Originally Posted by Steel Charlie
(Post 22772855)
As a right handed ex-motorcycle racer it always seemed intuitive to have the front brake on the right lever. Setting up the bicycles the same way was a no brainer. I use and recommend right lever to the front brake to right handed anybody.
JMO of course. YMMV |
Originally Posted by Steel Charlie
(Post 22772855)
As a right handed ex-motorcycle racer it always seemed intuitive to have the front brake on the right lever. Setting up the bicycles the same way was a no brainer. I use and recommend right lever to the front brake to right handed anybody.
JMO of course. YMMV |
What this all really comes down to is that a cyclist should have sufficient knowledge and experience in how their front AND rear brakes work independently AND together in all situations. There are so many different situations that can occur while riding that could require different braking techniques…expected/planned/known, and unexpected. Sometimes modulating the brakes can be helpful, sometimes locking them up might be necessary. You need to know how the bike will react and handle in all situations.
Dan |
Originally Posted by _ForceD_
(Post 22772896)
What this all really comes down to is that a cyclist should have sufficient knowledge and experience in how their front AND rear brakes work independently AND together in all situations. There are so many different situations that can occur while riding that could require different braking techniques…expected/planned/known, and unexpected. Sometimes modulating the brakes can be helpful, sometimes locking them up might be necessary. You need to know how the bike will react and handle in all situations.
Dan |
Originally Posted by prj71
(Post 22772734)
Typical human reaction is to grab both brakes real hard in those situations...then you skid. Not unheard of or uncommon.
If you practice, grabbing the right amount of rear brake becomes second nature. |
I recently bled by MTB brakes, and swapped the pads from the front to back and vice-versa since the back were at about 30% remaining while the front was still at 80%. Riding the trails I only hit the front when I need to stop hard, but constantly scrub speed to maintain the flow of the trail. I ride a hardtail, not certain if a dual suspension would make a difference, but it means I stand a lot and move my weight back to let the front move, and give the rear the power they need. Even on steeper downhills, if I can see the line of travel I still only use the rear to scrub speed if I see it as necessary.
The road bike usually has the front worn out as I'm only grabbing the rear for hard stopping, I hardly ever scrub speed except on the bike path and otherwise just need to stop which the front does. The gravel and cross bike tend to wear equally with the moves from dirt style riding to pavement.
Originally Posted by redshift1
(Post 22772232)
I have seen many times the ease with which a rear tyre locks in a hard stop ( weight transfer ) and since there is minimal rear tyre traction as the rear wheel unloads ( increasing to none as the rear wheel completely unloads ), I don't see the point of rear brake use, under these circumstances. To those who ( like me ) have done genuine emergency stops on a road bicycle, surely you are not saying you apply both brakes hard, and then in the midst of stopping hard, you progressively release the rear brake lever while increasing the front to allow for the changing weight transfer, all the while with no wheel lock-ups ??? But for emergency braking, I will be using front brake only and betting I outstop many "rear brake also" brakers :). Physics would alsosuggest you can't stop faster, assuming two people of the same weight, in the same position, on the exact same bikes, grabbing the front brake with the same amount of force, the person introducing the friction of the rear brake, either through controlled stop or skid, will be reducing their speed faster. It might not be a "significant" difference under most circumstances but any reduction in speed will reduce the force of the impact and the stopping distance in an emergency.
Originally Posted by Kontact
(Post 22772714)
No, I was just wondering in what situation anyone would ever choose or want a skid. It never seems necessary or useful.
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Brakeless fix gears and stopping distance (and ramblings). I used to hang out at the bike shop of the fix gear guru of Portland, recognized both by the hip street crowd and at the velodrome. (I'd been riding fixed for years and I learned a lot from him.) Anyway, he acquired some heavy, treaded tires that looked like good bulletproof all-winter tires. Bought a pair. (Ultimately decided they were just too much work to ride but they lived up to all the rest.)
I went back to the shop to report on my impressions of the tires. Owner told me right up front he'd stopped carrying them and sent the rest back. Too much grip. The hip crowd were hurting themselves trying to initiate skids! (Scratches head. What a concept. Bikes where the reduced traction of skidding is the only way to aggressively stop and too much traction is such an issue you return the tire.) And another fun observation - the fun of blasting past brakeless young riders going down steep hills with an intersection at the bottom as a 60+ on my winter/rain/city fix gear with its excellent brakes. Less fun: reading about the brakeless fixie rider in (I recall) Toronto who tail-ended a left turning car, planted himself in the hatchback window and didn't make it. |
Up till approx 1960 all we had except for racing bikes was the rear coaster brake. Many of us survived!!!!
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Originally Posted by rydabent
(Post 22774189)
Up till approx 1960 all we had except for racing bikes was the rear coaster brake. Many of us survived!!!!
Many non-racing grownup bikes had hand brakes, long before 1960. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...aa62dda1d5.png |
Originally Posted by rydabent
(Post 22774189)
Up till approx 1960 all we had except for racing bikes was the rear coaster brake. Many of us survived!!!!
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The most important question raised by this thread is still "What common physics word was censored?" I vow to bump this thread every day until we have an answer to that question.
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Originally Posted by tomato coupe
(Post 22774357)
The most important question raised by this thread is still "What common physics word was censored?" I vow to bump this thread every day until we have an answer to that question.
Post #1, Line 4, middle. ( I had to single space the letters. ) |
Originally Posted by tomato coupe
(Post 22774357)
The most important question raised by this thread is still "What common physics word was censored?" I vow to bump this thread every day until we have an answer to that question.
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Originally Posted by redshift1
(Post 22774785)
Sorry tomato coupe :).
Post #1, Line 4, middle. ( I had to single space the letters. ) |
Originally Posted by rydabent
(Post 22774189)
Up till approx 1960 all we had except for racing bikes was the rear coaster brake. Many of us survived!!!!
From 1920s: (40 years before the 1960s) http://classiccycleus.com/home/wp-co...rennan-004.jpg Also while technically late 60s and early 70s Shimano had Hydraulic brakes and also a disc brake which I think was mostly used on shopping bikes and kids bikes ironically and it used DOT fluid rather than the Mineral oil they are so known for these days. I won't deny that coaster brakes were popular on some bikes and certainly Repack Rider and a whole group of other awesome folks made history with coaster brakes and a certain little hill in Marin County to the point we now have official mountain bikes. However saying they were the only brakes unless you were racing before 1960 is patently false and unneeded when the facts are out there and easily found. That picture from the 1920s took me all of the time it took to type early bicycle brakes and click a link. Here is a few fun links about early bicycle brakes which not all of were for racing bikes or coaster brakes: https://www.renehersecycles.com/the-...icycle-brakes/ History of bicycle brakes at Classic Cycle | Classic Cycle Bainbridge Island Kitsap County https://onlinebicyclemuseum.co.uk/to...icycle-brakes/ (they have a ton of neat vintage bikes shown though probably most of them if not all are British bikes being a British website) |
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