this post was submitted on 02 Jun 2024
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Thanks for your response, friend. Last point is what I disagree with, for any bike manufactured past the late 70s. I'm clarifying that although sharp braking will lead to a seemingly cooler system, it actually isn't a constraint because of how effective modern brake design is, and in fact invites danger through loss of control.
To the other points, brakes dissipate KE only, any sane designer will make brakes able to handle the heat load of a 140kg (300lb) rider on a 25% grade in ambient temps of 40c (104f) holding velocity steady at 50kph (30mph), all reasonable assumptions as I wouldn't really want to ride at the edges of those specific envelopes. We're not a truck hauling 36000kg (80000lbs), whose driver may accidentally approach the boundaries of their brake system a lot more easily.
Dot3 brake fluid is common, it's at a 205c (400°f) boiling point and (this is key) we've got airflow interacting with the brake assembly over a longer period of time, while accruing less input thermal energy vs the sharp stop per moment of time.
If we sum the energy going in over the entire time vs energy going out (via air flow, fluid flow etc), the boiling point of the dot3 isn't approached for any moto brake system designed past the late 70s, unless you're slowly decreasing speed from a very, very high initial velocity, inputting thermal energy faster than the system can discard it.
We again reach the conclusion that within reasonable limits, holding speed steady using brakes alone won't lead to brake fade on a bike manufactured past the 80s, no matter how long the descent.