R-M-R

Even better if they're push-on, rather than lock-on, to maximize the rubber for a given diameter.

@bmcghie: Actually, it is borne out in the data. It's not a whopping difference, but some brakes produce more friction than others for a given pull force. There's also a huge range of hand strengths. To the surprise of absolutely no one, folks with strong hands don't seem to get what all the fuss is about. I have nerve issues that result in hand weakness, so I'm something of a connoisseur of brake friction for a given pull force. As you said, there's only so much that can be done. There's only so much range of the acceptable lever movement and only so much range of the acceptable piston movement. Comparing maximum and minimum lever movements, and max and min piston movements, there could be as much as a factor of ... I'll guesstimate about two if one product maxed out the lever movement with minimum piston movement, versus the inverse. Throw in a significantly nonlinear relationship between lever travel and master cylinder movement (ex. Shimano Servowave, SRAM Swinglink, or similar devices) and it's possible to have a dramatic range of brake power before we even consider rotor and pad properties. I'm not saying any existing products have the aforementioned max vs min mechanical and hydraulic advantage configurations, just illustrating how it's possible for there to be a huge range, such that perceived differences cannot be casually dismissed. As I said, I'm not against SRAM brakes. The lack of power from the Level and Code is qualitatively obvious and has been quantified by multiple lab tests. The plentiful power from the Mavens has been similarly observed. Same for the other brands. The Enduro magazine lab tests always show the Codes to be nearly lowest in brake torque, with others producing more than 40% additional torque (closer to 20% versus realistic competitor products, which is still not trivial). I'm no brand loyalist to Magura, but I can tell you there's a [I]lot[/I] more lever movement with my set-up than with the Code R that disappointed me, and the SRAM pistons move slightly more than my Maguras. Mechanical engineering, as you said.

@bmcghie: Maintenance helps, but pistons eventually move less freely than they once did and the more pistons there are, the more difficult to keep them all moving equally.

@AgZephyr: We tried nearly every combination of fingers in the days of short-arm rim brakes. There was a time when things were trending toward thumb and index finger on the up- and down-shift levers, with middle finger and ring finger on the brakes. This produced decent power and facilitated shifting, which was more frequently when we had to shift forward or backward in the cassette sequence to compensate for the much larger changes in front ratio after a front shift. We still had fun on old bikes, but they were [I]trash[/I]. As soon as brakes had sufficient power, it's been single, index-finger braking for anyone sensible. (Middle finger brakers can downvote me, but only if you click your mouse with your middle finger!!)

Did you find any themes among the brakes you liked, versus ones you didn't? Is there a characteristic that's a deal-maker / deal-breaker for you?

Great info - thanks! Similarly, I use the older, long levers on my Maguras to increase leverage, but wow, that's a spongy brake feel! Good modulation, I suppose.

I've been riding Magura and Shimano 4-pistons for so long that I didn't know how bad most SRAM brakes were (yes, Mavens are powerful). Demoed a bike with 220 mm Codes and expected them to be powerful, but they were far from it - and I've since discovered how bad the Guide and Level were. Lever ergonomics are good, but everything else ... yikes - disappointing even on fat bikes. And sure, the Mavens are powerful, but it's less impressive when the caliper weighs nearly twice as much as some others with respectable power.

Absolutely. Unfortunately, it's difficult to get all four pistons moving in unison, so a short stroke with high mechanical and/or hydraulic advantage makes pad rub almost inevitable. I end up with a long strong that engages as close to grip as possible. Never understood people who have their index fingers extended like they're making finger guns at the trail.

@chrismac70: Maybe even the length of a chainstay! :lol:

@Untgrad: The patent office is unconcerned with the practicality of the idea, only whether it's novel and can be enforced. If they were concerned with the former, they would have a lot more work and a lot smaller library.