Scooter brakes: varieties, selection, installation

Modern high-quality scooters have a sophisticated braking system that allows soft braking even in emergency situations. In this article, you will learn about the most popular types of scooter brakes, as well as tips for choosing and installing them.

Any brakes, whether they are for children's or adult scooters, are subject to there are only three key requirements.

• Fast reaction. Any braking system, regardless of its type, must instantly respond to the command while driving. This can be critical in unexpected or extreme situations.
• Convenience... The brake must be in a place accessible for braking. Most often this is a bicycle fender for foot braking, or grips with a handbrake installed.
• Reliability and durability. A scooter brake must not only be effective but also reliable. This means that it should not lose functionality after several uses or wear out from prolonged use. The same applies to the influence of the braking mechanisms on the scooter itself - they should inflict the minimum possible damage on it.

There are several types of scooter brakes, depending on the principle of operation and the structure of the brake itself, as well as its location. By location, all brakes are divided into hand (shoe, disc, rim) and foot (brake-wing).

At the moment, this is one of the most affordable and common scooter brakes.Almost every model of this vehicle is equipped with a special rear fender (or bog), which can simultaneously prevent dirt from getting on clothes and perform a braking function.

It is arranged very clearly - during the skiing itself, the athlete presses with a jogging foot on the wing of the scooter. The fender itself contacts the rear wheel of the scooter and slows it down.

In some cases, the wing of a scooter is made of fragile materials such as polymers or sheet metal. In this case, a special durable block is installed on the lower surface of the wheel, which performs the same braking function.

In addition, both the fender and the block can damage the integrity of the wheel itself, especially when it comes to rubber or plastic models.

Usually only novice athletes resort to this, who do not understand how much the wear of the scooter wheels increases in this case.

The fact is that the very design of a scooter with this type of brake will really allow you to brake quickly, however, if the braking is too sharp and short-term, the wing of the scooter will greatly heat the wheel and literally tear off a decent layer of rubber or plastic from it. Over time, this leads to the fact that the wheel loses its roundness and becomes disproportionate. If at first such problems may not be noticeable, then later you will begin to feel the characteristic vibration and smooth tosses even on flat sections of the road.

The principle of operation of a Shoe Brake is extremely simple. In this case the braking mechanism itself is located precisely on the handle of the scooter, from which a stretched cable is stretched to the front or rear wheel. If you want to brake, the scooter clamps the brake on the handle and the cable forces the brake shoe to touch the wheel.

The pad, no matter what material it is, wears out over time and needs to be replaced. In sports scooter models, one pad is usually enough for 2-4 months with constant trips and loads on the braking system.

Such a brake mechanism can also significantly damage the wheel of your scooter. In addition, if the drum brake is installed only on the front wheel, the scooter can simply roll over its vehicle during sudden braking and get serious injuries. This is especially dangerous during sudden braking on steep hills.

Disc brakes are hydraulic or hydromechanical. This brake mechanism is also operated via a cable grip on the steering wheel, however, here the block comes into contact not with the wheel itself, but with its disc. To tension the cable, a special brake spring is used here, as in the shoe models.

In this case the main pressure is exclusively on the disc brake mechanism, which can be simply replaced. This does not force the scooter to worry about the condition and wear of the wheels of the scooter, which greatly increases its service life.

This, in turn, affects the maneuverability and speed of the scooter.

Scooter variants with this type of brake are as popular today as models with brake "wings". This can be easily explained - the disc brake guarantees almost instant braking in any situation, while there is no possibility of somersault (because they are installed on the rear wheel) or damage to the wheel / scooter.

The principle of operation of such a brake is also based on on the tension of the cable, However, here braking is carried out through the contact of the brake shoe not with the wheel or its disc, but with the metal rim. This also allows you to keep the wheel working for a longer period, but again, over time, the pads will wear off and need to be replaced.

This is an unusual type of brake that is usually installed. in electric scooters or modern and expensive models.

This, in turn, enhances the braking effect on the wheel. In this case, braking is not only smooth and fast, but also requires less braking effort from the scooter itself.

When choosing the braking mechanism of a scooter, you should be aware of the exact conditions in which you will use this vehicle. For light and short-term trips or for children's scooters, drum scooters are best suited brakes or wing models. They are easy to repair, fairly cheap, easy to install and operate, and perform well on flat roads.

For a more aggressive and professional ride, you should buy an expensive model of rim, disc or recuperative brakes. They are as safe as possible, have excellent response to commands and have minimal impact on the integrity of the scooter's wheels.

As a rule, only scooter models with a cable braking system need to be adjusted: shoe, rim and disc scooters. For smooth, quiet and trouble-free operation of the scooter, the cables must be correctly tightened.

In the case of a scooter operating on a drum brake, there are 2 options for the development of events: either it is too tight and braking is too sharp, or it is weakened and for effective braking you need to have the strength to grip the handle on the handlebar. The only tool you need to set up the scooter in this case is wrench "ten".

If the cable in the brake is too tight and grips the rear wheel too much, do not unscrew something immediately. If the scooter is equipped with a folding mechanism, simply fold it and observe how the brake behaves in this position of the scooter.

In case the block is still gripping the bike wheel too much, minor adjustments will still be required. The main problem here is a nut that is too tightly tightened (to the right), which is responsible for tensioning the cable in the brake mechanism itself. In this case, the block has no choice but to relieve the pressure on the wheel. In this case, all you need to do is slightly increase the brake spring clearance.

First we turn the lower nut, and then the upper one - for this, use the same key. As soon as the clearance in the spring is increased, you will see how the block gradually begins to move away from the surface of the wheel.

If you use your scooter all the time, the wheel, like the block, will gradually wear out, which weakens the braking mechanism itself. Most often, it is the wheel that is erased; in this case, the opposite operation described above is carried out. Both nuts are gradually turned to the right until the desired clearance is formed between the wheel and the block.

If the mechanism itself on the handlebar handle needs tuning, the brake stiffness can be set here simply by tightening or loosening the nut on the handle, which is responsible for fixing the cable.

In the following video, you will learn how to properly adjust the brake.