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Old 09-16-22, 09:28 PM
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FBinNY 
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: New Rochelle, NY
Posts: 38,544

Bikes: too many bikes from 1967 10s (5x2)Frejus to a Sumitomo Ti/Chorus aluminum 10s (10x2), plus one non-susp mtn bike I use as my commuter

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Originally Posted by oldbobcat
No. Work is the pressure from the pad on the rim. Force to perform the work comes from the hand squeezing the lever. ......
Sorry (I truly am) but No.

Work is defined as the product of force and distance. Other than the movement against the spring (not much force, not much work) and later the movement from the distortion of the downstream hardware, ie. cable, brake shoes, brake shoe compound, (plenty of force, virtually no distance) NO (meaningful) WORK IS DONE here.

The Work happens at the rim where movement of the rim against the friction generated by the brake shoes, produces significant heat energy. If squeezing brake levers were "work" (in the technical sense) you'd have burned palms. While riders produce work turning pedals to propel bicycles, it's the bicycle itself that's producing work during braking, not the rider and not the brakes. That's why your legs get tired and your useless lazy hands don't.

As for Andrew's comments about firmness vs. mushiness, it's about leverage. Greater leverage makes you "stronger" and more able to distort the hardware, and that's why things feel mushy. FWIW ---Mushiness, however undesirable doesn't matter other than robbing usable lever travel. Force into the cable always equals force out the other end. So, as I posted early on, it's always about balancing maximum braking force against practical travel considerations.
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Last edited by FBinNY; 09-16-22 at 09:39 PM.
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