Braking In light and heavy rain

[Wester]

On my way home from work last week cycling in heavy rain a car stopped very quickly at lights in front of me . I braked as hard as I could but still crashed in to the back of the car however the only damage done was a snapped front brake cable on my bike but I was lucky it could have been far worse

Had this happened in light rain I think I would have been able to stop in time my question is do the brakes take longer to work in heavy rain than in light rain ? also why did my front brake cable snap when I hit the back of the car

 

[Buck]

The rim of your wheel will be wet and in heavy rain it'll be wetter! The brake has to effectively dry off the water between the brake pad and rim before it can gain traction and slow the wheel's turning, brining you to a stop.

In addition, your tyre will it grip as well in the wet meaning it'll take a longer distance for you to come to a stop.

I'm not sure about the brake cable snapping though...

 

[Tim Hall]

I'd suggest heavy braking caused the cable to snap, which in turn greatly reduced your braking efficiency, resulting in you hitting the car.

 

[Wester]

I'd suggest heavy braking caused the cable to snap, which in turn greatly reduced your braking efficiency, resulting in you hitting the car.

I am sure the cable snapped when I struck the car

 

[TissoT]

Sounds as if your brake cable/s could of been on there way out in the first place
as you pulled hard on the lever it more than likely snapped from the force
Take look at the cable to see where it snapped to give you some indication

 

[Wester]

There is no need for me to have a look at it again because I will never forget it snapped at the anchor bolt where it comes out of the hose on a cantilever setup

 

[Wester]

Also how do you know if your brake cables are on the way out

 

[mythste]

I'd have thought that as you hit the car you probably gripped your brakes harder as your body flinched for impact? An involuntary reflex like that I'm sure could probably snap a less than perfect cable.

 

[fossyant]

Also how do you know if your brake cables are on the way out

They usually start to work rough - dirt in the outers. Also check where they are bolted - if looking tatty replace.

Pads can also make a huge difference. Some are great, some not so. Stock pads are usually crap (i.e. the one the bike comes with)

 

[sidevalve]

At least you're not having to fork out for damage to the car [and yes it really was your fault]. As for breaking the cable - yep they were worn somehow - I doubt if it's possible to break a good cable even with panic strength.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

There is no need for me to have a look at it again because I will never forget it snapped at the anchor bolt where it comes out of the hose on a cantilever setup

The last bit of hard braking broke the camel's already weakened back. Inspect your cables regularly for broken strands and replace them often.

The increased braking distance is entirely due to reduced friction between rim and brake pad, thanks to the wet road. Although the breakaway limit (point where the tyre starts to slide) is reduced in the wet, this did not come into play because you did not report skidding tyres. If the rear wheel skid, the back of the bike would have it the car and if the front wheel skid, you would not have remembered your name, nevermind where the cable broke.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Braking hard when it's throwing it down, with rim brakes is hilarious. You've got less grip from the tyres, less grip from the brakes, and less grip on the levers. Oh what fun

 

[ColinJ]

Braking hard when it's throwing it down, with rim brakes is hilarious. You've got less grip from the tyres, less grip from the brakes, and less grip on the levers. Oh what fun

Which is why you should slow down sooner rather than ending up needing to SLOW DOWN!! later ...

 

[MikeW-71]

This is where disc brakes are better.

 

[Cuchilo]

Lucky that car was there or you would have never stopped