Running head: BICYCLE BRAKES

Bicycle Brakes
A Research Paper
Ismail Khchaf
2/8/2012

Community College Of Baltimore County Catonsville

Author Note This paper was prepared for Automotive 126, Section ZE1, taught by Fred Koenig.

BICYCLE BRAKES Bicycle Brakes A Research Paper The types of brakes I am going to tell you about are for bicycle. There are many different types of breaks for a bike. There are 8 different types of breaks each with multiple types and uses. The 8 types of breaks are spoon brakes, duck brakes, rim brakes, disc brakes, drum brakes, coaster brakes, drag brakes, and band brakes. I will describe each and every type of the mechanisms for all the brake types. The spoon brake was one of the very first types of brakes used on a bike. They also go by the name plunger brake. They were used mostly on bikes with solid tires in the early to mid-1800s, and were still used after the invention of the new pneumatic-tire safety bike. The spoon brake is made up of a pad made of metal with rubber on the bottom that then presses on the tire to stop the bike. It is operated by pressing on a handle attached on the handle bars. They were used until the late 1930s. The duck brake was invented in 1897. It used a rod attached to a lever to pull friction rollers against the tire. They are made from wood or rubber. It is mounted on an axle and held in place by a washer and set to conform around the shape of the tire. The rollers are held away from the tire by a spring. The braking power is enhanced by a lever mounted behind the handle bars. If used in unison with a coaster brake the rider has more braking efficiently. Rim brakes have a lot of advantages and disadvantages. Some advantages are that they are very cheap, easy to maintain, and very simple. But they perform very poorly when the rims get wet. If the rims are made from aluminum the tires will stop better when

BICYCLE BRAKES wet. They are also prone to getting clogged with leaves and rocks and/or mud when riding through he woods. These brakes need a lot of regular maintenance because the pads wear out just like they do on a car. The brakes stop the bike the same as the brakes on a car do i.e. by turning the kinetic energy into thermal energy. But that heats the rim and the air inside the tire so if you have a weak rim or inner tube it might malfunction. There are many types of rim brakes, there are: rod-actuated brakes, caliper brakes, sidepull caliper brakes, dual-pivot side-pull caliper brakes, centre-pull caliper brakes, ubrakes, cantilever brakes, traditional cantilever brakes, v-brakes, roller cam brakes, delta brakes, and hydraulic rim brakes. Rod actuated brakes uses rods and pivots instead of cables to apply force to the pads. It is only used on the Westwood style rims due to their concave braking surface. The rear linkage is a very complicated part of the system because it needs to allow the rotation where the fork and handle bars meet. The caliper brakes use a cable which is mounted to a point above the wheel. The arms extend around the tire where the pads press against the rim. They are less useful when the tires get bigger so they are only on road bikes not mountain bikes. Single-pivot side-pull caliper brakes are made of two arms that cross each other and pivot above the tire and they hold the pads against the rim. The arms have extensions on them so one is connected to the cable while the other is connected to the cable housing. When the brake is squeezed the arms come together and press against the rim. They are very good for narrow tire bikes but are basically useless on any other bike. Dual-pivot side-pull caliper brakes are used on more modern racing bikes. One side

BICYCLE BRAKES pivots in the center while the other pivots at the side like a center pull caliper. This type of brake resulted in better braking. Centre-pull caliper brakes it has symmetrical arms and are centered more effectively. The cable housing connects to a fixed cable stop which is attached to the frame. Tension is evenly distributed to the two arms so both pads touch the rims at the same time. U-brakes which are also known as 990-style they are almost exactly like the center-pull caliper brakes in which the two arms attach directly to the frame off the bike. U-brakes are interchangeable with roller cam brakes. These brakes are used on freestyle BMX bikes. Cantilever - brakes has each arm attached to a separate pivot point. That makes all cantilever brakes a dual-pivot. Sometimes the pad is mounted above the rim and sometimes it is mounted below the rim. These are used mostly on wide tire bikes. The brakes shoes must be adjusted constantly and are very difficult to adjust. Sometimes one of the pads gets stuck under the rim and jams the tire up. Traditional cantilever brakes pre- dates the direct-pull brakes. They have a center-pull design, but with an outwardlyangled arms on sides. When the cable gets pulled upward the arms rotate and go upward pressing the rim and the pads together. These are very difficult to put on bikes with suspension because they stick out from the frame. So they are found mostly on bikes with no suspension. Linear-pull brakes and direct-pull brakes are most commonly known as V-brakes. Cantilever and V-brakes mount on the same frame bosses. But the arms are longer on Vbrakes than on the cantilever brakes. The cable is on one arm while the housing is on the

BICYCLE BRAKES other. As the cable gets pulled the arms come together. The flexible housing is bent at a 90 degree angle which is known as a noodle. The noddle is put in a stirrup which is attached to one of the arms. A rubber case usually covers the noodle. V-brakes work really well on bikes with suspension and mountain bikes. Roller cam brakes are exactly like center-pull brakes. Each of the two arms has a cam follower. When the cam is pressed against the follower the arms get pushed apart. When each of the arms goes out, the pad gets pushed to the rim. These brakes are known for being controllable and very strong. But they can make changing a wheel very difficult and require someone that knows about the brakes system to work on changing the wheel. When the pads get worn down and needs to be constantly adjusted. These brakes were made around 1982. They were used on the first mountain bikes. Delta brakes are a road bike brake because it is shaped like a triangle. It works by having the cable enter at the top and that pulls on a linkage shaped like a parallelogram. The two corners push out against the two arms that pivot and make the pads press against the rim. The hydraulic rim brakes are the least common type of brakes. The brakes are mounted in the same place as cantilever brakes. Disc brakes are metal discs connected to the wheel hub that moves with the wheel. Callipers and pads are attached to the frame so that when they squeeze together on the disc the drag and are slowed down by transforming kinetic energy into thermal energy. Disc brakes can be used as a drag brake. Drag brakes are defined by their use, not their design. Drag brakes are used to slow a bicycle gradually rather than to stop it quickly. Drag brakes are usually used on

BICYCLE BRAKES heavy bicycles. If a bicycle has drag brakes it also has a different brake system to stop the bike. Drum brakes are two pads that press outward on the braking surface of the inside of the hub shell. Drum brakes are usually found on utility bikes. Drum brakes on a bike are similar to drum brakes on a car but the ones on bikes are mechanical while the ones on cars are hydraulic actuation. Coaster brakes are brakes that use the pedals of the bike to stop the bike. The person on the bike usually has to pedal backwards to stop the bike. Coaster brakes are also known as a foot brake. Coaster brakes are used on childrens training bikes. Band brakes are made up of a band, strap, or cable. This band, strap, or cable wraps around a drum that rotates with the wheel and pulls tight to create braking friction. Band brakes are still available for bikes today. There have been many types of bicycle brakes throughout history. Many of which are still available today. Thanks to improving technology, I am sure; there will be many more types of bicycle brakes to come.

BICYCLE BRAKES References

Bicycle brake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2012, February 6). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved February 8, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_brake#Disc_brakes