Them's the Brakes.
Gordon Hobbis June 15, 2008

The stopping devices on a bicycle are called brakes. Change the spelling to ‘Breaks’ and that’s a whole new ball game or more accurately it’s a word game. On your bicycle, brakes are good but breaks are bad. I’ve got a story about a break-up, a way to take-a-break and how you should use your brakes.

In the bicycle world, the news is about a break-up between Trek Bicycle Company and legendary racer Greg Lemond. Greg won the Tour de France a three times and was the first North American to this. That inspired him to put his name on some bicycles and sell them. Things went well for a while and then they went bad. That’s when Trek came in and seeing the value in Greg’s accomplishments and name they started making and marketing the Lemond bikes for Greg. Then along came Lance Armstrong, he won the tour seven times and did it on a Trek bike. Greg and Lance are both spokesmen for cycling but in different ways. Greg is vocal about the drug problem in pro cycling and began casting aspersions towards people that were winning, people like Lance. That has led to Trek not wanting to make Lemond bikes anymore. All very ‘soap opera” ish for sure as the two sides now battle this out in court.

Take a break and enjoy the Sapperton Street Festival this year on Sunday, June 22nd. The Sapperton BC150 Kids Bike Rally is a must for all those little and big ones in grades K-8 to participate in. This is a rally and the focus is on participating. There’s no trophy for finishing first but the New Westminster NewsLeader has generously donated trophies for the youngest, oldest, and best dressed rally participant this year. Bike Rally participants can register at Cap’s Bicycle Shop in Sapperton. The registration fee is $5, which will be donated to the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation. Rally riders are encouraged to raise additional money for the RCHF through pledges or any other legal means. There is a trophy for the top fund raiser participating in this years Rally. The first 100 kids registered will receive a souvenir Sapperton Street Festival T-Shirt and everyone that registers will be entered in a draw to win a $150 one year junior term deposit from G&F Financial. The Sapperton BC150 Bike Rally starts at 1:30 pm sharp in front of Cap’s Bicycle Shop on East Columbia Street.

To stop things from breaking you need to do some braking. I feel confident in saying that brakes were invented very shortly after the wheel came to be. If you ride a bike without brakes, the need for them becomes instantly obvious but interestingly enough the most common question new riders have is how to shift gears, rather than how to stop. The skill of stopping may seem simplistic at first, but put some thought to it and most new riders will be able to safely halt there forward progress in half the distance they are used to, and remain comfortably astride their machine. For the record, all new brakes systems on bikes work great, if set up properly. Whether the brakes are disc, rim, hub or drum takes what your bike has and learn to us it. First rule of breaking is to use the front break. During stopping, your weight is transferred to the front wheel (that is why rear wheels skid) and the front brake will stop you the fastest. Practice pulling on both brake levers simultaneously, as you feel your weight shifting forward, slide backwards on the bike seat to put more weight over the rear wheel. Practice this maneuver every chance you get and see how fast you can stop. The second rule of breaking is have brakes that work. Brake pads, the type that rub on the rim have lines in them. If you don’t see lines in yours they are worn out and need to be replaced. Rim brake pads should only be 2mm away from the rim when you are not squeezing the brake. If they are farther away then these then your brakes need adjusting. The rules are similar for disc brakes. Remember that wet conditions will increase the stopping distance required and you should ride accordingly. Enough about stopping; get rolling into summer and keep those pedals turning.