ColinL

ColinL

watch any pro race and when there's a pile up, there are a few dudes braking so hard the rear wheel is off the ground. that is max effort braking by definition.

you would then need to screw up to actually endo, but it's possible.

FPSDavid

This thread (and Sheldon's page) has made me feel weird...I use my rear brake only 99% of the time...while Sheldon says "Skilled cyclists use the front brake alone probably 95% of the time,"

Seattle Forrest

Until you snap the (spray-painted) chain.

Well, he got the part about the front wheel not weight as much as the rear one right ... but it's a completely irrelevant factoid when we're talking about stopping.

ColinL

you are stopping very slowly and I would bet you've skidded the rear tire a number of times.

I don't touch my rear brake on dry, level pavement. there's been a zillion threads about this. people always argue with me, and frequently cite motorcycle experience. they're wrong.

WC89

For me. Bicycle: 2 brakes. Always. Nuff said.

thump55

Does somone have the link to that video where the cyclist narrowly avoids the collision with the car, I believe on a descent. I think the shot is from the car's POV with the cyclist coming at him?

If I remember correctly, he grabs both brakes and slides the back wheel out sideways. The back wheel (sideways) slows him down instantly. He maintains control and avoids the accident. If he had just grabbed all front brake, I don't believe he would have avoided the collision.

ColinL

sounds like a powerslide. I did those on my bmx bike as a kid. I'd have to be pretty damn desperate to think of that on my road bike. it would ruin a tire for sure, but that's better than ruined bike and/or ruined face.

thump55

AlphaDogg

I haven't used my rear brake more than twice with my new bike. That's 450 miles of front-only braking. My rear rim is still shiny, while my front has a black rubber by-product on it.

pallen

impossible to say. Maybe with more front brake he could have stayed in his lane - not enough info here. The only reason he didn't hit the motorcycle is the fact that the motorcycle swerved out of the way and avoided the cyclist. The cyclist did nothing to avoid the collision, he was hanging on for dear life.

hueyhoolihan

with fifteen years of single front brake behind me , i can say that i have never had occasion to go over, or nearly go over, the front handlebars, even when emergency braking. nor have i had any accident at greater than two MPH. i have found that i have modified my braking techniques and safety levels to match those of the bikes i ride, like the teamster that drives a VW bug to work and then safely drives an 18 wheeler all day. one learns what's doable and what's not and rides/drives accordingly.

Sixty Fiver

On a fixed gear you can modulate the speed of the rear wheel and even lock it up without a rear brake and by adding a front brake you will maximize your ability to stop and if you have good riding skills you will be able to stop as fast as anyone using two brakes.

On a bike that coasts you have no means to modulate the speed of the rear wheel unless you count a Ted shred as a means of doing this so a brake is needed... all you need is one twisty descent in the rain or corners strewn with fine gravel and you will find how dangerous it is to only have a front brake.

On dry pavement your front brake will do most of the stopping and experienced riders do use the front brake as their primary and the rear as a secondary for modulation. In nice weather I rarely touch my rear brakes and in a panic situation can apply that front brake extremely hard and not go OTB.

One needs to practice stopping in this fashion as you want to shift your weigh back and lock your arms as you can generate almost 1G if you are running good brakes and have good riding skills.

ahsposo 

Isn't that special.

dissident

never gave it much thought. Use them both, but I'm not going into the 40's mph yet so meh. I know on motorcycles the front brake is your most used brake, the rear brake more likely to cause high/lowsides especially when braking while cornering.

Want to take this road

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K16Yn...ayer_embedded#

Altbark

Sounds good in theory but doesn't work in practice. People have to learn how to co-ordinate and use both brakes all of the time for maximum effectiveness. That doesn't mean that you grab a handful of front brake willy-nilly all the time. You have to develop a feel for what the bike is doing. You should use both brakes fully if you are braking on a paved road wet or dry. Technique has to change depending upon whether you are in a turn, going up or down hills and whether you are going to shift your weight. Honda has been using linked braking systems on some of their bikes for years because people were over relying on the rear brake to get their bikes stopped particularly in wet conditions.

Altbark

Hey I'm an old dirt biker from way back in the 70's and I can tell you that knowing how to get a dirt bike stopped quickly requires the use of both brakes. You just need to know how to use them.

spock

I use both almost all the time. I find the braking more balanced that way and more effective... I don't do a lot of braking tho'. My bike was made in 84 and the original pads are still on it and in good shape.

cccorlew

I never use my rear brake. I can't squeeze with that hand. At all.

So for more years than most of you have been alive I've been riding front brake only. I've never gone over the bars, though I can see how in a panic stop the weight transfer could make that happen. The bike stops and you keep going. The reason you can't do that with the rear brake is because it doesn't stop you as well. If it could you'd have the same issue.

I now have a cross lever cabled to the rear brake on the same side as my front brake, just in case I'm going 50 and the front brake breaks somehow. I don't expect that to ever happen, but having an "emergency brake" seems like a good idea.

Side note to forum users: See how I used brake and break correctly? Follow my lead.

Perp

Got a pretty deep cut on my right hand so I can barely apply brake pressure to the rear. I've been exclusively using the front only on my rides the past 3 weeks

Juan Foote

:wow:

Changing those would make an immense difference.

Hunt-man

The 41 is strong in this thread, strong indeed....

Jaytron

Your track bike already has a rear brake. Your legs.

powbob

I live in Florida. There's no such thing as a steep or winding road. I get your point though.

byrnemm

Track bikes don't have brakes?

Skidz for dayzzzz bro.