then surely it gives some correct finding/piece of information
No, it just looks like it does. For example, if the error in the measurements is sufficiently large, then you just have a collection of lines drawn essentially at random. It's fine as what it is, ie a magazine feature, but it has no scientific merit.
In all honestly the Anecdotal evidence from forums is more valuable than this group lab test as it’s at least based the “nearest to real world“ testing conditions you can get… the actual real bloody world!
The main reason for conducting a Lab test of any product weather for consumer testing or product development, should be to simulate a significant period of use (i.e. a year or more usefully a products entire expected life) in a relatively short time frame, we used to leave Rigs running overnight, PLC controlled, repeated cycles with Data loggers monitoring temperature, current, even noise, anything that gave and indication of wear rate and potential causes of failure, and we ran them to the end of the test period or until they failed, whichever came first, then spent ages painstakingly disassembling, measuring, photographing and taking notes on any and all damage and wear…
Like I said their test doesn’t even simulate a single ride let alone a years worth of use…
You could easily make a brake that produces double the pad friction and therefore twice the “stopping Power” of a current saint and that test would prove it was twice as “Powerful” it would still most likely tear itself to pieces in half the time and this test method would leave you none the wiser regarding durability, what I’d want to know is a Saint actually more durable and more consistent for it’s entire operating life than a Tektro?, it may sound a stupid question, but I bet you nobody has a [u]conclusive[/u] answer to offer…
The other thing is braking is not all about “Power” there is a significant qualitative aspect, the magazines like to call it “modulation” but basically 80% of your braking is probably “control”; scrubbing off speed, not panicked fistfuls of lever, bringing you to a juddering Halt. This test tells you very little about what is likely to be the majority of the brakes use…
I would rather have ten more or less un-biased, “non technical” consumers tell me “I found the Saint great, very powerful, But….“ than one bloke with a laptop telling me “This’un be best, see here on my Graaaaph!”
