Comments on: All About Brakes for Touring and Bikepacking Bikes

By: Al Taloma

Al Taloma — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 05:15:00 +0000

Well done, very good article. I’m towing a heavy teardrop camping trailer and am using both disk and V-brakes on the rear wheel of my recumbent. Luckily, it has bosses to accommodate both, as have a few regular bicycle manufacturers such as LKLM (I’m currently ordering an LKLM Discovery with double brakes), Surley (Troll), and a couple of others that I see in your touring bike article. Most manufacturers that have both sets of bosses also have cable routing bits to keep the cables tidy, but do not offer double brakes as a factory option. I use two separate brake levers, spaced approximately 4cm apart to allow braking using both sets at once with two fingers on each lever, or selectively braking using just a single brake of the pair. As you have pointed out, different brakes operate differently depending on the circumstances. If I have a rim problem, I can still use the disk. If the disk is contaminated, I can still use the V-brake. This set-up allows me to ride a heavy bike, or a heavy trailer, into just about any situation, and still have adequate braking.

By: Alee | CyclingAbout.com

Alee | CyclingAbout.com — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 20:09:00 +0000

In reply to D.A. Joseph. I'm going to be using Shimano XT hydraulic disc brakes. I'm a little bit hesitant about taking them, but I want to see how reliable they are on a multi-year trip.

By: D.A. Joseph

D.A. Joseph — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 15:41:00 +0000

Great article, Alee. What have you gone for in your new Koga build?

By: Brian Bassett

Brian Bassett — Mon, 01 May 2017 18:19:00 +0000

Ahhhhhhh the choices. In my opinion if all durability and failure rates were the same then Hydraulic Disc brakes are the best performing brake especially when your moving a lot of weight. As far as durability, you get what you pay for. I have been using hydraulic disc’s on my tour bike and in over 3000 miles have replaces a set of rear pads and nothing else. Haven’t even needed to burp the fluid yet.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/dc83580c387a2d3a7382949b4a0d712226057bf006ebcdea3f330c392e3a117f.jpg

By: Ste Ro

Ste Ro — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 21:50:00 +0000

maybe bring also a assistance car, in case the rim brakes fail 😉

By: phael

phael — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 09:50:00 +0000

In reply to Alee Denham. hs33 are way better than any mechanical v-brakes, i am surprised how slowly brake pads wear and stopping power is about same as on good disc brakes, one steep descent on loaded bike and you will love them

By: Andreas Simon

Andreas Simon — Sun, 01 Nov 2015 19:12:00 +0000

“My Most Ideal Brake Setup” is largely an illusion.

First, it is impossible to prepare for all eventualities. Happend to me that I set out with a super strong bike, then the rim broke leaving me with the problem to find a rim strong enough for a backwheel with Rohloff hub (special spoke length required) in China. As I couldn’t find one I had to rebuild both wheels using the former front wheel rim in the back and the new rim up front.

Second, it is becoming increasingly harder to find stock frames and forks equipped with both rim brake bosses and disc caliper mounts. If you want that, you usually had to get it customized to your specs and repainted – making the frame set almost twice as expensive (depending on the make, for sure).

Long story short: I opt for taking the plunge and live with insecurities, especially as the required spare is only a few clicks and delivery by international courier away, provide one has internet access.

By: Alee | CyclingAbout.com

Alee | CyclingAbout.com — Mon, 07 Sep 2015 21:42:00 +0000

In reply to Jesse E Martin. Interesting! On my fully loaded 200kg tandem I rode from Turkey to Kyrgyzstan (mountains!) on a set of pads. Then from Kyrgyzstan to the Philippines (mountains!) on another. Then from Cambodia to Australia on the next. That works out at about 10,000km per set of pads. I hope you have better luck with the CSS setup!

By: Jesse E Martin

Jesse E Martin — Sun, 06 Sep 2015 21:30:00 +0000

I am switching to the Ryde (formerly Rigida) Andra 30’s with CSS sidewalls and Swissstop Blue Brake Pads using shimano v brakes. I have heard reports of the brake pads lasting almost 20 000 kms. That is 10X longer rhan what I am currently getting with disc brakes. However, given the poor durability of my disc brakes, I expect the Swissstop Blue pads not to get anywhere near 20 000 kms.

My experience of touring with BB7 Sintered brake pads was an underwhelming 2000km of use before needing replacement. Most of that was in non-mountainous terrain. I have used them in 5 different countries; experiencing short pad life in all cases. Increasing my rotor size to 200mm front & back prevented brake fade from overheating (180mm front & 160mm rear almost resulted in a few crashes), but pad life remained poor.

I weigh 85 kg, bike in touring mode weighs 20 kg, and I haul 5-45 kg worth of stuff (“average” of 25 kg)

By: Alee Denham

Alee Denham — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 22:56:00 +0000

In reply to pneves. Article is updated. :)