Types of bicycle brakes

Brake at any bicycle is one of the most important structural elements responsible for security.

Bicycle brakes can be of several types:

- Rim;

- Disk;

- Hydraulic;

- Drum.

Each of them has its "cons" and "pros", which we will talk in detail as part of this material.

Rim brakes

Pads in this case are at the wheel rim and clamped thereto by pressing the handle on the handlebars of the bicycle.

There are several designs of rim brakes, but the most popular and common are the V brake.

Their advantages:

- Universality;

- A simple, effective and reliable design;

- Low cost compared with other types.

Disadvantages:

- A significant reduction in the effectiveness of the slush and mud;

- A high demand to the wheels. The gap is only a few millimeters, and "eight" on the wheel immediately will have an effect;

- Downhill overheating may occur, leading to damage to the tires.

Disc brakes

In disk brakes, in contrast to the rim, the impact pad are not necessary on the wheel rim, and a special drive, which has a whole series of advantages:

- Extends the life of the wheel;

- Pads wear out more slowly;

- The braking process is not choppy and smoothly.

In addition to the advantages of disc brakes, and not without some drawbacks. So, the main of them include:

- Difficulties in troubleshooting and repair. If rim brakes will almost always be repaired "in place", then, with the disc, it is much more complicated;

- Disc brake system weight is higher than the rim;

- Components from different manufacturers are not always universal;

- high price.

Hydraulic brakes

In hydraulic brake systems for impact pad is transmitted to the system through the liquid.

All hydraulic brakes are disk type. Their main advantage is that the extraordinary smoothness and durability. A disadvantage of low maintainability in the "field" conditions.

Drum brakes

Drum brakes are now used on the bike models which do not have the choice of speeds and are designed for travel around the city. Brake, in such Citybikes, integrated in the rear hub, and "activated" by pressing the pedal backward. These brakes are cheap and effective, it is absolutely not dependent on weather conditions, and being intuitive to everyone.