ENGINEERING ASSIGNMENT

Bicycle Braking Systems

 CONTENTS
Page 1 : Introduction + Brief History of advances in bicycle
braking systems.

Pages 2-5 : Types of bicycle braking systems and a brief

summary of each.

Page 6 : Start of report + 1.Effectiveness.

Page 7 : 2.Materials used in the braking system + 3.Friction

material used.

Page 8 : How they differ from a cars system in terms of

materials used.

Page 9 : Bibliography
 INTRODUCTION
Braking systems weren’t always as good as they are today; the first
brakes were quite primitive and virtually useless. Although with the
development of reliable and effective braking systems the bicycle is
a widely used vehicle of transportation.

HISTORY
Early bicycles like the Penny-Farthing which used a system which
wouldn’t even classify as a brake today. The Penny-Farthing
bicycles were fixed gear bicycles there for the pedals could only be
pushed forwards or backwards. Therefore in order to slow down the
rider would have to pedal backwards or jump off which is highly
impractical.

Then in the 1870’s came the development of the Safety Bicycle

which is the basic design of bicycles today, with 2 wheels of the
same size and initially were solid rubber tires. These came with a
front Spoon Brake although didn’t not have a rear brake. With no
free wheel, back pedalling was still an option for slowing down or
stopping. From having no brakes at all to a brake at the front this
was a huge leap forward in the development of braking systems. But
the brakes weren’t very powerful and were useless in wet conditions.

Then the introduction of pneumatic tires came about around the

1980’s and along with it the invention of the rim brake. The rim
brake is the most commonly used brake on bicycles today. Track
bicycles (BMX) which are ridden at higher speeds constantly,
continue to be built without brakes as they are fixed gear bicycles.
Therefore braking can be achieved by applying force on the pedals
in the backwards position.
 Types Of Bicycle Brakes
Rim Brakes
Rim brakes use the force which is applied on a lever located on the
handle bar to transfer the energy to “friction pads” which then close
onto the rims, which slows the wheel and the bicycle.

Rod Brakes
Rod brakes use a combination of rods and pivots to pull friction pads
upwards onto the inner surface of the wheel rim. In order to fit the
rear wheel as well as the more directly actuated front wheel, these
brakes need a mechanism to transmit the force but still allow
rotation where the fork attaches to the frame. Except for the weight
and complexity of rod brakes, they are reliable and durable and can
be repaired of adjusted with simple everyday hand tools.

Caliper Brakes
Caliper brakes involve a system where the lever is pulled which
activates the “pads” bringing them together against the top of the tire
slowing the bicycle.

Caliper brakes come in 3 different designs :

• Single pivot – only one caliper moves and pushes the wheel to
the other caliper which causes the friction.
• Dual pivot – both the pivots close inwards, increase in control
of force applied.
• Centre pivot – similar to the dual pivot although the force is
distributed evenly making slowing down smoother.

Cantilever Brakes
Cantilever brakes have each arm attached to a separate pivot point
on one side of the seat stay or fork just below the rim. The wider
tires on mountain bikes present a problem with standard calipers
because the long distance from the pivot to the pad allows the arms
to flex, reducing braking effectiveness. Cantilever brakes are one
solution to this problem.
V-Brakes
V-Brakes are generally more powerful and easier to adjust than
cantilever brakes, and have the additional advantage of functioning
well with the suspension systems found on many mountain bikes
because they are self contained and do not require a separate cable
stop. However due to their higher mechanical advantage, the brake
pads must be positioned very close to the rim.

Delta Brakes
In this design, the pivot points for the arms are above the rim but the
arms do not cross over, and instead of a straddle cable, the inner
brake cable attaches to a wedge shaped piece between the brake
arms; when the brakes are applied the wedge forces the arms apart at
the top, squeezing the rim between the pads. This has an advantage
in that the shape of the wedge can be varied other than straight-
sided, to allow for a very high mechanical advantage at the point
where the pads contact the rim to give high braking power, but a
lower mechanical advantage when the pads are not contacting the
rim so that the pads move well away from the rim when the brake is
not applied, preventing any rubbing.

Brake Pads
Brake pads have many designs; most consist of a replaceable rubber
pad held in a metal channel, with a post or bolt protruding from the
back to allow attachment to the brake.

Disc brakes
Disc brakes consist of a metal disc attached to the wheel hub that
rotates with the wheel. Calipers are attached to the frame or fork
along with pads that squeeze together on the disc.

