On Wednesday, August 31, 2011 10:42:07 AM UTC-5, Cyclofiend Jim wrote:
....
>
> The real rub with V-Brakes (or specifically, linear pull) is that they tend
> to be on or off. It's a matter of the pressure your hands are used to
> applying, and the more time you spend running canti brakes, the more
> ingrained it becomes. You can get used to the difference, but you can also
> really hurt yourself - especially when jumping to a bicycle with different
> brakes.
>
....
> --
> Jim Edgar
> cyclo...@earthlink.net
>
Ah-ha! This goes a long way towards explaining why lots of people seem not
to like linear-pull brakes. Perhaps It's an area where having a certain
minimum amount of mass on the bike and having *less* experience actually
mitigates an issue. That is, I've had only linear-pull brakes in my recent
riding. And they feel relatively smooth and controllable... perhaps because
they are fighting a substantial load (at least me, at 245lbs). I think with
my kind of payload, there's a big difference in the hand-effort required
to (1) merely engage the brake and (2) stop the bike. Fortunately, I also
have strong hands (years of piano lessons). So, while going from (1) to (2)
for a lighter-weight cyclist might be startingly quick and difficult
control, for me it seems reasonably gradual, easy to manipulate, and never
gets too difficult. I've never thought I was missing anything using
linear-pull brakes. But I do realize that my current brakes and levers (both
from Paul Components) were each an improvement in feel and control. And
together they are quite nice. So perhaps after about a year with these I'd
feel that my old $20 Tektros or $40 Shimanos, both with Tektro levers, are
somehow wanting. Hard to say. But I do know they worked fine for me at the
time.
Now, as to other comments about the looks of linear-pull brakes... well, to
some extent I agree. Not so much that linear-pull brakes are ugly or even
particularly unattractive. But some canti-brakes I've seen are works of art.
And I like the simple elegance of some sidepull brakes as well. So to me
it's more like linear pull brakes are kind of a "lost opportunity" for
beauty than an actual blemish. I happen to like the way the Motolite sort of
echoes the soldier-y image of the fork crown in front. And in general I like
the Paul Components aesthetic.
Yours,
Thomas Lynn Skean
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