Bike Brakes Buying Guide

Bike Brakes Guide Your bicycle's brakes are its main safety feature. They help control your speed and stop when you are ready to stop. There are many types of bike brakes for different applications. They all have advantages and disadvantages depending on use. There are brakes designed best for road bikes and some that work best on a mountain bike. There are different styles of rim brakes that apply stopping power to the rim and different types of hub brakes that apply stopping power to the hub area of your wheel. We'll break all of this down for you in a way that is as easy as possible to understand.
Brake
Brakes are the component of the braking system that actuate the brake pads and directly apply stopping power to either the rim or the hub of a bicycle wheel.
Brake pads
Brake pads are pressed to the rim or disc to apply stopping power. They are made of many different compounds for different applications. Each style of brake has a specific style of pad that will work properly with that brake. Some pads have cross compatibility and can be used for multiple platforms, mainly cantilever and V-brakes. It is important to check brake pad wear and alignment to ensure safe riding.
Brake levers
Brake levers actuate the caliper and are normally located on the handlebars. They are the rider interface with the braking system. There are two main types of levers: those intended for drop bars and those designed for flat bars. From there, there are levers designed to work with the different variations of the calipers and dual control levers that control braking and shifting. With dual control levers you have to determine the proper brake interface and shift interface.
Drop bar levers
Drop bar levers are ergonomic levers that mount to the front, curving section of a drop bar. They act as the main hand placement position on most road bikes. Drop levers are typically designed to work with center-pull or side-pull brakes. If you are using linear pull brakes with drop levers, you must use a lever that is designed to function with the increased mechanical advantage that linear pull brakes afford.
Flat bar levers
Flat bars have their own set of levers, typically called mountain bike levers or BMX levers. It is important to know which type of brake the lever will be used with. Center pull and side pull use one type of lever, while linear pull brakes need a special lever.
Aero levers
Aero levers are special levers that attach to the end of bull-horn-style handlebars for time trial or triathlon use. They typically attach to the inside of the handlebar with an expansion nut.
Rim brakes Rim brakes apply stopping power (friction) to your wheel's rim. Rim brakes are generally actuated with a cable which is pulled with a lever mounted on the bike's handlebars. There are a few different ways in which the cable attaches to the brake. Another way to classify brakes is by mounting style. Most brake types crossover, so defining them can become confusing.
Cable interface
The manner in which a cable connects with and actuates a brake and brings the pads to the rim is a key characteristic to consider when shopping for the proper brake.
Center pull
Center pull brakes have a split or "straddle cable" that connects to the two opposite brake arms and is pulled from the center to bring the pads to the rim.
Linear pull
Linear pull brakes use a cable stop to act as one anchor point, stopping the cable housing and anchoring the cable's end on the other brake arm. When the cable is pulled, the two arms are actuated and stopping power is applied to the rims.
Side pull
Side pull brakes have a single cable running down the side of the caliper and work similarly to linear pull in that the housing and cable work together to actuate the brake arms. The big difference between linear pull and side pull is that side pull calipers have both arms on both sides of the caliper and pivot around the anchor bolt.
Mounting style
The manner in which a rim bike brake is attached to a bicycle frame and the way that the brake functions is the other key defining characteristic.
Cantilever brake
Cantilevers are characterized by two separate brake arms that pivot around two separate bolts mounted into the frame on opposite sides of the wheel. The two styles are standard cantilevers with bent arms and a center pull straddle cable, and Shimano's patented V-brake style with straight arms and a linear pull cable.
V-brake
Shimano developed a straight arm cantilever that is actuated from a linear pulled cable. This system offers more mechanical advantage than traditional cantilevers requiring a brake lever that applies less advantage.
Caliper
A brake caliper mounts to the bicycle frame at a single, central point that also acts as a pivot point for the brake arms on both sides of the rim. Calipers can be actuated with a side pull or center pull.

• Single pivot: In single pivot caliper brakes, both brake arms pivot around a single, central point that also anchors the caliper to the bicycle.
• Dual pivot: Dual pivot brakes anchor and pivot around a central point with an additional pivot on one side that adds mechanical advantage. Dual pivot brakes are the norm in today's road cycling market and are generally lower profile and higher quality than single pivot brake calipers available today.

