Product review: Traction Control Braking systems

Front brake lock-ups have been the cause of many a catastrophe for motorcyclists - particularly beginners or those who have done little post-license training in how to manage today’s powerful brakes in a panic situation. Still, when the TCB brake system first hit my desk I’ll admit it seemed like an incredibly stupid idea.

The basic principle of the device is that it replaces one of the banjo bolts in your hydraulic brake system. The head of the TCB bolt contains a sealed air pocket, which is separated from the brake fluid by a high-strength but flexible membrane. Thus, when the brakes are on hard in a panic situation, that membrane is able to flex a little because air compresses when brake fluid can’t. In theory, this helps the brake pads not to grab onto surface irregularities on the discs - which can cause tiny pressure spikes that can initiate a tyre slide.

Um, isn’t that just spongy brakes?

So my first question to the system’s inventor Mark Lipski was: dude, doesn’t this just give you spongy brakes like you get if you don’t bleed them regularly? Wouldn’t it have the exact opposite effect to the steel braided lines many of us put on our bikes to remove any flex from the lines? I’ll reproduce the entirety of his response at the end of this article, but in edited form, he replied:

You are right poor maintenance and bleeding the system is very important. This is why our installation instructions emphasize that bleeding the brakes is so important with our unit or with any change to the brake system.

Air over hydraulic technology is well over 50 years old and was first introduced by the Air Force on an airplane named Thunderbolt. This aircraft carried so much artillery when it landed the pilot was forewarned not to lock up the brakes or it would nose dive or veer off the landing strip.

This is when air over hydraulics was introduced for the first time as a brake accumulator valve they were as large as a football. This technology had significant anti-lock benefits or obviously another option would have been utilized. With the accumulator in place the aircraft could actually land in a shorter distance and the brake linings were known to last somewhat longer than usual.

The amount of space in the air cavity is about the size of a pencil eraser tip and the dynamics of its design plays a role in the feel of the brake. The most
important aspect of this is the CONTROLLED COMPRESSIBILITY. The thousands of pressure spikes that occur in standard hydraulic brake systems are changed into pressure waves because of the diaphragm. Changing the pressure from spikes to waves is what helps avoid the wheels from locking up.

Time for a test, then.

The theory being convincing enough, it was time for a test. I couldn’t see the use of putting the unit on my own bike, a ZX9R, because I habitually run super-soft race tyres on it which offer exceptional levels of grip. Hard braking produces nice big stoppies long before the front tyre starts to let go. I would have liked to test the system on a large cruiser, as I know many cruiser riders find their front brakes intimidating, but instead we chose an early 1990s Suzuki Bandit 250, which had scared its owner with a few front end slides under emergency braking.

In order to do the fairest test possible without any real measuring equipment, we did the following:

1) Bled the standard brake system to ensure it was working optimally

2) Warmed up the front tyre and discs with a few hard stops

3) Performed 10 emergency panic-style braking tests from 30kmh on the same bit of clean concrete

4) Installed the TCB brake system at the front brake caliper banjo bolt (a simple enough process, all you have to do is remove the standard banjo bolt and fit the TCB one - although we were a bit concerned to find the TCB bolt seemed to be a touch difficult to screw in, which we put down to manufacturing tolerances)

5) Re-bled the brake system

6) Warmed up the tyre and discs with a few hard stops

7)  Performed 10 emergency panic-style braking tests from 30kmh on the same bit of clean concrete as before

The results?

Before installation of the TCB system, the front tyre slid between a metre and three metres 7 out of 10 times. After installation, it slid 9 out of 10 times.

Now, having said that, I don’t think the TCB system actually made things any worse - and the extra couple of front end slides were quite possibly as much about the uncontrollable nature of the testing process as anything else. I was braking very hard, and I could hardly tell any difference in the feel of the brake system before or after the unit went on the bike. The lever still felt firm, not spongy, which was a relief. The brakes felt just as powerful and I didn’t feel that I was using any extra effort to reach maximum braking force. In fact if Ididn’t know the TCB unit was installed I wouldn’t have noticed any difference at all.

The one slight thing both I and the bike’s owner noticed (and we were *really* looking for differences) was a slightly ‘grainy’ feel when the front tyre started to let go, a tiny, barely perceptible shudder at the limit of traction. If this feeling wasn’t just our imagination, perhaps it might have been where the system is operating as advertised - the tiny air chamber compressing to release the pads as they start to want to grab. In reality the time distance between that tiny shudder of feedback and the full locked-up slide was probably quicker than most people would be able to react to, so it’s probably not a whole lot of use from a rider feedback perspective.

So there we go - the owner of the bike has been riding it around with the TCB unit installed for a month or so now, through winter, and when pressed he suspects he might have felt that tiny shudder once, under hard braking at a cold, wet, gravelly intersection. Did the TCB unit save him from a dangerous lock-up and slide? Has his braking skill improved? It’s very hard to say. He’s not unhappy with the unit, nor is he particularly thrilled like the people in the TCB testimonials section, as far as we’re both concerned the brakes feel much the same as they used to.

