The point of blogs is rants, right?

Above anything else, I'm a bike nerd and mostly, I love mountain biking. Really, I love tearing downhill just fast enough to be scared much of the time...but with enough control that I don't crash. This isn't possible without a machine like a bike. To me the whole point of dealing with an expensive, complex machine like a mountain bike is to have as much fun as possible with the minimum effort.

The point of all that is to give a little background to my rant. This photo bothers me:

It bothers me not because it is pixellated, but because there is a 185mm rotor on the front brake. If you want to be able to zoom in on what I'm talking about, go here. And Trek isn't alone. Specialized has adopted this foolish design as well.

begin rant

So why does that bother me? By increasing rotor size, you haven't increased stopping power.

How so? You have greater leverage to stop the wheel!

True. But, you still can't stop any faster. No one seems to get this, so I'll yell it: BRAKES DON'T STOP THE BIKE, THE TIRES DO.

How so?

Friction. Tires with higher friction will stop a bike (or any vehicle) much faster, because their grip on the ground is much stronger. Remember, even when you're moving along, the contact patch of the tire is stationary at all times.

I see. Go on.

With the puny little tires on this bike you have poor traction. With the increased rotor size you have a grabbier brake. So combining these two results in a bike that snaps into a front tire skid when the brake is applied firmly.

What happens in a front tire skid?

Usually you either put a foot down or you crash.

When am I most likely to apply the brake firmly?

The last time I did it, I was in a corner that tightened up abruptly. I also do it anytime I panic...you probably do it when you panic, too.

When I panic, don't I want to have control over the steering?

Why yes, you do! That is why Anti-Lock brakes exist in cars.

What do I do to solve this problem?
Sticky tire up front or a smaller (160mm) rotor. Either is a fine solution.

end rant