http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Braking technique en Mon, 01 Jun 2026 05:16:51 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782&page=2#post-153159 Mon, 12 May 2014 16:37:26 +0000 amir 153159@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"Great back wheel slides made me feel twelve years old again."</p> <p>That sounds like fun (if a little expensive) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782&page=2#post-153158 Mon, 12 May 2014 16:36:40 +0000 amir 153158@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>I wouldn't say that. You did stop, after all! </em></p> <p>I would include in the definition of a successful stop the ability to start again within a reasonable interval of time. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782&page=2#post-153157 Mon, 12 May 2014 16:34:47 +0000 I were right about that saddle 153157@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I used the rear coaster brake on a hire bike last week in torrential rain. Great back wheel slides made me feel twelve years old again.</p> <p>It was about the only thing the coaster brake was good for. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782&page=2#post-153154 Mon, 12 May 2014 16:18:50 +0000 kaputnik 153154@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>I did try using my helmet and shoulder last year but it wasn't very effective</em></p> <p>I wouldn't say that. You did stop, after all! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782&page=2#post-153152 Mon, 12 May 2014 16:15:25 +0000 amir 153152@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Front mainly unless conditions dictate otherwise.</p> <p>No one uses their feet these days? (I did try using my helmet and shoulder last year but it wasn't very effective) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782&page=2#post-153136 Mon, 12 May 2014 15:07:56 +0000 adamthekiwi 153136@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Depends on too many factors to say. Overall, I use both or either but the front is clearly going to dissipate the vast majority of speed in most cases. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782&page=2#post-153133 Mon, 12 May 2014 14:54:55 +0000 Bhachgen 153133@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Like others above, the answer tends to depend on surface, speed, gradient, weather, and how much of an emergency is involved. On a good surface, in a straight line, mostly front only.</p> <p>A club mate very kindly lent me his carbon road bike a couple of years ago for a long hilly sportive. Which was great except that he wires his brakes up the foreign way. I do get the logic of this for right turn signals downhill (though the countries that wire their brakes this way would have the same problem with left turns!), but when you're used to the 'normal' orientation it can be pretty scary. Especially when you're on a road you've never ridden before, with an awful surface, a steep downhill gradient, and a series of 90 degree bends. I think overall the descents actually tired me out more than the climbs due to the amount of concentration required! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782&page=2#post-153125 Mon, 12 May 2014 14:23:09 +0000 I were right about that saddle 153125@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@smudge</p> <p>VFR rider?</p> <p>Like most motorbicylists on a pedal cycle I brake first on the front to throw the weight forward and load up the front tyre, then get on the back, assuming there's a pressing need to stop. And I always cable my bikes American style - front brake on the left, so that I can signal a right turn on Dundas Street and slow down at the same time. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782&page=2#post-153123 Mon, 12 May 2014 14:08:00 +0000 Smudge 153123@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Mostly front with a bit of back to steady things down. On the motorised bicycle about 75% front 25% rear, though on the big silly one it's a linked system anyway! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782&page=2#post-152868 Sat, 10 May 2014 11:32:28 +0000 LaidBack 152868@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Front on Fuego as BB7. Even lifted back wheel but not so easy to go over bars on a recliner. As soon as you apply heavy braking most weight goes to front.<br /> I do use both on longer slowing up situations.</p> <p>Race recumbents (ideally) put disc front and rim on back. Rim brake often just cleans rim, slows, and won't lock up. (long cable on these bikes).</p> <p>On a Helios tandem same thing really although cornering and braking in slippy conditions can result in a drop with a disc (as people have found out). </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782&page=2#post-152844 Sat, 10 May 2014 08:12:59 +0000 wishicouldgofaster 152844@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Depends on road conditions, I would go for back and then both to avoid the chance of coming off if it's slippy. Most of the time I use my front to slow me down a wee bit before using both to fully stop. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782&page=2#post-152821 Fri, 09 May 2014 22:22:47 +0000 Dave 152821@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>For a while I tried to get used to euro brake setup on my other bikes, but it didn't work (critically, you can't really ride a mountain bike safely if you can't remember which brake does what and grab the wrong one). So I just went back to normal brakes on everything with two levers, and left hand only on the ones with front brake only. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782&page=2#post-152795 Fri, 09 May 2014 20:03:01 +0000 Uberuce 152795@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>That reminds me: I put the brake lever on the left on both my fixies. If I'm downhill and turning right, I want the burly brake to be accessible without making signalling impossible. I don't mind the inferior braking for left turns because Unpredictable Stuff happens much less on them, and if something does, it's a safe option to bail on the turn, overshoot and walk back to it.</p> <p>I really cannot remember whether I ripped off Dave's reasoning on this matter or didn't differ with the fool. Either way, I think it's madness to have left/rear, right/front on UK roads. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782&page=2#post-152789 Fri, 09 May 2014 19:48:04 +0000 SSR 152789@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Front only most of the time. Back for additional stopping power or control, or if conditions are slippery or loose, or if right hand is occupied with signalling. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782#post-152770 Fri, 09 May 2014 18:18:45 +0000 stiltskin 152770@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>^ Yes, thank goodness you weren't trying to organize a BoP </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782#post-152768 Fri, 09 May 2014 18:08:45 +0000 sallyhinch 152768@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I have a great deal of difficulty remembering which hand operates which brake, so I've no idea which I use most. Probably whichever is currently working most effectively / squeaking the least / is operated by the hand I'm not signalling with. If I need to stop NOW then both, obviously.