First bike in 10~ years - Hybrid?

SexyGreyFox · 13 May 2015 at 17:38

Vonhelmet said:
Maybe I'm muddling things up. Either way, the front brake is way more effective in actually slowing you down, so should be the main one you use.

The proof of this is just to push the bike and brake. On all 4 of my bikes if I front brake I can't push it any further without the back wheel lifting off the floor. If I back brake I can still push the bike with the back wheel sliding across the floor.

lordrobs · 13 May 2015 at 18:14

The front can definately take more braking effort as it has the majority of the weight distribution when braking.

Unfortunately too many people have seen Sheldon Brown say to only use your front and take it as gospel.

Vonhelmet · 13 May 2015 at 18:29

You shouldn't only use your front, but you should primarily use it.

grudas · 13 May 2015 at 19:27

It depends on the situation.. I use both brakes when I try to stop, use front to manage my speed.. Use rear while cornering only! Wet road also results in more use of rear - easier to handle it the bike if the tyre lets go!

Andr3w · 13 May 2015 at 22:37

So when I'm hurtling downhill and I start to poo myself because of the speed, how would I ease off a little?

Vonhelmet · 13 May 2015 at 22:46

Andr3w said:
So when I'm hurtling downhill and I start to poo myself because of the speed, how would I ease off a little?

Brake gently. I'd use the front and then the back a bit as well if needs be. It's worth noting that the amount you poo yourself is inversely proportional to how much you trust your brakes. If you don't trust them at all then it will be maximum poo, but if you do trust them, then you can hurtle down hill and brake pretty late with only some mild trumping and possibly a skid mark. BOOM BOOM. Trust comes with experience, so you will need to build up to it before you can really throw the bike around and trust the brakes to catch you.

Going back to the locking up discussion... I think the point I'm eventually arriving at is that it's easier to lock up your rear wheel, though generally less catastrophic than locking up your front wheel.

PinkFloyd · 13 May 2015 at 23:22

Andr3w said:
So when I'm hurtling downhill and I start to poo myself because of the speed, how would I ease off a little?

Braking aside, you'd potentially be surprised at how much of a difference sitting up will make, that combined with easing in the brakes should tide you over for any normal riding.

I think you could easily argue that if you are regularly getting into positions where you are locking brakes on the road you are riding too aggressively or just have terrible luck with people jumping in your way!

arknor · 14 May 2015 at 01:27

I always use the same amount of force on each brake.
Got mine set up so the wheels only lock up if I use loads of force on the levers..

What do the laws of physics say about locking both brakes at the same time anyway?
I'm imagining your just going to skid along and not fly over the bars? unless your on a steep descent as there's no sudden transference of weight from the rear to the front of the bike?

grudas · 14 May 2015 at 01:34

If you lock up your front you'll go over bars or your wheel will wash out from under you

that's why I reduce my use of front brake in wet, dirty roads.. Any small bit of sand/dirt etc can end up in me washing out.. Rear on that note is easier to lock up as such and easier to control ! The main reason I guess is the fact that on braking your weight shifts towards the front of the bike hence the rear sliding around.. Its even easier if you're out of saddle.

lordrobs · 14 May 2015 at 10:51

Andr3w said:
So when I'm hurtling downhill and I start to poo myself because of the speed, how would I ease off a little?

Apply rear brake to start shifting weight forwards and then apply the front. TBH it will all come naturally.

I've only flipped over the bars once and that was when I ended up head on with a Mondeo at a junction and just snatched both brakes. That was on a MTB though, the riding position of a road bike combined with the reduced mechanical effort of dual pivot brakes compared to V-brakes would make it much harder to do.

Grudas has already described the situations where I go with more rear bias. The other one is a mini roundabout which requires a flick left then heavy right. I always carry too much speed for the right turn and use the rear brake only to scrub off a bit of speed.