Two questions I get asked a lot.
Until recently the larger unicycles came with the option of running a hydraulic rim brake, it was attached via a braze-on mount on the upper section of the frame.
However thanks to the brilliance of pioneers such as Kris Holm we now have the introduction of a disc brake connected directly to the crank, this allows the user to switch between hubs or wheels with out the need for disc specific hubs. Along with this innovation came the disc brake adapter that replaces one of the bottom bracket cups to allow any frame to be disc brake ready.
When riding down steep grades you need to use a lot of back pressure to control your cadence and this puts a lot of strain on your knees and can cause fatigue.
Using the brake allows you to control the rate that the wheel spins and gives your knees a break. It’s all about control.
The advantage of the disc brake is that it is not affected by buckled rims and doesn’t get clogged up with mud the way a rim brake does.
