Originally Posted by
gmt13
I've needed to do some quick stops on my loaded commuter over the past few months and have definitely observed that if these quick stops were "panic" stops, my braking would have been not good enough. I know that my right hand is stronger than my left, and years of cycling have given me the habit of reaching for the right lever (rear brake) first.
So I am thinking about switching to a Right=Front configuration and am interested in hearing opinions from anyone who has done the switch. Specifically: How much time did it take for you to get used to the change? Did you have any exciting moments during the learning process? Did the switch actually improve your braking?
I am using KoolStop salmon pads, CR-18 rims, and short reach DiaCompe calipers. Pads are adjusted darn close to the rim and the cables/housing don't have excessive stretch.
Appreciate the insight.
Gary
Which hand you use is strictly personal. However, don't expect a drastic improvement in braking ability with swapping hands. Your right hand may be stronger than your left but it's not that much stronger. If you can already skid the rear tire using your left hand on the front brake, you have more than enough brake force. Technique and the position of the bike/rider center of gravity has a much more pronounced influence on the deceleration, as measured in fractions of g-force, which is the true measure of braking force on a bike.
If you brake from a normal seated position, you can develop about 0.5g of deceleration on a bike before the bike spins around the front hub...the dreaded endo. Because bikes are such lightweight vehicles and have such high centers of gravity (i.e. the rider), it's easy to spin the whole system around the front hub. If you move that center of gravity back and down by even a little bit, you greatly increase the amount of deceleration you can develop. Moving the rider back roughly 4" and down roughly 2", roughly doubles the deceleration from 0.5g to 0.9g. If you've every watched a mountain biker brake, you'll see them push off the rear of the saddle and drop down. They are doing this to increase their braking. I do it
every time I stop... mostly out of habit but also because it works.
Alternatively, if you want to skid the rear tire...or do nose wheelies...slide forward on the bike as you brake. You can, with a lot of practice and maybe a few trips to the dentist, lift the rear wheel completely off the ground
