page_title: Bicycle brake
section_title: Rod-actuated brakes
hierarchical_section_title: Bicycle brake / Brake types / Rim brakes / Types of rim brakes / Rod-actuated brakes
caption_attribution_description: English: Front rod brake ant upper part of the rear rod break Français&#160;: Frein à tringle avant et commande amont du frein arrière
context_page_description: A bicycle brake reduces the speed of a bicycle or prevents it from moving. The three main types are: rim brakes, disc brakes, and drum brakes.
  Most bicycle brake systems consist of three main components: a mechanism for the rider to apply the brakes, such as brake levers or pedals; a mechanism for transmitting that signal, such as Bowden cables, hydraulic hoses, rods, or the bicycle chain; and the brake mechanism itself, a caliper or drum, to press two or more surfaces together in order to convert, via friction, kinetic energy of the bike and rider into thermal energy to be dissipated.
context_section_description: The "rod-actuated brake", or simply "rod brake", (roller lever brake in Raleigh terminology) uses a series of rods and pivots, rather than Bowden cables, to transmit force applied to a hand lever to pull friction pads upwards against the inner surface, which faces the hub, of the wheel rim. They were often called "stirrup brakes" due to their shape. Rod brakes are used with a rim profile known as the Westwood rim, which has a slightly concave area on the braking surface and lacks the flat outer surface required by brakes that apply the pads on opposite sides of the rim.
  The rear linkage mechanism is complicated by the need to allow rotation where the fork and handlebars attach to the frame. A common setup was to combine a front rod brake with a rear coaster brake. Although heavy and complex, the linkages are reliable and durable and can be repaired or adjusted with simple hand tools. The design is still in use, typically on African and Asian roadsters such as the Sohrab and Flying Pigeon.
caption: Rod brake system. Lateral play in the pivot for the rear brake rod allows for rotation of the handlebar
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