From an
interview with
Highpath Engineering's David Wrath-Sharman at
63xc.com:
63xc.com: So, what appeals to you about hub brakes? Presumably a major consideration is the fact that the mechanism is protected from wear and exposure. That's a big plus in the UK's damp climate.
DW-S: That's right. I don't have much experience with disk brakes, but I gather that pads wear out quickly. Well, the hub brake on my personal bike has probably done 20,000 miles, and I'm just getting round to replacing the shoes.
63xc.com: That's motorcar mileage.
DW-S: And, when it does go ... the shoes in mine used to cost £3.80. Probably about £7.00 today.
63xc.com: How about control?
DW-S: A good hub brake offers great control. Very easy to modulate, no grabbing. You can brake on ice. Generally they're dry inside, so they're very consistent.
63xc.com: A couple of builders like Matt Chester don't like disk brakes, because of the stresses they build into the frame. How do hub brakes compare?
DW-S: Well, the big difference with a hub brake is the reaction arm. This is mounted on the axle at one end and the forks or frame at the other and takes all the braking loads.I designed my hubs with very long reaction arms which go right to the top of the forks or right up against the bottom bracket. That allows the fork to react exactly as it would with a cantilever setup.
63xc.com: Presumably, the longer the arm, the less stress in the frame?
DW-S: Yes. If you know what you're doing, you can have a very light frame with hub brakes.
[Here follows a technical description of how hub brakes in general, and Wrath-Sharman's swing cam in particular, work.]
63xc.com: Is the swing cam in production right now?
DW-S: No. People fell in love with disk brakes. It became so universal that it wasn't economic for me to carry on. I think that's changing. People have realised that disks have problems: vulnerability, thief magnetism... All of a sudden, people are asking me for hub brakes.
....
63xc.com: I think fixers might figure here.
DW: I would have thought a single 80mm front hub brake on one of your fixed wheel bikes would make for a very simple, discrete and maintenance-free machine.