The advantage of disc brakes is that their performance is equally

good in all conditions including water and mud.

The disadvantages are that they are usually heavier and more
expensive than rim brakes, and require a hub built to accept the disc
and a bicycle frame or fork built to accept the caliper.
There are two general categories of disc brakes:
• Mechanical disc brakes: use regular brake cables and levers to
actuate the pads.
• Hydraulic disc brakes: use fluid from a reservoir, pushed
through a hose, to actuate the pistons in the disc caliper, then
actuate the pads.

Drum brakes
Drum brakes are used mainly on bicycles which are operated in wet
or dirty conditions. Though heavier, more complicated, and
frequently weaker than rim brakes, they require much less
maintenance and are less affected by road conditions. Both cable-
and rod-operated drum brake systems have been widely produced.

Drag brake
Drum brakes are installed on some tandems used in mountainous
areas as a so called drag brake. In this application, the drum is not
intended to stop the bike but, rather, to keep the speed down on long
downhill sections where extended use of rim brakes can cause the
tire to become hot enough to explode.

Coaster brakes
A coaster brake, is a drum brake integrated into hubs with an internal
freewheel. Freewheeling functions as with other systems, the brake
engages after a fraction of a revolution. It can frequently be found in
both single-speed and geared hubs.

Spoon brakes
The spoon brake was one of the first types of bicycle brakes and
precedes the pneumatic tire. They were first used on penny farthings
with solid rubber tires in the late 1800's and continued to be used
after the introduction of the pneumatic tired safety bicycle. It
consists of a pad which is pressed onto the top of the front tire.
These were almost always rod-operated by a right-hand lever.
 Bicycle Braking Systems Report
The two braking systems that will be compared are Disc Brakes and
Drum Brakes.

Disc Brakes Vs Drum Brakes

1.Effectiveness
Disc Brakes
Advantages Disadvantages

Performance is equally good in all They are usually heavier and more
conditions including water and mud. expensive than rim brakes.

Offer better modulation of braking power Require a hub built to accept the disc and a
and generally require less finger effort to bicycle frame or fork built to accept the
achieve the same braking power. caliper

Wheel rims do not wear out. Puts more stress on a wheel's spokes than
a rim brake

Drum Brakes
Advantages Disadvantages
They require less maintenance than rim They are heavier, more complicated and
brakes frequently weaker than rim brakes.
Are less affected by road conditions than
rim brakes Can over heat causing disc fade.

After weighing up both the advantages and disadvantages for Disc

Brakes and Drum Brakes it seems that Disc Brakes are better
overall.
 2&3.Materials Used.
2. Materials Used In The Braking System

Disc Brakes
The Disc itself is usually made of cast iron or ceramic.

Drum Brakes
The Drum Brake is made out of a metal, which would probably be
steel as it is strong.

3. Friction Material Used

Brake Pads
The brake pads are composed of a relatively soft but tough and heat-
resistant material with a high coefficient of dynamic friction which
is then mounted to a solid metal backing using high-temperature
adhesive or rivets. As the material itself was not named, a search was
performed to find materials matching the criteria as mentioned
above:

• Aramid (Aromatic Polyamide)

• Carbon Fibre
• Graphite
 4.How bicycle braking systems
differ from car braking systems in
terms of materials used.
Bicycles braking systems wouldn’t be built using the lighter of
materials otherwise it’s too heavy to ride. Although lighter, some of
the materials used would be strong enough to be used in cars. Cars
use the heavier materials as they are stronger and have more force
applied to them as the car is a lot heavier and goes a lot faster than a
bicycle.

Also as a safety feature, cars can cause a lot more damage due to its
mass and speed capabilities therefore need more attention as it can
hold up to 5 passengers. Not only that but the car could collide with
multiple other cars, where as a bicycle carries 2 people at most and
doesn’t reach the speeds a car can.

As a weight issue, cars are already heavy and are motorized there for
can take the extra weight so a few extra kilograms don’t affect it that
much. Where as a bicycle is “manpowered” and if the bicycle is
heavier it requires more force.

Although the bicycle and car use different materials the systems
work similarly on both vehicles. Also the materials used serve their
purpose on both vehicles which is done to ensure maximum safety
while maintaining the qualities you would expect.
 Bibliography
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_brakes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brake_pad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_brake