Once I was mountain biking and the guy in front of me fell so I instinctively slammed on the brakes, went over the handlebars, my face went straight into the side of the mountain at 30+ mph, I had 12 hour reconstructive facial surgery. Thankfully only evidence is a small scar. But at the time thought I would never be able to speak or eat again. Surgeon told me there was a hole the size of his finger through my tongue.
I‘ve been told that wearing a full face helmet and goggles makes me look aggressive and like I‘m taking risks. No dude. A branch to the face can break your jaw. A twig in your eye can make you lose it. I‘m just being sensible with the most vulnerable part of my body.
I'll bet he said "Watch this!" during the surgery, and>! stuck his finger through the hole and waggled it, and said "bel-el-ele-ele-ele-el"!<.
I'm going to the special hell, now.
I had a friend who rode his bike to work everyday. Turned a sharp corner one day, hit a wet patch, hit the front backs and flipped right over and landed face first. His face was so jacked up, a tooth went through his lip, and he still went to work. His boss was like WTF and sent him home.
Exactly a week later, he did the exact same thing, in the exact same spot.
I learned in middle school. My buddy got this really fancy mountain bike, and none of us had ever seen one before, much less disk brakes. He was letting us take turns riding it up and down the street, but when he saw his mom coming down the road he freaked and said I had to get off. I panicked and squeezed the brakes hard. We'll the front wheel immediately locked and and the whole thing flipped over. His mom laughed and laughed.
Exact same thing happened with my new bike. I was letting my buddies try it out in the street in front of my house. I even warned them that the front brake is strong so be careful. First guy grabs the front brake, wheel locks, it flung him forward, back end of bike lifted up and smacked into my neighbors car. Luckily no damage.
You *do* indeed need to use the front brake because that's where 80% of your stopping power comes from but OP needs to learn progressive braking instead of grabbing a handful of frontbrake.
Everybody is saying this but nobody's explaining HOW 😭 I only use the back ones because the front ones squeak and are too sudden
Thank you everybody!!! I think I can't do it with my bike specifically because even with a gentle tap of the lever it's sudden still
When you brake, your weight shifts to the front wheel. This makes the front brake more effective, while the rear brake’s effectiveness diminishes.
Ever sideslip or fishtail while braking with your rear? The weight transfer is why.
But, if you grab the front brake too hard (and don’t have antilock brakes), you can stoppie and go over the front.
Bottom line: You can decelerate much faster with the front brake than the rear brake. Use both to brake optimally.
Pull the lever. The bike slows down/stops. No special technique required.
If you pull the front brake too hard, the rear wheel will start to come off the ground. This is not a problem, just reduce the amount you are squeezing the lever and the back wheel will go back down again.
The only reason people go over the handlebars is because they panic and squeeze the brake harder when the back wheel starts to lift. If a lever has made the bike do something you don't want it to do, pulling it harder will only make the problem worse.
(The squeaking and suddenness are likely due to lack of use/maintenance, not design)
Thank :) I think your last paranthesis is right too, because even when I do it lightly it still brakes very hard I have no idea why. I'll probably need to have it looked at before I can experiment using the front brakes. I just thought they were akin to a hand brake or something and that the squeak is because it holds on really tight LOL
To add what other comment said. When you use front brakes wheel rotation tries to lift you up and puts more pressure on front, making sure that it does not skid. With the rear breaking it pushes your fron wheel in to the ground and shifts your weight forward making it easier to just skid along without slowing you down effectively. Key is to use both all/most of the time, but sitting down or pushing your weight backwards. That way more energy will be needed to lift your back wheel up.
Or get to a wide open parking lot and practice with your gear on. YouTube is an amazing resource for new riders. Check out motojitsu. Steer clear of dandanthefireman. He just wants to sell subscriptions to his fear mongering.
Okay as a cyclist I'll help you out, firstly squeaking could be wet or badly set up brakes. If it's all the time, get someone who is knowledgeable or a shop to look at them.
Secondly if they're sudden that's on you grabbing the lever too hard you want to be gentle with it, you'll get a feel over time of how hard you need to grab them but generally speaking a little gentle squeeze is all you should need to slow you down. If you are braking suddenly that's a clear indication you're grabbing them too hard.
Get your bike checked out to make sure it’s good to ride. Then take a beginner rider class. Usually around $250-300. I scheduled my class, then high sided due to front brake misuse. Then had to reschedule the class (embarrassing).