<br /> EDIT - reading through this thread again, I see even using both for an emergency stop is not obvious. I think I will retire confused from this thread as clearly I've no idea how to ride a bike... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782#post-152767 Fri, 09 May 2014 17:55:17 +0000 wingpig 152767@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I don't put any more thought into it when doing it beyond normal background not-wanting-to-fall-off-or-crash, but when threads pop up with people getting all "not trying hard enough" or "flailing" about the rear brake I feel compelled to show some working. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782#post-152764 Fri, 09 May 2014 17:27:13 +0000 Uberuce 152764@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I am a rogue element in this survey since two of my bikes only have a front lever, but are in one sense always using the back brake. In terms of deliberate speed reduction I use the back brake with much more frequency than the front; over and above the silence, weatherproof nature and lack of rim/disc/pad wear, that Zen hippie guff just makes it a nicer way to slow down.</p> <p>On the other two: Both. I'm satisfied with the physics of the argument presented by Uncle Sheldon, but using both just feels nicer. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782#post-152763 Fri, 09 May 2014 17:24:24 +0000 Dave 152763@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>It's interesting that people put this much thought into it. I started a reply detailing my braking strategy then I thought "hmm, I'm not actually sure I do what I say I do, because I can't visualise braking on the bike at all".</p> <p>I *think* I use the front only, unless for some reason I use the other one, like going down a long steep descent, or it's slippy or whatever.</p> <p>I'm not sure I'd use both, unless I was just flailing in a crisis. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782#post-152761 Fri, 09 May 2014 17:11:28 +0000 wee folding bike 152761@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>But eventually your front rim will wear out and could fail. I don't see how wearing out the back stops the front from wearing out it just changes the time required. I check them for wear.</p> <p>I'm not troubled with wheels going out of true. Outwith odd catastrophic failure from holes in the road I wear out the rims. I don't need to take them back to Big Al for tweaks in-between rim replacements.</p> <p>Brompton front rims usually last a couple of years. </p> <p>My trike still has its original 1995 back rims on it. The front was replaced after it hit the Arran car ferry in '96. </p> <p>Road bike has 1990 wheels which still work but it actually uses some 2001 wheels. </p> <p>I don't remember replacing a Brompton rear rim apart from the one which went from Baillieston to Springburn on a flat tyre after a Brompton Green sidewall blew out. I couldn't mend the tyre and I had to get to work. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782#post-152757 Fri, 09 May 2014 16:59:01 +0000 wingpig 152757@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>So that you increase the chance of the rear rim being the one which fails, rather than the front, which would probably be a bit nastier if it happened when moving? So that your perfectly-true-for-thirty-months front wheel lasts a bit longer, whereas the problem-haunted rear would probably suffer terminal something else terminal long before the rim is worn through? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782#post-152755 Fri, 09 May 2014 16:49:17 +0000 wee folding bike 152755@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Yes, on ice or grit I use the back. I've very rarely on grit, or anything that's not tarmac, and if the ice is bad I use a trike which only has front brakes.</p> <p>I don't understand why you would try to distribute the wear. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782#post-152754 Fri, 09 May 2014 16:43:55 +0000 wingpig 152754@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><blockquote><em>" On a road if your back brake makes a difference you're not trying hard enough with the front one."</em></blockquote></p> <p>Or you're trying to avoid a front-wheel skid on an inclement surface or trying to distribute rim wear.</p> <p>Must fish out that braking thread from a few months back where there was a similar "Back brakes? PAH!" undercurrent. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782#post-152753 Fri, 09 May 2014 16:21:58 +0000 wee folding bike 152753@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>On a road if your back brake makes a difference you're not trying hard enough with the front one.</p> <p>Sometimes my back brakes have got a bit seized from lack of use so I try to use them every few weeks.</p> <p>For a long time I only had front brakes. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782#post-152734 Fri, 09 May 2014 13:14:30 +0000 Min 152734@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Mostly front. The Surly skids when I use the back which is quite motivational. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782#post-152729 Fri, 09 May 2014 13:09:21 +0000 cc 152729@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Both, always. But I anticipate my braking needs and potential conflict situations well in advance, (b) I ride a bike with frankly not very powerful brakes, and (c) I go fairly slowly anyway. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782#post-152727 Fri, 09 May 2014 13:07:56 +0000 wingpig 152727@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><blockquote><em>"...but my rear brake pad does seem to wear quicker..."</em></blockquote></p> <p>I seem to accumulate vastly greater quantities of road-derived grinding-paste on my rear wheel compared to the front, which knackers any sort of comparison in the wear-time with the front brake. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782#post-152725 Fri, 09 May 2014 13:02:18 +0000 jdanielp 152725@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I think that I generally try to brake equally, but my rear brake pad does seem to wear quicker, needing to be replaced a year and a half ago whereas the front is still going ok from being new just over five years ago.</p> <p>I look forward to upgrading to a bike with hydraulic disc brakes, compared to mechanical disc brakes on my current bike, assuming of course that their advertised self-adjusting capacity does indeed work... Whilst I do like the feel of disc brakes, it is relatively rare that I have managed to have them run quietly for long! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782#post-152724 Fri, 09 May 2014 12:57:13 +0000 Cyclingmollie 152724@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Front mostly because it's stronger. Dragging the back brake to slow tends to wear the rim out. However I would use the back if I'm not going in a straight line or the road is slippery. In an emergency it's all instinctive - both probably. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12782#post-152722 Fri, 09 May 2014 12:54:04 +0000 Snowy 152722@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Front only, if dry and it's a planned stop.</p> <p>Rear only, if cornering or it's wet, but gently.</p> <p>Straight line emergency stop &gt;&gt;&gt; handfuls of both! (rear will lock)</p> <p>Emergency stop when cornering in wet weather &gt;&gt;&gt; hope there isn't a queue in A&amp;E.</p> <p>*edit* above applies to road bike only. </p>