My conclusions:

My own test-ride with the unit installed left me with the opinion that the TCB brake system is a bit like a Jewish mother’s chicken soup when you’re sick: it might not help much, but it doesn’t seem to hurt either - which was my main concern. If you’re interested in trying the system for yourself, it’s somewhere in the region of US$90 per unit from a range of online/offline distributors.

For those interested, and to give TCB a voice in this review, I’ve reproduced my original email to Mark Lipski and his lengthy, reasonable and well-considered response below.

Thanks to TCB for the test unit and Marcus for subjecting his bike to some pretty hairy test procedures.

Hi Mark

Loz from Gizmag/TheBikerGene here - just had to ask the obvious question before we go any further with the TCB system…

Your device, if I understand correctly, uses an air-filled, sealed chamber and the compressible quality of air to introduce flex into the brake line system, so that you end up pulling the lever further in to effect the same pressure of pad on disc.

As a keen biker myself, I’ve spent a fair bit of cash on braided lines, and a lot of time bleeding the air out of my brake lines to get RID of the spongy feel you get from having air-induced flex in the brake lines. And brake development is constantly producing things like radial master cylinders that make it easier to get more braking power out of a lighter touch - which is essentially the opposite of what your product does.

So to me, it looks like the TCB system is like calling drum brakes or spongy lines a revolution in braking technology… I can see how a rank beginner might benefit from a system that makes your brakes less responsive and bitey; I suppose a few people flip their bikes or slide out the front grabbing a good strong front brake in panic. But for me, extra flex in the system would simply mean I’ve got to pull the lever harder to get the same amount of braking done.

What’s more, couldn’t you achieve the same effect by introducing some air bubbles into a standard brake line?

In all it looks to me like the TCB system REDUCES the effective power of the brakes on your motorcycle in the same way as poor maintenance and bleeding would - and this is the response I’ve had from every other biker I’ve run the idea past.

Am I (are we) missing the point here?
Cheers
Loz

—————–

Hi Loz, Noel, and Associates,

Thank you for your immediate response. Many people that I speak with everyday have similar concerns and questions, so let me address these. So you know, we currently have professional racers in all types of racing including sport bikes, motocross, and drag bikes who not only utilize the product, but now that they have tried it will not ride without it.

Eric Pinson is a professional racer that hits the tracks more than most because he races both in sport bike and motocross events throughout the year. Subsequently he has a lot of experience riding with the unit under different conditions and you should contact him so you can get a riders input on how well the product works. He can be reached at <contact details removed>.

In the drag race arena we have Frank Allen of Allen racing who used to go up against some of the biggest names in the industry like Don Purdome. Although he has retired his drag racing career his expertise, product knowledge, and  help with the testing of the TCB is immense. He is using the product and you can see what he has to say by going to our testimony page. I have forwarded your comments to him and he may contact you.

When you go to the www.tcbbrakesystem.com website you will notice that
the largest sport bike distributor in the nation www.lockhartphillipsusa.com
has recently picked up the product. In addition, you will see Zodiac International http://www.zodiac.nl/en/company/index.html (the world’s leading distributor supplier for Harley Davidson aftermarket accessories) has also picked up the product. Both initially had similar concerns so they to put it through a lot of testing and picked up the product because they were very impressed.

You may also wonder why we chose the display the Geico insurance logo and the gecko on our website. They are evaluating the product and shortly Progressive will as well this will assist us with our product launch and branding. For obvious reasons if the TCB product can help avoid accidents and at the same time we offer discounts to their clients to purchase our product because it works well for everyone on all different vehicles.

Below statements are referenced from a published NHTSA article: http://www.motorcycle-accidents.com/pages/stats.html 

As you mentioned you are a “keen” biker as are your associates, but:

-more than half of the accident-involved motorcycle riders had less than 5 months experience on the accident motorcycle (#23). 

-the typical motorcycle accident gives the rider less than 2 seconds to complete all collision avoidance action (#27).

-92% of riders are without proper training they were either self taught or by family or friends (#22).

So with the majority of riders not being experienced and with less than 2 seconds to react the “panic” stop becomes a significant issue. What the rider does during these 2 seconds dictates whether they are involved in an accident or not. In the single vehicle accidents, motorcycle rider error was present as the accidents precipitating factor in about two-thirds of the cases, with the typical error being a slide out and fall due to over braking or running wide on a curve due to excess speed or under-cornering. (#4).

With the above statistics in mind allow me to get more to the point of how and why the TCB Brake System is different than some people perceive to be simply air in the brake line and a spongy brake feel.

First, air over hydraulic technology is well over 50 years old and was first introduced by the Air Force on an airplane named Thunderbolt. This aircraft carried so much artillery when it landed the pilot was forewarned not to lock up the brakes or it would nose dive or veer off the landing strip.

This is when air over hydraulics was introduced for the first time as a brake accumulator valve they were as large as a football. This technology had significant anti-lock benefits or obviously another option would have been utilized.

