The Rim Brake Conservation Society has one mission – to save the rim brake
The Disc Brake Illuminati may be difficult to beat
The Rim Brake Conservation Society is fighting a losing battle. The rapid growth of disc brakes has left rim brake fans fearing the extinction of their preferred stopping method. The Rim Brake Conservation Society aims to prevent the vanishing of the classic deceleration system, as many of the newest road bikes are being designed entirely around disc brakes, which are heavier than rim.
We aren’t here to tear down the disc, simply to make sure the rim brake doesn’t go extinct at the hand of profit under the veil of ‘progress’.” – The Rim Brake Conservation Society
Calgary based designer and cyclist Grace Walker and her partner founded the Rim Brake Society as a fun winter project. They’re fans of the simplicity and performance of rim brakes for road. After putting up some designs up on Instagram and Threadless they discovered a whole community of rim brake aficionados.
Until recently, the Rim Brake Society’s rival, the Disc Brake Illuminati (DBI), remained hidden in the shadows, their agenda shrouded in mystery. That all changed when B.C. cyclist and disc brake fan Matt Hornland dramatically revealed himself as a ranking official of the DBI by getting Walker’s Disc Brake Illuminati design as a tattoo.
Hornland had jokingly posted “This, but tattooed on my body” under Walker’s Instagram post of the Disc Brake Illuminati design. Walker didn’t expect him to actually get the tattoo, but Hornland’s friend, tattoo artist and cyclist Jessy Albert Jr., incidentally owed him a tattoo for some disc wheels he had traded him. Eight weeks later Hornland surprised Walker with a picture of the tattoo. “It was the wildest thing thats happened to The Rim Brake Conservation Society so far” said Walker.
Regarding brake superiority, Hornland sees no contest. “It’s quite obvious, isn’t it?” He said, “power through technology, advancements in hydraulic braking, the connection of the mind/body/disc allow for more centered concepts of late-braking and wet weather performance. And the Brother/Sisterhood (Humanhood?) of Oversize Tires have seen a true opening of frame concepts thanks to the growth of disc. But really, it’s nice to not wear out a wheelset every CX season.”
