How to improve brake modulation

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In any evaluation of bicycle brakes — road, mountain, mechanical, hydraulic, rim, or disc — the subjects of power and modulation are bound to come up. The former is an easy and intuitive concept to grasp but what about the latter? What exactly is brake modulation, anyway, and why should you care about it?

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Power vs. control

Braking power is always limited by tire traction and virtually any brake can lock up a wheel. However, a wheel that isn't rotating is also usually a wheel that isn't contributing any meaningful amount of control. Aside from certain situations, lockup is exactly what you don't want.

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From a performance standpoint, better brake modulation means you can actually go faster, confident in your ability to reduce your speed at precisely the last moment

Let me repeat: lockup is usually not a good thing and anyone who argues that their current brakes "can lock up a wheel just fine" is tacitly admitting that they don't work as well as they could.

Brake modulation is the ability to precisely and accurately control the amount of clamp force on a rotor (or rim, which in some ways is just a big rotor, anyway) with a given amount of lever input. 

In other words, it means you can scrub off as much or as little speed as you want without breaking traction — unless, of course, that's what you're trying to do.

Input vs. output

Why discs and hydraulics are better

If you have to pull really hard to get a desired stopping force, you're not able to control your hand effort as well

What you can do to improve your current situation

• Upgrade your cables and housing: Doing a proper installation with clean lines, high-quality bits, and smooth cable paths is the first step and it goes a surprisingly long way. Taken further, you can switch to compressionless housing that will improve lever feel and noticeably improve control.
• Tend to your pads and rims: Haven't inspected your rim brake pads or cleaned your rims lately? Try sanding the pads to remove any built-up glaze and use a pick to dig out any embedded aluminum. Use a rag and isopropyl alcohol to clean off the rim sidewalls. Given that any brake relies on friction, it doesn't take much gunk on any of the associated surfaces to screw things up. Disc pads don't require quite the same level of care but they're more sensitive to oil and grease. If they're contaminated, replace them ASAP and clean the rotors before installation.
• Upgrade your brake pads: Stock compounds are generally pretty good but considering the relatively modest cost of premium options, this is another great place to look. For aluminum rims, SwissStop's latest BXP model is nearly impossible to beat and its slightly harder composition can improve lever feel, too. SwissStop is also my go-to choice for carbon rims with its new Black Prince compound, which delivers an impressive amount of bite and great control.
• Lower your tire pressure: Wait, aren't we talking about brakes here? Yes, but as I mentioned earlier, ultimate braking power is still limited by tire traction. Increase the latter and you increase the former by default, plus you automatically give yourself a bigger range of braking control.

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