Rear Brake Old-biker advice

[Jacobien]

Ok, just spoke (had an tiny argument) with a novice biker. He says you should use the rear brake when riding normally and only use the front in emergencies. :disapprove:

I use the front during normal riding as the rear is too easy to lock up. I use both in emergencies finding the balance between front and rear. The front also has a better feel to me.

He also stated that he frequently locks-up the rear, so how does it make sense to him?

Anywayz, is there some kind of old biking wisdom that I am missing here???

Peace

 

[pt1979]

front brakes = main brakes for me.
rear brakes = for stabilizing the bike and when I need "full brake power", which means I use front AND rear brakes.

that's also what an Instructor told us at the last safety training.
Ex-Race Driver and instructor for more than 15years.
I go with his opinion... :thumbup:

 

[Kazza]

front brakes = main brakes for me.
rear brakes = for stabilizing the bike and when I need "full brake power", which means I use front AND rear brakes.

that's also what an Instructor told us at the last safety training.
Ex-Race Driver and instructor for more than 15years.
I go with his opinion... :thumbup:

I'm with you ^^^^^^^


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Davey]

Front brakes have much more stopping power than the rear. For me it's always my main brake, but I do use the rear brake quite a bit too. It depends on the situation of course.

Emergency braking = both. Normal riding mostly front, with a little rear if needed while cornering to avoid losing/diving the front. But for maneuvers like turning around at slow speeds I always drag the rear and never touch the front to avoid the fork diving and losing balance.

However, normal riding using the rear as the main brake sounds not right to me!

 

[krushnuts]

+1000

Front = 90% of your breaking power. When you break, the weight of the bike goes forward, so much that the rear of the bike becomes very light, or even leaves the ground in extreem circumstances... Rear brake does reduce the distance to stop, so using it very lightly when hard front breaking can help you stop that extra meter or two, which could make the difference!

Using the rear break just a little whilst making slow turns can also help stabilise the bike.

 

[wolfe1down]

There is a reason that the front wheel has two disc brakes on it, and the rear only one. Most of your stopping power is on the front end, and there the physics works for you. :thumbup:

+1

 

[Tailgate]

As you said, "...a NOVICE biker." Not much different from somebody saying, for example, "you should only use your car's emergency brake for normal braking, don't use your front brakes." What else does novice biker say: "Under normal circumstances, you should only use your left hand (if you're right-handed) to wipe your butt"?

 

[Taku]

"Under normal circumstances, you should only use your left hand (if you're right-handed) to wipe your butt"?

What would you describe as an emergency situation in the toilet? :rof:

 

[Shamus McFeeley]

There is a reason that the front wheel has two disc brakes on it, and the rear only one. Most of your stopping power is on the front end, and there the physics works for you. :thumbup:

+1

If this was a person used to older bikes, they might be thinking of having only 1 front rotor. I've had a few bikes from the 80's era and some of them had brakes that can only be described as "wooden". The CB400T I had was like this. Still not a good idea to translate into the modern era with.

 

[novaks47]

If this was a person used to older bikes, they might be thinking of having only 1 front rotor. I've had a few bikes from the 80's era and some of them had brakes that can only be described as "wooden". The CB400T I had was like this. Still not a good idea to translate into the modern era with.

Either that, or he's used to BMX bikes. Seriously, when I went from BMX to mountain bikes, it took me forever to actually start using the front brakes!

 

[deeptekkie]

I just use them both in unison, (and the way I ride it usually takes both of them : ) !
All seriousness aside: Experience is the best teacher and every bike is different, (just like road surfaces). Your front brake is by far the most powerful but there are times when it can get you into trouble too.