Smoother braking

Unicycles and Equipment
1

I’m currently riding a KH36 with the standard configuration: a 180 mm disc brake rotor paired with a Shimano BR-MT410 hydraulic brake.

Would switching to a 160 mm rotor or upgrading to a BR-MT520/BL-M4100 (which I have laying around at home) or even Shimano Saint brake improve the smoothness of my braking experience?

This is what chatGPT says, comparing what I have now to what lays in my garage:
:backhand_index_pointing_right: Go with the BL-M4100 if you want a smoother, more controlled, and modern braking experience.

Thanks for advice

2

On my 36 oracle I have a Hope floating rotor 203mm, Hope E4 brakes and a medium density brake pad.
The brake is smooth even on steep descents.
Personally going with a smaller rotor especially with 160mm I think It will be too small.
Originally I had 180mm and went up to a 203mm

2 Likes
3

A 4-piston brake would probably do the trick. The BR-MT520 is such a brake, so go for it :grin:

1 Like
4

For smoother braking use resin brake pads, also known as organic rather then metal brake pads, often called metallic or sintered, are made from metallic particles fused together. More info here.

3 Likes
5

Can you describe what exact issues you are facing that you want a “smoother braking experience”?

I keep hammering this point, but I really think most of the time people are faced with issues related to brake control it is related to a poor ergonomic setup. Your hand should be very stable on the grip while one finger is on the brake lever, so that you can smoothly modulate the brake independently from any bumps or pulling on the handle.

Of course you can play around with changing parts if you have them around, but I generally think the most important part is making sure you can modulate it well.

2 Likes
6

Do I understand correctly that when the brake isn’t smooth it just grabs into the brake disc and stops too abruptly. I think with any setup you can learn how ur brake works and then act accordingly. I hardly ever use a brake, but generally ride on flat terrain. Initially I found it scary to brake, because I thought it would mess with my balance and perhaps lock the wheel, but eventually I learned to apply minimal force with 1 finger to apply braking. I just have stock brakes on the uni’s

7

One thing to be careful with is going smaller disc might cause the caliper to foul on the spokes as it moves it in closer.

1 Like
8

A 36er is worse than a smaller wheel, due to the spoke angle.

2 Likes