Still front brake first - ?

[Dogtrousers]

I never understand this "going over the bars" thing. How does that happen

When I was a young chap learning about bikes I replaced my brake blocks and readjusted my brakes. On my next morning's paper round I decided to give them a good test. The road was deserted, it was very early, so I got up a bit of speed and jammed the brakes on as hard as I could...

That's how it happens. Or at least, that's one way.

 

[Ian H]

A thing that has saved me in the past: the instinctive release of the brakes the instant you lose grip.

 

[Blue Hills]

I guess it depends on the ground conditions, weather and how well you know your bike and its handling characteristics under braking etc.
I don't think there's any one method of braking that covers every eventuality but I suppose if it came down to it, it would be rear first then front. That way if anything is going to lock up, it'll be the rear which gives far more controllable a slide than the front.

I tend to use the front a shade first as I think it has more effect, then swiftly follow with the rear - this sets my mind up for giving the front more of the braking force. But I know where you are coming from - not an ex Vespa rider are you? - could be terrifying in the wet if you put too much on the front too soon.Still wonder how I survived a couple of incidents with the front wheel trying to disappear.
So yep - extra care in the wet.

 

[Blue Hills]

Rear to slow and front to stop for me

good point - I do this to trim speed going down steep hills.
also to slow the bike a bit if I'm going down a hill with a right turn at the bottom - where of course you will have to move your right hand from the brake at some point to indicate.

 

[rogerzilla]

I usually apply them together but will vary the front/rear bias depending on the surface (loose/icy), the slope and whether I'm cornering. For instance, on a loose steep downhill on an MTB, it's rear brake to the point where it starts to skid, and only then the front.

Also, if you get a puncture, you can't brake on that wheel as the tyre is very likely to come off the rim, at which point you are in serious doo-doo.

 

[Kajjal]

It depends on what surface you are cycling on, how steep it is and what the wheels are up to. Mountain biking in the Peak District there are some very steep trails where the back brake will not stop you but carefully controlling front and rear brake means you are in control and can stop if needed. Mountain biking is handy to learn about braking as the uneven often loose surfaces mean you get a lot of practice when riding at the limits of traction.

 

[simongt]

Before my time - tell us some of your favourites, if you can remember them

Couldn't possibly, they're all far too politically incorrect - !

 

[freiston]

I used to use my rear brake a lot more than my front when younger - maybe because I too took my Cycling Proficiency Test many years ago (1973 I think) and also because I grew up in the Lincolnshire Fens where gradients and blind bends were almost non-existent. For stopping power, I've always used both brakes pretty much simultaneously.

Nowadays, my braking habits are different; I ride mostly on narrow single track winding hilly lanes with little visibility and if the traction is good and I'm going fairly straight, I tend to use short bursts of front brake for speed modulation/checking rather than long slow gentle rear-wheel braking. I do still use the rear brake alone for speed modulation/checking but not so much - usually in slow traffic or when I want to "micro-trim" my speed on a fast descent.

There might be something about brakes being better now than when I was younger - I find it very easy to lock my back wheel now if I brake to stop without applying the front brake (fractionally sooner and) harder. For the record, I use cantilevers - Tektro Oryx (Kool Stop dual compound) on the back and Tektro CR720 (with supplied pads) on the front.

 

[keithmac]

I use both together on the pushbikes and shift my weight over the back wheel, mainly front on the motorcycles.

As said in the wet it's very easy to lock front wheel and lose the front end.

I was messing about with my bike when I was 5 or 6 and swapped front and back brakes around (left lever for front), god knows why!. Ended up in an ambulance with that one, straight over the handlebars..

 

[freiston]

...As said in the wet it's very easy to lock front wheel and lose the front end.

That's a good point. Thinking about it, when it's really slippy, I do almost all my braking gently with the rear brake and pretty much when going straight forward only.

 

[bikingdad90]

I try not to brake rounds bends as it’s a recipe for disaster, if I do need to brake it tends to be my rear as a rear end slide can be recovered where as a front end is much harder to recover. To come to a full stop I tend to apply more force on the front and drag/feather the back.

 

[mjr]

I was messing about with my bike when I was 5 or 6 and swapped front and back brakes around (left lever for front), god knows why!. Ended up in an ambulance with that one, straight over the handlebars..

Why? Europhilia.

It is possible to ride both without crocking yourself. I expect youthful exuberance was more a factor in the ambulance transfer than swapping lever cabling.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

When I was growing up the advise from everyone was that if you put the front brake on first at an significant speed then you will immediately go over the handlebars and break several bone
always happens
every single time

well that was what they said
clearly total rubbish
but the clear advise was to always use the back brake - if more stopping force required - as it often is - then the front is used AFTER the back
so the technique was to be able to slam both brakes on - back slightly before the front
still seems to work
Since doing an evening riding mountain bikes on tracks in Greece one year I always shift my weight back quite a bit - especially on gravel or down a steep hill - seems like good advise.

Basically growing up I had my Dad and my friends for advise - no cycle clubs or anything and it never occurred to me that the library might have books about riding a bike - it was just something you did. I never even knew a LBS could fix a bike - I just fiddled until it worked again. $deity knows what shape the bearing in my old Peugeot were after a couple of decades when some toe-rag nicked it - it still had the original everything, except tyres, tubes and brakes blocks! Still worked though.
Never did manage to get the cotter pins out of it

 

[keithmac]

Why? Europhilia.

It is possible to ride both without crocking yourself. I expect youthful exuberance was more a factor in the ambulance transfer than swapping lever cabling.

As far as I can remember I'd forgotten they were swapped over and went to dona skid (as you do!).

 

[Mike_P]

When I was growing up the advise from everyone was that if you put the front brake on first at an significant speed then you will immediately go over the handlebars and break several bone
always happens
every single time

Same and enforced by my mother who had indeed gone straight over the handlebars and broke her collarbone such that for years I always made certain the front brake pads were slightly less than fully efficient.