Here's a thought: minimize panic stops. One way is to anticipate situations that might require a panic stop, such as approaching a blind corner where you can't see and don't know what kind of wild animal, berserk little kid, or approaching cager might be leaping out at you.
Which brake first?
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PedalUma
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I took home a spanking new Specialized Turbo Creo for the weekend and let a neighbor try it. He put it at full power. Then his friend wanted to try it. 12 feet into his ride he slammed the front brake and flipped with the bike landing on top of him.
fooferdoggie
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yes the homeless are the experts on this.Brakes, who needs them; they only slow you down.
Yes, the motorcycle safety classes emphasize that. I dumped my Vulcan for that reason when I was making a sharp right turn onto a steep alley (downhill) just as a UPS truck was coming up and turning onto my lane. My quick braking was reflexive, not controlled.
BigNerd
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Feet first!
Kidding.
Face first!
Kidding again.
I apply both with emphasis on the rear because of what others said about flipping over.
I believe most front/rear wheeled vehicles put emphasis on using the rear brakes but as also said by others, it depends on conditions too.
Kidding.
Face first!
Kidding again.
I apply both with emphasis on the rear because of what others said about flipping over.
I believe most front/rear wheeled vehicles put emphasis on using the rear brakes but as also said by others, it depends on conditions too.
Rexlion
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When I was a kid, growing up on a gravel road, I used to love doing controlled skids with the coaster brake.
I definitely bias toward applying the rear brake first. Those who teach themselves to apply the front brake first could easily find themselves head over heels in a sudden panic stop situation, because muscle memory will override any attempt at rational decision making.
I definitely bias toward applying the rear brake first. Those who teach themselves to apply the front brake first could easily find themselves head over heels in a sudden panic stop situation, because muscle memory will override any attempt at rational decision making.
circuitsmith
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Braking and Turning Your Bicycle
Good braking and turning technique can save your life!
www.sheldonbrown.com
Rexlion
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The author's idea is to practice, practice, practice with the bike you have, to be familiar with the front brake and how much to apply it without losing control. In other words, building muscle memory. Which is great, so long as the person doesn't make a change to the front brake or get a different bike, where the brake grabs harder in response to the usual amount of handle pressure.
I think rear brake bias is a little more forgiving. Besides, how often do we find ourselves in a panic stop situation where we need full, hard braking? For me, hardly ever. (But some folks like to go faster than I do, I guess.)
bobmcc81
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m@Robertson
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That is pretty much it in a nutshell. Plus I think something missing in a lot of the comments in this thread do not take into account the characteristics of modern hydraulic brakes. On a proper set of serious brakes you get a LOT of modulation. Particularly with the Magura levers which are meant to be used routinely with one or two fingers only. Its almost impossible to truly slam on the brakes and lock up the wheel unless you are some kind of a doofus with a death wish.
So you engage the rears to begin the braking maneuver and 'set' your bike to take the engagement of the front brakes a half-second later. Those fronts are, if you spent the money on good brakes, also capable of considerable modulation, so between the two your initial rear application stabilizes the bike and your front application begins the serious slowdown, with minimal if any risk of an endo thanks to the sequence of application. And all thru the event you are increasing pressure on the brake lever on both axles, up to the point where you reach maximum deceleration while avoiding a skid - which both involve understanding the pavement that is underneath you at that moment and the tire tread you have on the wheels.
And while you are in the middle of all that, if you are in a controlled descent you move your fat ass off and behind the saddle so you shift your center of gravity further back. I'm now living in an area with super (super!) steep hills where you have to lean on the brakes even at slow speeds to keep from letting gravity accelerate you into an intersection down even a short city block. Sitting on the saddle while going downhill is a recipe for going over the bars regardless of how many games you play with staggered engagement. You're just up too high and forward while seated.
Of course we all do that stuff already. But we live in an imperfect world.
fooferdoggie
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it freaks my blind wife out. but I keep it slow.That you go off-road on a tandem impresses me
PedalUma
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Did you see the videos from about 15 years ago of a blind man in Orange County, California ridding a bike by using echolocation. It is petty amazing. I will look for one.
fooferdoggie
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my wife as a kid used to ride by herself.
PedalUma
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Totally off topic here, forgive me; Barn Swallows make sounds like dolphins and bats. They eat one flying bug per minute all day each while the sun shines. Their babies are a week away from learning flying here. No flying bugs all Summer because of them. They turn bugs into natural fertilizer. We get flies or some mosquitos only for two the weeks after they migrate South. They are fighter planes to watch flying. Amazing. Side note: The new Canadian goslings are as big as their parents now. On topic: I will often feather the front brake for tight maneuvers. One practice is to go down a long slope while doing tight figure-eights, coasting and trying not to use power or brakes. I do it at a five-story parking garage.
As suggested above, it's useful to lightly drag the rear brake and counter weight or counter lean while making a tight turn. Weight the outside pedal and the inside grip. And always look where you want to go. Practice, practice, practice.
Besides which, the driver has no control over which brakes--front or rear--apply first. The car's braking system makes that decision.This is not true. Cars typically apply more braking force to the front than the rear. It’s called brake bias.
What Is Brake Bias? | BuyBrakes Blog
Brake Bias, Or Brake Balance, Is The Percentage Of Braking Force That's Applied To The Front Wheels. Learn More About The Role Of Brake Bias Here.www.buybrakes.com
A car or truck with four wheels shouldn't be compared to a bike with two wheels. As others have mentioned here, using a front brake only on two wheels can introduce you to the pavement quickly. Rear first followed by the front brake or gentle application of both simultaneously, but in any case locking up the front wheel while moving is difficult to control.This is not true. Cars typically apply more braking force to the front than the rear. It’s called brake bias.
What Is Brake Bias? | BuyBrakes Blog
Brake Bias, Or Brake Balance, Is The Percentage Of Braking Force That's Applied To The Front Wheels. Learn More About The Role Of Brake Bias Here.
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