Can you reach your brake levers...

[3narf]

I can't!

But then brakes only slow you down, anyway.

 

[asterix]

Your normal hand position is what, exactly?

 

[Jonathing]

I'm going to go with 'more or less.' I can reach them with a couple of fingers, certainly enough to slow me down but if I need to drop anchor I slide forward a little to get a better grip on them. I'd not really thought of this before but as my other bike is fixed I do all my slowing with my legs and only use the front brake to come to a complete stop.

 

[Tynan]

indeed

I get to them better on the hoods than the drops, although drops is fine

 

[endoman]

I have flat bars with some bar ends, I'm usually on the bar ends, but in traffic etc I adjust so I can reach the brakes, but normally I can't reach them.

 

[Bicycle]

MTB: Yes and no.

When cruising or climbing or just bumbling over XC terrsain I'm on the bar ends... so it takes a little longer.

When descending at speed and swathed in the cold sweat of terror, my fingers are over the levers so I'm always only a billionth of a second from the loving security of a high-speed endo.

Road Bike: I ride on the hoods almost all the time and usually bend my elbows to tuck in rather than using the drops. That usually puts the brake and gearchange levers just where I want them.

Fixed road bike: It doesn't stop; I can't control it; the brakes are poor; wherever I have my hands I'm going to die anyway. AAAAARGH!!

But essentially, I can usually get to the brakes about as quickly on a bicycle as I can in a car.

The top, top location of brakes is on a motorcycle: Grabbing some brake automatically makes you shut the throttle. Someone clever came up with that one. I wish my fixed-gear bike had something like that...

 

[wiggydiggy]

Can you reach your brake levers... ...in your normal hand position?

Yes

 

[ColinJ]

I have three normal hand positions - on the hoods, on the drops and on the tops. I can reach my brakes in the first two positions, and that is where I have my hands when I think I might need to brake. If I'm on a quiet road, I might be in the third position. If my hands are in position 3 when I see a potential hazard or turn coming up, they automatically move to the hoods without me even thinking about it.

 

[gaz]

My normal hand position is behind my back.

 

[Mark W]

On the hoods, yes, but on the drops, not so easily.

I found this out when I descended a very steep hill which had a terrible road surface. Although I desperately wanted to switch to the hoods and ease the brakes on, I was so scared of letting go due to the bumps I was riding I clung on and tried my best to ride it out.

Now, I'll always be on the hoods for descents I'm not familiar, or confident about.

 

[gaz]

On the hoods, yes, but on the drops, not so easily.

I found this out when I descended a very steep hill which had a terrible road surface. Although I desperately wanted to switch to the hoods and ease the brakes on, I was so scared of letting go due to the bumps I was riding I clung on and tried my best to ride it out.

Now, I'll always be on the hoods for descents I'm not familiar, or confident about.

You can't reach the brakes on the drops? your drops are set up wrong!
you should have the best stopping power from the drops!

 

[MacB]

I have 4 ride positions and the brakes accessible from 3:-

tops - I have a single crosstop lever, front brake only, to allow me to modulate without moving my hands
hoods - normal riding position and brakes easy to modulate or apply fully
hooks - bends of the drops and where I would choose to put my hands for descending, brakes easily accessible and very powerful
drops/straights - don't use often and requires hand moved forward a bit to reach brake lever

pootling MTB has bar ends but I can one finger brake from there if needed.

 

[Wankelschrauben]

Ummm, yeah.

 

[asterix]

You can't reach the brakes on the drops? your drops are set up wrong!
you should have the best stopping power from the drops!

Very true. If you want to descend fast you want to be on the drops not the hoods with your arms bent at the elbows.

 

[Lok169]

OK, I know I'm new around here, but am I the only one who finds any answer other that "yes" to this question a bit scary?

For me making sure that I can reach my brakes and that they actually stop the bike is second only to making sure both wheels are in place.