The Guide To Bicycle Brakes

Mountain bike brakes are crucial to safety, especially when riding a bike in uneven terrain, or areas with a lot of slopes. In fact, brakes for bikes can make all the difference, and inefficient brakes are a safety hazard. Brakes serve to decrease the speed of a bike or to allow it to come to a halt, and the 3 different brakes available for bikes are drum brakes, disc brakes and rim brakes. Spoon brakes were first used for high wheel bikes in the 1800’s, but these are deprecated and have not been used for many decades. It is important when buying a bike that you take the braking system into consideration.

Disc brakes

These are mostly found in more modern mountain bikes, and these are specifically created to allow a bike to slow down or come to a halt more effectively, especially compared to rim brakes. Even in difficult situations or complex terrain, this type of brakes has proven to work well, mostly because they are directly connected to the very part of the bike that is responsible for the bike’s motion: its wheels. This way, the bike also stays dry and safe from elements that can damage it. Still, using disc brakes has its downside. These brakes are not as affordable or light as other types of breaks, such as rim brakes. Maintenance for disc brakes also requires additional effort, particularly with hydraulic types, which function by injecting brake fluid by way of a hose or line, so the pads press together. Getting the right bicycle gear is very important so choosing brakes wisely.

Drum brakes

This type of bike brakes are used on both front hubs and hubs that have freewheels outside, as well as inside. The majority of systems that use drum brakes are controlled using a rod or cable, and this type of brakes is regularly used for utility bikes such as velomobiles and freight bikes, in many places like the Netherlands. These breaks are heavy-duty and very effective, whether riding on a wet road or otherwise. However, like disc brakes, they are rather heavy compared to other brake types, and not as hard-wearing as rim breaks.  The upside to using them is that it does not take a lot to maintain them.

Rim brakes

Finally there are rim brakes, which are popular because they are heavy-duty and affordable. These use friction pads to curb the speed of a rolling wheel, in the process decreasing the bike’s speed. Cork, rubber or leather are among the materials used for brake pads, and the brake pads work by pulling levels on the handlebars. Apart from the abovementioned, rim brakes are powerful and easy to maintain. They are also light and their mechanism is not complicated. However, the thing to know about rim brakes is that they don’t work as well on wet surfaces, but this is not much of an issue with rims that use aluminum, compared to those that use chromed or steel rims.


Bicycle brakes are probably the most important part of all bike safety equipment so make sure you choose the right system for your needs and keep them properly maintained.