Touring Bicycle Brakes & Gearing
05
Mar
Mar
Once you begin looking at the multitude of touring bicycles being produced today, you will begin to notice that there are a number of different gear combinations and brake designs used on the various touring bike models. In this video we’ll discuss how to read and interpret the gearing on your new touring bicycle… and we’ll have a brief discussion on the two most common type of brakes found on modern touring bicycles.
Back to the Main Course Continue to the Next Video
Got questions or need 1-on-1 assistance with finding your ideal touring bicycle? Sign up here for a private coaching call with the Bicycle Touring Pro and get your questions answered straight away!
I just watched the video on brakes. My bike has rim brakes. Is it possible to have it retrofited with disc brakes?
It might be possible, but it probably isn’t worth the expense. Rim brakes are fine! Almost all touring bicycles had rim brakes in the past. There has just been a recent move toward disc brakes. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to change the brakes on your bike… or go out and get a new bicycle. If you already have a bike and it has rim brakes on it… then that really isn’t a problem. You’re good!
I believe that there’s sufficient evidence to show that hydraulic disk brakes are reliable for world tours. There are many long-distance cyclists that swear by them. Of course rim brakes are excellent and fool proof.