Global Sports: Bicycle Braking System

Monday, January 9, 2012

Bicycle Braking System

By Colin Miller


Remember when you used to be a kid, and you first dared to ride your cycle down that actually steep hill in your area? The ride down can be a rush. Stopping isn't always such a laugh. Bike control depends on two elements: steering and brakes. If either of these is missing, you are a beyond control cyclist, dangerous to yourself and others.

History's first bicycles had no brakes. Band-aids hadn't yet been invented, so that the next logical step was to invent a stopping system. Therefore, brakes were born to help riders decelerate and stop, and bicycles all of a sudden became more popular. By accelerating frictional force on the wheels, bicyclists were able to decelerateand stop.

The 1st commonly used braking system was called "the plunger". It first turned up on the high-wheeled bicycles that were popular in the 1800s. The plunger operated on an easy principle. To decelerate a bicycle, a lever was either pressed down or pulled up, causing a metal show to press against the outer side of the tire. Of course, the friction made caused excess damage on the tire. Bike riders found that the plunger didn't work fine with pneumatic tires, even after shielding the metal shoe with rubber. Moist surfaces were another downside, as water reduced the friction between the brake shoe and tire, minimizing the braking power.

The following major advancementt in bicycle brakes was the "coaster brake". Most of us have used coaster brakes, still well-liked in pint-size baby bikes and tricycles. Some application bicycles and cruisers also use coaster brakes. The tenet behind coaster brakes is straightforward reverse motion. When the pedals are moved in a reverse direction, the brake mechanism inside the center of the wheel pushes outward, making friction and slowing down the bike. Coaster brakes are quite strong and have a tendency to lock up and skid the rear wheel when engaged, so they're great decisions for sidewalk burnouts.

Almost all of today's mountain, road and stunt bikes use caliper edge brakes. By pulling a lever, a wire is tightened. This cable thenenforce the brake pads or shoes to press against the inside rim of the wheel, stopping the bike. Caliper bicycle brakes are light and comparatively inexpensive, but they do come with their own set of Problems. Not very efficient on stormy days, wet brakes take 2 times as long to stop a bike because the water reduces friction between the brake and the wheel. Caliper brakes work well when pressure is applied delicately.

It's vital to balance the braking between the front and rear brakes while riding. If too much brake pressure is applied to the front wheel, your momentum and body inertia will take you right over the handlebars.

Over the years, braking systems and materials havealtered, but the fundamentals of decelerating and stopping a bicycle have not. Bicycle brakes are still based primarily on the concept of friction, and are still vitally important to your safety.

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