Hi girls,

I have this dilemma, anyone have any suggestions? I'm still a newbie biker, so any advice no matter how simple is appreciated! I usually do pretty well on road rides; I don't ride the brakes down hills unless something spooks me (like big texas pickup trucks that honk as they drive past!) or I know that I'm gonna have to make a complete stop at the bottom of a steep hill. My problem comes when I go on this social ride through downtown on thursdays. There are a few fun hills, but there is also a lot of traffic and 50+ riders, all of whom ride at different speeds. I tend to ride the brakes on these rides because there are lots of people in the way, and there's really just nowhere to go. Most of the people out there are fairly inexperienced at road riding, and will take up all of the lanes of traffic in our direction (which I totally do not agree with by the way). I know this is bad for the brakes/bike, but what else can I do? I don't want to give up the ride because of the friends I've made. I try feathering, I try to pass when able, and I try to alternate between front and rear brakes. How can I minimize potential damage? Help!!