blog update- UBI

Lots of people have been asking me to write about my experiences at UBI, so I am reincarnating my blog to entertain those who actually have jobs and are looking to pass some time.

I figure everyday I will provide a short update along with a longer technical section that people can choose to totally skip or actually learn something from.

Day 1- Monday June 1

Having just returned from an amazing cruise with Kaitlin, I woke up at 4am this morning to catch a 7am flight to SF, wait 5.5 hrs in the SF airport before catching a flight to Medford, OR, and then taking a taxi to the quaint little town of Ashland, OR. The SF airport was actually the most enjoyable airport I've ever been in, with some of the best airport food I've ever eaten, and plenty of interesting distractions like exhibits from the children's science center and a Bay area hall of fame. I find the idea really interesting and think architects designing airports could not just make airports more enjoyable with their forms and environmental systems, but by planning other things in the airport to make traveling by plane a little more enjoyable.

I arrived at UBI at the end of the day, having missed most of the first day. Thankfully the teacher was able to set me up with a welder and filled me in with the day's teachings and even got in a little welding practice.

Long, technical part- Lesson on Cantilever Brakes

So I've come to UBI to build a Ti cross bike, and of course I've been obsessing on what components this bike will don. My personal impression of cross brakes is they havent changed much from the Mafac brakes of the 1970's, and most of them are ugly and don't function all that well.

There are 3 types of cross brakes to choose from, which I will go into detail now:

Linear pull brakes- (V brakes seen on older style mountain bikes before disc brakes were around).

Linear pull brakes have a very high mechanical advantage, meaning the end of the brake arm moves a long way in relation to the brake pad, which makes the brake pad contact the rim with a lot of force. Typical linear pull brake levers have low mechanical advantage, needing to pull a lot of cable while not generating a lot of force. However, STI shifters have a high Mechanical advantage, so one would ideally pair a high MA lever with a medium or low MA brake. Linear pull brakes require a bridge to compensate for a road lever’s high mechanical advantage. There are several options out there, but Problem Solvers Travel Agents increase the amount of cable pulled by a road lever.

 

Low profile cantilever

These brakes offer good stopping power and simple setup, but their rim clearance is low, which can lead to problems if the course includes mud. The most popular example is Avid’s Shorty series, but Shimano, Cane Creek, Tektro also have options. They are some of the most economically priced brakes on the market.

 

Wide profile cantilever

Popularized by the pro’s racing in the European circuit and in need of mud clearance. Common models are Paul’s, SRP, Spooky, and Empella. Wide profile cantilever brakes split the difference between Linear pull brakes and Low profile cantilever. They offer 2 to 3 times the pad travel of linear pull or low profile cantilever. When properly set up, their mechanical advantage actually increases as they travel through their arc. Lastly, they are also the lighest option available for cyclocross brakes. Drawbacks include difficulty with setup, and are not as powerful as low profile cantilver brakes.

 In summation, you give up power to gain pad clearance. I think with a growing cyclocross market in the US, one day one of the component companies will develop a true cross groupset complete with STI shifters that have a smaller mechanical advantage that allows for linear pull brakes. Seeing how my existing Scott Cross bike has wide profile cantilever brakes that I'm not too fond of, I'm considering using a linear pull brake with an adaptor for the mostly dry courses seen in the Northeast compared to Northern Europe.