1. Redundancy. I like having two independent systems which can both stop the bike, albeit one more effectively that the other. 2. Ambidextrousness: Sometimes I'm doing something else with my right hand (front brake on my bike, I prefer "moto" or "brit" style), like grabbing a water bottle or signaling, and still need to slow down, and It's nice to be able to do it with my other hand. 3. Specifically off road, going down rough and steep stuff, I pretty much only use my rear brake to avoid locking the front wheel, to maintain control authority and it's ability to roll over obstacles. As a result i wear out the rear brake pads on my mountain bike much faster than the front, pretty much the opposite of all of my other bikes.
I will also point out that the rear brake's effectiveness varies based on weight distribution. When I've got loaded rear panniers or the back of my xtracycle loaded up with cargo, that rear brake works pretty damn well and can slow down the bike quite a lot before it loses traction. -jeremy On Thursday, January 14, 2016 at 9:44:51 PM UTC-8, Patrick Moore wrote: > > I just reinstalled the rear brake on the '03 Curt, because I wanted to use > the 18 t (66") freewheel on the flip side of the rear hub. This is > annoying, to me, because I have become so used to the ease of fender > installation and wheel installation and removal that you have without a > rear caliper messing things up (damned modern complications). > > I'm very used to having only a front brake (operated with a right-side > lever, of course; what else would you use???) and only install a rear with > a freewheel, since I've been told I shall *die* if I don't have a backup > brake. > > So, is the principal use of a rear brake merely as a backup should your > front one fail? Are there other uses? I guess if one is accustomed to > taking corners at the fastest speed possible, a rear brake for small, > precise speed adjustments without unduly loading the front tire, might make > sense; but does this make sense in fact? > > My first bike had a freewheel and no brake except my right Ked shoved onto > the front tire between the fork blades -- and I rode this thing on steep, > winding downhills and in heavy urban traffic. (OK, I was 15.) So a good, > solid front brake seems -- dare I say it? -- sufficient. Tell me why I am > wrong. > > -- > Resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, and letters that get interviews. > By-the-hour resume and LinkedIn coaching. > Other professional writing services. > http://www.resumespecialties.com/ > www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmooreresumespec/ > Patrick Moore > Alburquerque, Nouvelle Mexique, Vereinigte Staaten > ************************************************************************** > ************** > *The point which is the pivot of the norm is the motionless center of a > circumference on which all conditions, distinctions, and individualities > revolve. *Chuang Tzu > > *Stat crux dum volvitur orbis.* *(The cross stands motionless while the > world revolves.) *Carthusian motto > > *It is *we *who change; *He* remains the same.* Eckhart > > *Kinei hos eromenon.* (*It moves [all things] as the beloved.) *Aristotle > > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
