Are Front Drum Brakes a Deal Breaker?

[s1120]

You can always get safer. Some wont ride with single disc, some without ABS, frankly even a bike itself should not be ridden, and we need to all get in our Volvos. No denying that twin front discs will stop you much faster in most cases. Discs will self adjust. Discs wont fade as bad in high heat use. A disk brake will work better in the rain..  But like anything, you need to adapt your use to the equipment shortcomings. No doubt discs are better. But for the right bike, at the right price, that fits your planned use? Sure I would ride a bike with drums. Just need to adjust your riding style to match the performance level of the machine.

[Dimples]

In addition to addressing the mechanicals of the brake-- the choice of cable and its routing can make a difference. After using both the switched and un-switched cables available from MGCycle I ordered the "custom" cable available directly from Barnett ($70). Using this stout cable eliminated much of the elastic feel and improved the response. The cable is routed straight from the perch over the bar clamps then down through the cable stay at the triple-tree and then through the cable stay at the fender. Although the triple-tree stay is sometimes not used I think it's effective.

[SIR REAL ED]

Sounds like "we" have successfully settled the issue!

Serious fiddlers can make drum brakes work well enough!

We should move on to either carbs vs. fuel injection, or what's the best engine oil?

[leafman60]

YEAH!  What's the best oil to use?????

[jumpmaster]

YEAH!  What's the best oil to use?????

Where?  On your skin?  In your hair?  For cooking?  Etc., etc., etc.   

[SIR REAL ED]

Where?  On your skin?  In your hair?  For cooking?  Etc., etc., etc.   

They make different kinds of oil for different applications?

Used motor oil in your hair can save a lot of money on hair dye (Guzzi content)!

[John A]

The main trouble I had with the drum brakes was the inconsistency due to humidity. Most of the time they worked ok but dampness sometimes made them not so good and inconsistent. I learned to heat them up a little at the beginning of a ride. That’s when they would squeal. It actually saved me once when about a half mile from home as I was setting out to go somewhere, a car on my left started to pull out in front of me. The front brake didn’t slow me much but the squeal was louder than most horns and the car stopped. I put new shoes on after that and the squeal went away.

[garbln]

I own some bikes with late drums and some with 1st gen disks.  Some 1st gen disks weren't much better than late drums on some bikes.  My 70 ambo had a barely adequate front drum until I spent some time shimming, adjusting, sanding and more tweaking to get the front TLS working right.  It's still not up to modern standards but I keep my distance from other traffic and it's fine for me, I love riding that old loop!