Rear Brakes (and group rides)

[referencerocks]

Hello, all!

My dad has been encouraging me to try biking with the local bike club -- I'm still not sure what I think of it. I was looking up club rules and ran into something in the Safety section I don't really understand. It mentions the rear brakes twice:

• Know which brake handle is for your rear brake.
• Use more braking force on your rear brake - Do not use only your front brake.

Can somebody explain why rear braking is highlighted and particularily why it's highlighted in the context of a group ride?

Thank you!

[OakLeaf]

It IS possible to endo a road bike under braking. It is not an urban legend. I learned this the hard way seven months ago. Luckily I escaped with only minor injuries.

About three-fourths of your braking power comes from the front brake. Also, it's easy to lock up the rear wheel under braking as your weight shifts to the front. That - plus the belief that endo-ing a road bike under braking is an urban legend - is why a lot of people get into the bad habit of using the front brake exclusively. You'll get the most effective stopping power by learning to modulate both brakes, and shifting your weight back under braking.

Braking skills are extra important in a group ride because unless your riding buddies are extremely skilled, you're likely to be changing speed more quickly than you'd have to if you were alone. But just as important as knowing how to use your brakes is learning NOT to. In a group ride, you do not want to touch your brakes unless it's absolutely necessary. Slow down by sitting up and pulling out of the draft slightly. Soft-pedal (i.e. turn the pedals just slightly slower than what it takes to drive the wheel) and do not stop pedaling unless you intend to brake - when you stop pedaling, that's a signal to the person behind you that you're going to be stopping quickly, so they'll back off and potentially lose your draft, then have to accelerate to catch back up with you.

You should leave a fairly decent gap between you and the next rider until you're comfortable with your handling skills.

[referencerocks]

and do not stop pedaling unless you intend to brake - when you stop pedaling, that's a signal to the person behind you that you're going to be stopping quickly, .

I had no idea . . .

[westtexas]

I had no idea that most people use their front brakes over the rear - I've always been paranoid of going over the front from braking too hard. I think I use my rear one almost exclusively, unless travelling at a high rate of speed down a hill, then I pulse between the front and back to control the freefall. Sometimes I have found I have actually forgotten to turn the clamp on the front brake back "on" after replacing the front wheel, but I never notice because I honestly rarely use it.

Pretty interesting stuff!

[OakLeaf]

Use it. Don't be so afraid of it that you don't. You need the stopping power, and most of it comes from the front brake. It's just physics. I got through I don't know how many miles in my lifetime, but over 40,000 miles for sure, using mostly front brake and believing that it wasn't possible to endo under braking, until I finally got caught out. Not being able to stop fast enough is a much more common situation, and you don't want to make that any more likely than it already is.

The only thing I'm working hard to change is not reaching for the front brake first, and being sure to shift my weight. It's important to use BOTH brakes.