 

With the accumulator in place the aircraft could actually land in a shorter distance and the brake linings were known to last somewhat longer than usual. Although these two factors are very important, we have decided not to mention them in our advertising because results differ with different bikes and different riders.

As you are aware, when the brake is applied approximately 70% of the weight transfers to the front and this makes avoiding wheel lock up something very important to avoid. If the front wheel locks up in a slight turn, inertia and gravity will take over. Anything that allows added wheel slip and or rotation helps avoid losing control.

The TCB is as you put it is a sealed “air-filled” chamber, but what is important to note is the fact that the seal is the part that does all the accumulator actions is the key to this device. The seal is a small rubber diaphragm with a diameter of about 1/2″ and 1/8″ thick. This helps make the TCB revolutionary in how it functions and how the brake feels brake feel. Now instead of the “spongy” feel you actually have a responsive feel which is part of the benefit of the TCB.

The amount of space in the air cavity is about the size of a pencil eraser tip and the dynamics of its design plays a role in the feel of the brake. The most
important aspect of this is the CONTROLLED COMPRESSIBILITY. The thousands of pressure spikes that occur in standard hydraulic brake systems are changed into pressure waves because of the diaphragm. Changing the pressure from spikes to waves is what helps avoid the wheels from locking up.

This happens on the best or worst brakes in the world unless it had an electronic form of ABS because brake fluid like hydraulic oil is NON-COMPRESSIBLE. The TCB initiates only a small factor of compressibility which does make the brakes feel different but not spongy. You also mentioned that you would have to pull the brake lever harder, but this is not the case and the brakes are actually more responsive with a more controlled feel.

Next, any concern about if the diaphragm should ever perforate or lose its seal. First, the seal will not allow loss of brake fluid with pressure capabilities of more than 10,000 psi which is much more pressure than other brake components can withstand before failing. In the very unlikely event that the seal fails the braking will revert back to the braking the vehicle had before the TCB was installed because there will only be a small amount of displacement.

You are right poor maintenance and bleeding the system is very important. This is why our installation instructions emphasize that bleeding the brakes is so important with our unit or with any change to the brake system.

A little product history, my first two patents concerning a similar device for cars, trucks and motor homes. It was as large as 1/2 of a soda can because the displacement had to adapt to a two wheels and larger reservoirs because it took more fluid to activate the brakes.

On power sport vehicles the reservoirs are less than 1/3 the size so that is why the units are so small. The most revolutionary aspect about the TCB is the fact that the unit fits on over 95% of all the power sport vehicles with only 3 different thread sizes for the banjo bolt. Subsequently it makes it easy for dealers to stock and the same banjo bolt is used on other types of power sports vehicles like ATVs, scooters and even snowmobiles.

When I first started with the automotive and truck market only 5% of the vehicles had the option of ABS, but now ABS is on almost every vehicle. In the power sport market it would not be feasible to come out with aftermarket ABS because there would need to be so many different ABS models made that it would be cost prohibitive.

For the dirt bike rider that would have to hook up all the speed sensors and pumps and stuff that make ABS function it would cost more than the vehicle. Now for the same price of a helmet the rider can have the similar capabilities of an ABS system with a TCB unit.

BMW is one of the only manufacturers to include ABS on their bikes. Harley Davidson is coming out with an option next year for a select few models for about $800.00. The value of the product is not trying to replace anti lock brakes, but instead make them available to the tens of millions of motor sports vehicles that already exist that do not have ABS.

I am not going to compare the capabilities of ABS vs TCB but I will tell you one thing the TCB works every time you brake and not after lock-up has already occurred like ABS. Also the installation of the TCB can be done in about ten minutes.

Finally, the short story I wanted to share with you Noel is how it was invented. A 9 year old boy was on his dad’s Honda Foreman ATV cruising about 20 mph when he came up to a small ditch not more than 3 ft. across and a foot or so deep. He got scared and grabbed the front brake as hard as he could, but the ATV flipped over on top of him and killed him instantly. I believe this would not have happened with the TCB installed.

Loz and Noel, I respect both your opinions very much and if the above does not answer your questions or if you have further questions please let me know. I also invite you to simply install one on your vehicles to try out. You will also find contacting Eric Pinson or Frank Allen worth your while so you can hear what they have to say.

I understand that with an invention that provides new advantages that there are often questions and concerns which I expect and respect, but this is why I explain the function and history behind the device. A hundred years ago if I told someday I could watch something called TV, have access to endless information on a computer, or even send a letter all over the world in minutes you probably would have thought I was crazy.

The questions and concerns are similar and expected, but the device works. This is why it has stood up to the rigorous testing of Lockhart Phillips and Zodiac as well as why all of the professional riders who have tested it ride with it.

The TCB is a simple product that through its increased braking responsiveness and performance will help to save lives and prevent injuries and your article could help facilitate this

I look forward to your replies and thank you for considering a possible article. Please feel free to contact me with anything else you may need and I will get back with you quickly.

Regards,

Mark Lipski
Inventor/Owner
TCB Brake Systems, LLC

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