Brakes: curiosities and useful advice

Increasingly high-performance bikes, increasingly high-performance tires and the desire to travel through increasingly difficult terrain: with an e-bike everything becomes simpler and more fun.

For great speeds and wonderful adventures in complete safety, however, good brakes are essential.

Whether you are a cyclist who wants great performance from your e-bike or you are simply an amateur cyclist who wants to feel protected, the disc brake must meet expectations, as well as being reliable, easy to maintain, light and convenient.

From some tests carried out on brakes it was understood that power is a secondary characteristic of the material of the brake pads.

In fact, some brakes are equipped with high braking torques but, as the pad overheats, the braking torque can decrease drastically: this is due to the efficiency of the pad material.

From the tests the 5 essential features for greater braking performance.

First of all, the weight: it is in fact useful to save weight on a bicycle, but you need to understand WHERE to have a high-performance bike.

The difference between a SRAM guide and a SRAM Code is only 20-30 g, but the Code model has much greater performance.

The second characteristic concerns i discs: the larger they are, the greater the control, improving performance.

The transition from the 180mm to 200mm disc results in an average 18% reduction in deceleration times, while also requiring a lighter touch, thus minimizing fatigue and improving modulation.

The excellent quality of the padsFurthermore, it is an essential ingredient for powerful deceleration, this is because all the braking forces are transferred from the brake pads to the discs.

In addition to the quality, also thebrake pad settling It makes a huge difference in performance: repeated decelerations, in fact, leave a residue of pad material on the disc, allowing maximum friction and performance.

Last useful tip concerns themineral oil: unlike DOT fluid, it is not corrosive and does not damage the bike in any way.

It must be said that braking remains a very personal thing: there are bikers who prefer gentler braking, others who instead like a more decisive deceleration.

For those who like complex and challenging trails, the Magura MT7 and Shimano Saint models are perhaps the best for value and power while, for those who like smooth modulation, SRAM Guide certainly offers a more modular braking system.