New Brakes

Corby just reminded me that I haven't posted anything about the new brakes I recently got. I've had several really bad rides since I got my Specialized bike back in January 2006 due to brake issues. Cable stretch, pad alignment, lever issues ... you name it I've had problems with it.

I finally took the step up to hydraulic brakes a few weeks ago. I can't even describe how happy this makes me. I never have to adjust cables anymore (there are no cables!) and I don't have to spin dials to adjust how close the brake pads are. I swear - messing with manual disc brakes is like playing with a rubicks cube. You start to get it right and end up settling for "good enough" out of frustration.

Pics of the new braking system (Shimano XT 2008 levers and calipers):





So far they've been really good. I can use one finger to brake again and the power and consistency is really amazing. However I'm still getting used to them and so I don't have quite the control I want on certain downhill sections. I need some more time before I'll feel super comfortable. The nice thing though is that once I get set I don't have to worry about the brakes changing after every ride like they used to.