven't taken it down to the Lost Coast fully loaded. If it takes the back side of the Wall without failing, it will likely take anything we are likely to run into short of Ebbets Pass, which is on next summer's agenda.

pel

Disc brake does not work as a drag brake. They will over heat and fade if you take them to extreme temperatures. We have two on our tandem (fully loaded with camping gear). On steep short switch backs the disc brakes do not have time to cool - in our experience (16000kms in Europe).

mkane77g

Disc as a drag brake= lousy idea.

Monoborracho

A disc brake is not a drag brake, it is a 3rd brake if used as described by myself and others in this thread.

Use it as needed.

Stop if warranted. Don't melt your rim brakes.

Use common sense.

Enjoy the views.

FWIW, I like the way my bike is set up with canti brakes and a rear disc. Works for me. End of story.

Clarabelle

When we ordered our tandem from Bike Friday, they recommended disc on the front, V-brake on the rear along with a disc brake as a drag brake. Not sure how I'll like it yet. Had surgery on both wrists and haven't ridden but a few miles. I haven't been a bit fan of V-brakes, so the jury remains out until we get some miles in.

Rambetter

Thank you. I intend to enjoy my future setup as well -> caliper brakes front and rear plus disc brake rear actuated by bar-end brake lever (NOT a shift lever). Sounds very similar to your setup other than the canti versus caliper.