Article Info

Article Title
All About Brake Bands
Author
James Perry
Issue date
Summer 2025
Issue number
49
Issue topic
Tension
Description
This article explains how brake bands work in flyer-led wheels and bobbin-led wheels. It then goes through various material options for brake bands and the advantages and disadvantages of each (filament line, cotton, flax, leather, kevlar) as well as brake band texture and size considerations. It also offers suggestions for how to change the take-up in other ways besides changing the brake band.
Article topic list
tension, brake band, bobbin-led (Irish tension), flyer-led (scotch tension), crosslacing