About the Book
Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 156. Chapters: Bashguard, Bicycle bell, Bicycle brake, Bicycle chain, Bicycle drivetrain systems, Bicycle fairing, Bicycle fork, Bicycle frame, Bicycle handlebar, Bicycle lighting, Bicycle lock, Bicycle pedal, Bicycle reflector, Bicycle saddle, Bicycle seat, Bicycle suspension, Bicycle tire, Bicycle Torque Coupling, Bicycle wheel, Biopace, Bottle cage, Bottom bracket, Bowden cable, Braze-on, Cable guide, Campagnolo ErgoPower, Clipless pedals in BMX, Cogset, Coombe Clipless Pedal, Crankset, Cycling power meter, Cyclocomputer, Danish bicycle VIN-system, Deore XT, Derailleur gears, Detangler, Dunlop valve, Dustcap, Eccentric (mechanism), Electronic gear-shifting system, Fender (vehicle), Flip-flop hub, Fork end, Freehub, Freewheel, Front freewheel, Gear case, Groupset, Headset (bicycle part), Head badge, Head tube, Horseshoe clip, Hub dynamo, Hyperglide, I-Light, Interactive Glide, Kickstand, List of bicycle parts, Lockring, Luggage carrier, Lugged steel frame construction, Master link, Micro drive, Odyssey BMX, Pannier, Presta valve, Quick release skewer, Racing slick, Rear-view mirror, Retro-direct, Safety reflector, Schrader valve, Seatpost, Shifter (bicycle part), Shimano Pedaling Dynamics, Shimano Total Integration, Simpson Chain, Skirt guard, Softail, Speedplay (bicycle pedal), Spoke, Spokey Dokes, Spoke nipple, Sprocket, SRAM Double Tap, Stem (bicycle part), Super Champion, Training wheels, Valve stem, Westwood rim, Zipp 2001. Excerpt: A bicycle brake is used to slow down or stop a bicycle. There have been various types of brake used throughout history, and several are still in use today. The three main types are: rim brakes, disc brakes, and drum brakes. Most bicycle brake systems consist of three main components: a mechanism for the rider to apply the brakes, such as brake levers or pedals; a mechanism for transmitting that signal, such as Bowden cables, hydraulic hoses, rods, or the bicycle chain; and the brake mechanism itself, a calliper or drum, to press two or more surfaces together in order to convert, via friction, kinetic energy of the bike and rider into thermal energy to be dissipated. The earliest bicycles with pedals such as the boneshaker were fitted with a spoon brake which pressed onto the rear wheel. The brake was operated by a lever or by a cord connecting to the handlebars. The rider could also slow down by resisting the pedals of the fixed wheel drive. The next development of the bicycle, the penny-farthings, were similarly braked with a spoon brake or by back pedalling. During its development from 1870 to 1878, there were various designs for brakes, most of them operating on the rear wheel. However, as the rear wheel became smaller and smaller, with more of the rider's weight over the front wheel, braking on the rear wheel became less effective. The front brake, introduced by John Kean in 1873, had been generally adopted by 1880 because of its greater stopping power. Some penny-farthing riders used only back pedalling and got off and walked down steep hills, but most also used a brake. Having a brake meant that riders could coast down hill by taking their feet off the pedals and placing the legs over the handlebars, although most riders preferred to dismount and walk down steep hills. Putting the legs under the handlebars with the feet off the pedals placed on foot-rests on the forks had resulted in serious accidents caused by the feet getting caught in the spokes. An alterna
