Downhill braking, what should the balance be?

[Ice2911]

A little help please. As I was going down a hill today, 32mph ( fast for me) with traffic lights at the bottom, the above question came to my mind, especially as the road was a little damp. Kept thinking I should know this before I get into these situations. Should you brake (nearly typed break which could be very apt if I get this wrong) more with the back or front brake or try to keep it even. I was on the drops and had my weight forward. I've got into the habit as I get to the finish of my rides, to do a little circuit near home, which means I do this descent an extra mile and then finish myself off with a nice uphill slog!

 

[ColinJ]

If the traffic lights are immediately at the bottom of the hill then I would start scrubbing the speed off sooner rather than later (using mainly the front brake). If you leave it late on a damp road then you are asking for trouble. Been there, done that, almost got blood on the cycling jersey!

 

[S-Express]

Depends if the direction is in a straight line or not. If it is, then favouring the front makes sense, as that is where the weight is and the majority of braking is typically done with the front anyway. The only times you don't want to be favouring the front brake is on a poor/slippery surface or while leaning into a corner.

 

[Profpointy]

As said upthread mostly front, but beware of locking the wheel up in the wet - you'll be on your arse before you can correct, but can likely recover a back wheel skid, although the back brake won't slow you up much. Worth moving your own weight back and straighten your arms as that puts more force down through the wheels rather than tending to pitch you over the bars

 

[keithmac]

Same as on the motorbikes for me, mainly front brake and trailing rear brake in the dry.

If it's damp keep an eye open for manhole covers etc, I always release the front going over them in the wet.

As said above a rear wheel skid is infinitely easier to correct than locking the front, weight over the back wheel and favour the back brake if the conditions are iffy.

If you ever hit a patch of ice don't brake at all and try to just freewheel through it..

 

[mjr]

In a straight line: front, up to as hard as you can without lifting the rear or skidding. Ease off over covers and other iffy surfaces, as mentioned above. Back is mostly useful as a drag or feather, or extras if the front's maxed out, or to alternate with the front if you feel the pads going soft or see the drum steaming!

As @ColinJ suggests, it's better to scrub speed as if you'll have to stop at the lights and not need to, rather than the reverse. Familiarity with a bit of route can lead to complacency, as I've rediscovered a few times - fight that!

 

[Tigerbiten]

The more iffy the road conditions are (damp, mud, gravel, bends, etc) the more you need to bias your brakes towards the back brake.
How much for the conditions really comes down to experience, so your better being cautious to start.

The main reason I ride a recumbent trike is with only one hand, there is no easy way for me to do this on a upwrong bicycle.

 

[Pale Rider]

Cadence braking works better on a bicycle in terms of avoiding fade and overheating.

In other words, brake the bike firmly to a slower speed, release, allow the speed to build, then repeat.

Feathering should be avoided unless the conditions are so treacherous as to make firmer braking dangerous.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Grab both levers, squeeze for all you're worth, and hang on for grim death with gritted teeth. That's been my style on a couple of descents ending at a junction recently.

I'm not advocating it by the way.

 

[Ian H]

As hinted at in a couple of posts above, watch the road surface and use your brakes accordingly.

 

[mjr]

The main reason I ride a recumbent trike is with only one hand, there is no easy way for me to do this on a upwrong bicycle.

I have only a right lever on my main bike, with a coaster brake on the back, but I guess recumbent has other benefits.

 

[mjr]

Grab both levers, squeeze for all you're worth, and hang on for grim death with gritted teeth. That's been my style on a couple of descents ending at a junction recently.

What, no shoe soles?

 

[MichaelW2]

If you know the road, you should know how much speed you can pick up safely, so don't go fastsr, adjust for conditions and any blind corners.
If you don't know the rozd you have no business riding as fast as you possibly can.
On a downhill brake, always shift your weight back and down. Favour the front brake for slowing you down, the rear plays little part in hard braking but can help you control your speed.
Practice.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Same as on the motorbikes for me, mainly front brake and trailing rear brake in the dry.

I would disagree with you completely, you should always use the rear brake first to steady the bike then apply the front & ALWAYS in a straight line.

 

[Blue Hills]

Depends if the direction is in a straight line or not. If it is, then favouring the front makes sense, as that is where the weight is and the majority of braking is typically done with the front anyway. The only times you don't want to be favouring the front brake is on a poor/slippery surface or while leaning into a corner.

All makes perfect sense to me. And i well remember "favouring" the front a bit too much a few times in the wet in my vespa days.