Oh interesting! I only bike around the neighbourhood for fun, not to actually travel. I think I would invest if I actually were to be going long distances
Exactly. I was riding downhill once with a guy who burst his rear brake line on the first jump when it got caught in the suspension. I thought he would call it a day but nope. Mad Lad did a 4hr DH sesh with only a front brake. Riding flat out too..
When I got a motorcycle my neighbor told me not to use the front brakes.
I’m like dude you’re on a heavy ass Harley, if you managed to get the back wheel up when braking I’d be shocked.
I’m pretty sure if I didn’t use my front brakes when someone pulled out in front of me I would’ve ended up with more than a broken wrist.
I always love the “had to lay her down” crowd who locked up the front brakes but avoided the crash that never would have happened if they’d known how to use the front brake.
Still wouldn’t trade away the ABS on my bike, though.
Same mindset as the “loud pipes save lives” crowd. If that were true, imagine what learning to ride the thing would do. 😂
I didn’t lay her down haha, I slammed into the side of the car. She was at a red light and decided to make a U-turn while I was going through the intersection. I had a neon yellow helmet and it was a clear day. It turns out no amount of gear will make you visible to some drivers. Thankfully I always wore full gear so it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been.
The insurance settlement helped pay for a new car and tuition at college, so that was fun.
My spouse was in insurance and argues that if you get a big settlement you earned it. And not the good way.
I wear all the gear now, but I can see the day coming when I hang it up. Too much can go wrong and I don’t heal like I did forty years ago.
Same. I took a Motocross racing school years ago and they made us do an exercise where we applied front brake with the gas on until the wheel locked up then continue to try and ride with the front wheel locked up as long as we could. It’s a great skill builder.
I got new tires put on from the local place and now my ABS light is on. The semi-local dealer closed, so now I'm waiting for a trailer hitch to be put on my car so I can drive 200 miles to the next nearest dealer to get that, as well as a warranty issue sorted out. I really don't like riding without ABS.
I’ve never had the luxury of having ABS on my motorcycles over the past 17 years of riding. Definitely a nice feature to have because no amount of skill is going to be able to out do how fast the ABS can respond to emergency inputs.
Correct. Like a car, the front brakes can do the majority of your braking. But you don't slam on them exclusively. You need to use both. No different than how a car will nosedive if the back brakes aren't working but the front brakes are always bigger/stronger because they do the majority of the braking (70-80% of it in a car/truck).
My e-bike has a lot of rear weight (battery, hub drive, panniers) so I can pretty much slam on the front brakes and the back end doesn't lift up at all.
Yeah as a kid my parents didn't believe in all that BMX nonsense so I always got the old granny Raleigh type bicycles. Even those heavy framed ungainly bikes could dump you over the handlebars if you front braked while going fast enough.
That said, I eventually appreciated having to use those heavy bikes - they really drove home the fact that inertia is a thing and you better not plan to do any stupid last minute braking or swerving or whatever. If you could pop a wheelie on those things, doing it on a BMX was piss easy.
Yup, front brakes are actually significantly more effective than rear brakes. Bonus points if you use both brakes at the same time. Shift your weight towards the back wheel and let em rip.
Yeah as a kid I quickly learned that those fuckers GRIP. It just meant that you don't stupidly grab them first. Or do the manual rapid brake-then-release like mimicking how you braked in cars to avoid locking before ABS was a thing.
I think I only ever sailed over the handlebars once. Most of the time if I accidentally clenched on the front brakes I'd let go fast enough to just pop a back wheelie briefly.
As long as the photo is originally saved in Snapchat you can just go back in the app click edit snap then text and delete the caption.
Sorry you got banged up hope you didn’t break anything!
my 8yo daughters got their first "big girl" bikes with gears and hand brakes. FIRST lesson was to NOT brake with just one brake - gotta use both. lock the front and you'll lose steering control. lock the back and you'll fishtail.
At least for motorcycles the front brake exerts roughly 70% of the overall braking power... as in more than double that of rear brakes.
The *ratio* you work both brakes is important, but more importantly is to *not* death grip the front brakes in a panic situation
This is true for all vehicles. The fronts do 70% of the braking work, as you slow the wheel, the weight of the bike and rider stacks against the front wheel (object in motion stays in motion until acted upon by an outside force, etc) so the front brakes tend to be more powerful. The rear wheel gets the weight lifted off of it so it becomes easier to lock up, but correct amounts of braking to both sides of a vehicle results in manageable, predictable deceleration
I’m Dutch and you’re suffering from skill issue, I almost always bike with one hand or no hands and just very gently brake with one hand.
