Teenage inventor Jakob Lauhoff has come up with a disc brake design for your bike that is so powerful, you need only one finger to operate. Say goodbye to forearm ache on those long, mountain descents as the Brake Force One brakes are no longer a game of manual force, with minimal effort required to reach the braking pressure point.
Using a hydraulic booster, the Brake Force One brakes deliver greater stopping power than any other bike brakes currently on the market. You need only one finger to control the brakes, leaving the rest of your hands free to grip the handlebars for greater control of your bike.
Unlike standard disc brakes, the Brake Force One system uses a larger piston, with a wider air gap between the brake pads and the rotor or disc, and a shorter brake lever range of movement. As soon as the brake pads come in contact with the disc, a hydraulic booster is activated to deliver maximum braking power.
The brake pads can also be actively retracted via the closed hydraulic system. In place of a brake fluid reservoir, a dial on the thumb of the brake lever can be used to adjust the brake pad clearance, helping you to regulate wear on the brake pads.
Much like other disc brakes, the mineral oil used in the Brake Force One brakes will expand with heat. However, the wider gap between the brake pads and the disc, together with the over sized piston in the stiff caliper, reduce the effect of this expansion, and therefore negate the possibility of brake fade. I will be curious to see if this wider air gap allows in more mud and water, however.
The Brake Force One disc brakes will be available starting in November and claim to be compatible with all mountain bike brands built from the year 2000 onwards. No word on pricing yet as the company was trying to test the market at Eurobike last week.