While Roadies Wait for Disc Brakes, Hydraulic Rim Brakes Have Arrived
By Michael Frank on January 25th, 2012
Well, kinda. Magura’s new RT8TT is targeted at time trialists, because TT bikes might never get discs, since no matter what, they’ll create a lot of wind drag at the hub. But that doesn’t mean notoriously squirrelly TT bikes don’t need better stoppers, which is where the RT8TT comes in. It uses traditional brake pads to grab the rim, but the system is hydraulic, rather than mechanical, yielding quicker response and easier modulation than a traditional (i.e., weak-ass) braking system, especially from the aero position where mechanical levers provide slow-as-tree-sap-in-January modulation. Via Red Kite Prayer
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Tags: Cycling
I don’t quite get it….every road bike I owned has stopped very well and the only restrictive issue is the friction of the tires. Tires will slide well before my brakes get weak…
The promise of disc rims is better wet-weather performance. You could also make wheels far lighter, because the rim wall won’t need reinforcing to withstand the friction load of the brake pad. As for how hydros help tri bikes, the lever pull from the aero position is notoriously weak, with very lame modulation. And as any racer in any sport knows, the shorter the period of timing when you’re slowing down, the more time you’re going fast. Add up all the botched transitions braking into corners and you start to talk about seconds, and seconds win — or lose — races.