Originally Posted by
FBinNY
First of all ---- There is no safety issue here.
Secondly, you're obsessing over nothing and wasting your time "fixing" what ain't broke.
Third, it helps to understand how human controlled braking works.
We humans operate using biofeedback rather than fixed programming to control motion. By example, if we reach out to pick up an apple, it doesn't matter where the apple is, we simply reach out until we touch it, then close our hand until we have grasped it tight enough to move before lifting. We have no idea we're doing this because it's a fully automatic subroutine of our motion control system.
Looking at your braking "imbalance" issue, I suggest you think back to the times you crossed a street on a hill. In that situation one leg was closer to the ground than the other, and you barely noticed, and didn't consciously make any effort to compensate. The same would apply to the unmatched braking. Each hand quickly squeezes it's respective lever until registering contact, then increases grip force until it has the desired effect, while also modulating to maintain control without excessive brake force. All that happens in micro seconds, without conscious attention to the process.
You learned this a long time ago, the same way you learned to ride a bike in the first place. So there's no need for you to try to make a reliable, fully automatic control system "better" or "safer: It works now, has worked in the past, and can be relied on to work in the future.
Nineteen days ago I was riding downhill and had to make an emergency-stop. My rear tire lifted off the pavement and I went OTB.
Note, since nothing was said otherwise, I assumed you were dealing with a typical two brake, two lever system. OTOH - if dealing with two brakes on the same lever, please disregard most of the above,
Indeed it is a typical two brake, two lever system. The only thing unique about it is that brake pivots on the fork are a different distance from the rim, than they are are on the frame. This means that the brake shoes on one brake must be moved farther away from the brake pivots in order to properly contact the rim. This amounts to a leverage discrepancy between the two brakes.
Both brakes had the same amount of cable between the arms. Since my 2nd post though, I've pulled more cable out from between the rear brake arms. Now the rear engages first. It does tend to skid more now than before. I figure though, during a downhill emergency-stop, if I were to skid it would be just minimal, because my front brake will take over the stopping function and prevent me from losing control.