Braking technique - Right or Wrong?

Yeah, just use your judgement and assessment of the conditions. My front brake does most of the work, most of the time, but I'm not going to slam it on when I'm banked over on a muddy/gravelly bend.

Regards

First; As a professional trail builder I beg you all to refrain from skidding your back wheel, It damages trails.

Second; I believe the biggest braking problem you have over there is that you've got the levers backwards. If you had them the right way round, like here in Canada, you wouldn't have nearly as much trouble trying to stop.

Third; Sheldon was the worst MTB'r and never rode suspension forks.

coming from bmx where I rode with only a rear brake, 'cause of the mad skid, I tend to drag the rear brake if I want to just scub off some speed, but am not in a hurry to slow down. But other wise I use both brakes and it just depends on the conditions, steepness, terrain and weight shifting will depend on which brake gets more or less power, but it would normally be the front can be anywhere from 100 to zero, but the rear might be 100% but would probably never get below 10%

There have been times usually associated with panic where ive had to brake so heavily that the rear wheel lifts off the ground by a few inches.
Therefore the rear brake isnt so important. That said i wouldnt like to use the front alone especially on those big panicky braking sessions :?
It is very noticeable when you are braking heavily the way the rear immediately causes the front to really bite.

Im not sure youll get the same effect or power from anything but discs.

T'boo Ted":13faqgau said:

coming from bmx where I rode with only a rear brake, 'cause of the mad skid, I tend to drag the rear brake if I want to just scub off some speed, but am not in a hurry to slow down. But other wise I use both brakes and it just depends on the conditions, steepness, terrain and weight shifting will depend on which brake gets more or less power, but it would normally be the front can be anywhere from 100 to zero, but the rear might be 100% but would probably never get below 10%

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I think this quite appropriately describes what I do to.

With the reference to skidding, I avoid it if possible as you don't have full control if you are skidding but at the same time see that there are time when it may happen and be effective.

Maybe it's me having never ridden full sus as these guys were but it would seem that maybe this front brake technique fits with the modern way better than the old skool finesse way better (like the way we have to pick our route down a trail and be mindful of objects in front of us where the modern bike rider can just steamroller over a lot of stuff).

Carl.

Front wheel braking works great with full sus or big front forks that absorb the worst the trail throws at you. Rigid or old school front forks will see you go over the bars if you emphasise the front braking on a trail. Bum back over the rear wheel and rear braking with front wheel still turning and thus steering has always worked for me. Brakes are most effective with weight on top of the wheel they're being applied to. Old school back weighting bike gives good rear braking and puts you further away from business/crashy end of bike

Does depend a lot on the brakes too. More modulation is better, some brakes are almost like sticking something through the spokes.........

velomaniac":2fcjde70 said:

Front wheel braking works great with full sus or big front forks that absorb the worst the trail throws at you. Rigid or old school front forks will see you go over the bars if you emphasise the front braking on a trail. Bum back over the rear wheel and rear braking with front wheel still turning and thus steering has always worked for me. Brakes are most effective with weight on top of the wheel they're being applied to. Old school back weighting bike gives good rear braking and puts you further away from business/crashy end of bike

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That's me in the woods when its steeeep.. (full rigid ride, suspension is your tyres, arms and legs)

Everywhere else I use front or rear>front as much as possible according to surface/conditions

trail_head":5nxhraww said:

First; As a professional trail builder I beg you all to refrain from skidding your back wheel, It damages trails.

Second; I believe the biggest braking problem you have over there is that you've got the levers backwards. If you had them the right way round, like here in Canada, you wouldn't have nearly as much trouble trying to stop.

Third; Sheldon was the worst MTB'r and never rode suspension forks.

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On roads it's easy to modulate a properly set-up bike to the point where you can decide how much slip the rear tyre gets, but on uneven terrain it just isn't that easy. The worse the terrain gets, the more difficult modulation becomes. Eventually it becomes an "all or nothing" affair.
As a rider the logical response is to just lock them up. No matter how good you try to modulate the rear brake, once the tyre locks up momentarily any non-professional rider will instinctively keep the brake on hard because you just can't regain proper braking that easily. Attempting to regain control over the brake would mean letting the brake go for a bit and getting a feel for the tyre's grip again, which will add several yards to your braking distance.

I completely understand what you say about damaging the trials though.

As for the second point, it's hard to agree. IMO it depends on which hand you have the best control over. I'm left handed, so I should be driving the UK layout instead of having them the proper way around like I do now.

Both brakes with as much as they'll take without locking.