Hub Brakes Hub bike apply stopping power to your wheel's hub. Sometimes they are internal (drum and coaster brakes), and sometimes they are external (disc brakes). Internal hubs can be actuated via levers or by applying reverse torque on the crank arms. External hub brakes are generally actuated with a lever attached to the handlebars
Disc brakes
Disc bike brakes use a caliper attached to the bicycle's frame or fork that apply stopping power to a metal disc attached to the corresponding hub. Disc brakes do a much better job at dissipating heat than traditional rim braking and, because they don't interface with the rim, don't cause any rim wear. They have become extremely widespread in off-road bikes and with tandems for these reasons. The main things to consider when purchasing disc parts are whether the brake is hydraulic or mechanical, the disc rotor diameter and interface, and the caliper mounting interface. There are adapters that can be used to aid in cross-compatibility, but not all brakes work with all bikes.
Drum brakes
Drum brakes are actuated by a brake lever, generally mounted on the handlebars. The brake actuation presses brake pads against the inner wall of the hub shell. They are popular on tandems and motorized bikes. Since they are internal, they work well even in the worst weather conditions.
Coaster brakes
Coaster brakes work in a similar fashion to drum brakes. The large difference is actuation; while drum brakes are actuated via a brake lever, coasters function with a reverse pedaling motion. Pedaling backwards forces a brake cone to push the pads against the internal hub shell. Normal pedaling motion disengages the brake cane, allowing for normal pedaling. Coaster brakes are only installed on the rear wheel of a bicycle.

Important Features of Mountain Bikes

Mountain biking is a rough and tough sport. In involves riding and negotiating tough, off-road mountain terrain. Clearly, an ordinary bike is not up to the arduous journey.

So, what are the most important features of mountain bikes?

Mountain bicycles do share certain similarities with ordinary bikes but they also incorporate many features that help them adapt to rough terrain and endure extreme conditions. Modern mountain bikes have a dual suspension system to help the rider move smoothly over bumps and holes. The tires are wider and more wobbly to provide more traction and balance and could be of 26 or 29 inches. These wide tires are generally mounted on reinforced rims so as to help mountain bikes withstand the stress of bad roads.

Mountain bikes have special features that facilitate easy handling and balance. For instance, the handlebar is raised, wide and flat. This allows a more comfortable riding position for the rider. If the handlebars are too much to the front or back, there will be excessive pressure on the upper part of the body, which makes riding a painful experience. Mountain bicycles are heavier than road bikes so as to ensure more balance.

It is possible to adjust the height of the saddle so that riders can easily rest a foot on the ground, if and when necessary. To ensure this, riders generally make use of a slightly smaller frame size so both their feet can touch the ground. To ensure safety and good road control, mountain bikes make use of gears and disc brakes. Riders need to adjust the position of the brakes so they get proper control of the brakes. The gear ratio of mountain bicycles is much higher to facilitate steep climbs.

Recently, there have been many innovations in the technologies used in mountain bikes which enhance their speed and allow the rider better control. For instance, riders are now provided with clipless pedals so that specially designed shoes can easily connect and engage with the pedals. This ensures that the feet do not slip away from the pedals when mountain biking.

Thus, it is obvious that mountain bicycles have special systems to help riders achieve better speed without losing control. To that extent, mountain bikes have come a long way and most riders look for the most sophisticated bikes so that they can ride seamlessly and smoothly on roads that are designed to test the mettle of any rider. That is why it is important to choose mountain bicycles that can readily withstand the rigors of mountain terrain and deliver strength, balance and speed. Such a bike is an asset for a rider.

Mountain Bikes For Fitness

Though there are always various types of indoor stamina bikes mounted on the floor inside most gyms and it basically can give you the same results as real biking, that equipment can not really get close to the real thing. Many people enroll to gym's bike class as their workout routines, some use bike for warm-up and cool down exercises. But because its obviously a monotonous routine, you eventually will get bored of doing the same thing (sitting on your bike and pedaling in front of the instructor) over and over again for the days.
Biking indoor is good for your body, as it can really sweat you out and tone your leg muscles but biking countryside is always far better. It is like going places plus exercise in one using just your mountain bike.
Recreational and competitive biking's popularity in the U.S. rose quickly over the past decade. In fact, data shows that there is already an estimated of 33 million adult cyclist riding on countryside, on road and off road terrains all over America today. And its popularity is even rising because of more and more people, especially the younger generations engage in to physical activity for physical fitness and international success.
Plus, with today's call for reducing pollution and climate change, awareness for nature cause much more people to find more efficient, economical, environmental friendly and enjoyable mode of transportation.
So if you want to get moving and get your body in shape, or you are just tired of doing the same exercise routines in the gym everyday, it is time for you to purchase your own mountain bike and pedal your way to fitness and healthy lifestyle.
The best thing about mountain bikes is that you don't just get tired by doing the exercise, traveling with it is a fulfilling feeling as you maneuver your bike, get through obstacles and experience nature yourself. The difficult the terrain is, the more self rewarding it is to get through it. It can be compared to hiking, getting your self into rough places and getting out of it by maneuvering your self out is always self gratifying.