Jokes aside, definitely good to signal before braking just like you would with a car. But most people here definitely bike one or no handed and if you’re careful it doesn’t really matter braking wise.
Nobody is out here doing the brake signal while riding a bike. I'd bet the majority of people wouldnt understand an offhand turn signal (pointing up with your right hand to signal left or w/e), even less people are going to understand a brake hand signal.
That's why I signal and ride like they don't see me. Too many people get hit because they assume drivers are competent and alert. I don't typically signal for braking though unless a car is right on me and I'm stopping somewhere unexpectedly. Not at intersections though. If they didn't see the red light in front of them, they probably didn't see the brake signal either.
>Nobody is out here doing the brake signal while riding a bike.
I do, but you're right that no one fucking understands them.
Most people just think I'm waving at them and wave back.
I can only use one break since I got nerve damage in my left hand. It's a little hairy at times because I still haven't figured out a "fix" so I've got both breaks. I don't ride so much anymore so it's never caused any issues luckily. I can't even hold the handlebar for long periods. My hand just flies off if I hit a pot hole.
When I was younger, I had gotten used to having both brakes and having a bike where I could pedal backwards. Then I went to my grandma's house and rode the bike she had for us there which I could not. So when I peddled backwards I slammed the brakes went over my handlebars and no longer had skin on my knees.
When I was a kid, I was gifted an old bike from my neighbors. It had the most sensitive front brake I've ever encountered. You didn't have to give it much pressure to completely lock up the front wheel.
At one point I had a buddy ride my bike and I told him to tap the front brake. The bike immediately stopped, he slid forward, and got nut checked. We both laughed so fucking hard. Good times.
My instructors on the course said it's like 80% of braking (i may be off a little bit with the percentage). Some others commenting have either never taken the course and/or have never ridden a motorcycle.
Young gen way of literally saying "Gravel is my opposition(enemy) on god" like a gangster but really its saying something like "I fucking hate gravel". Heard it from people who are in their late twenties to high schoolers. Not fun.
To be fair, my generation did the same thing when online chatting (yahoo, AIM, ICQ, etc) came around. Now we’re the old fogies waving our fists at the clouds!
It's always funny to see older generations dunk on younger generations about using slang whilst y'all weren't any different when you were young, but people tend to forget that it seems.
this is dumb as hell lol. you out here typing television,advertisement, or refrigerator in full every single time?
Slang evolves, words get shortened, jokes change, and dialects form . You're the same as the old fucks you hated when you were a kid. Who were no different than the damn WW1 vets bitching about them, who were no different from Horace in 1BC.
Edit: ima throw in "essays in idleness" since that complains about the youths changing of a language and it was written by a medieval Japanese era boomer
Stupid question here but is there any downside really to only using back brake? Just a habit I picked up and I haven’t really been in a situation where using front seems essential, however that could just be that I really only bike around my city on nice open sidewalks
You’ll brake much slower only using your rear brake. During a regular ride that might not be an issue, but when a child decides to walk in front you’ll want to brake quickly.
Always practice using both brakes. The only time you shouldn’t use the front is when cornering (if you’re going fast) especially if you’re cornering on a gravel road.
60-70% of your braking power is provided by your front brake.
If performance isn't enough of a reason, you'll get much more life out of your pads if you use both.
I see countless bikes come into the shop with rear pads needing replacement while the fronts look fine.
Even if you don't use them (for rubber pads/rim brakes) they sort of have a predetermined lifespan, as the rubber compound eventually dries out and hardens, making it a less efficient braking surface.
So for best safety and cost savings, use both brakes!
I had my first sport bike for about 6 hours before I dumped it.
Went on my first ride with with my other young inexperienced friends. Ended up grabbing the front brake lever during some dumbshit riding and ended up going down doing about 60mph.
Bicycles should just have a brake bias switch. 62% rear 38% front. Except when you are lapping Monza, then you move it a little more to the rear for turn 1.
Do you have any idea how complicated that would be oh wait F1 reference. You'll spend 5 mil developing it, and 15 mil hiding it from everybody until a ruling body notices some peculiar leg movement.
Until a meddling photographer peeks inside the [pedal box of your McLaren ](https://www.mclaren.com/racing/latest-news/mclarenracing/article/mclaren-extra-pedal-3153421/).
Or a pedal that is 2mm too wide and causing excessive downforce. You would also have to fit shitty tyres that can't make it down to the shops without exploding.
Thank goodness it’s not that bad. That’s what we millennials and older all got as kids almost everyday playing outside.
I think we’ve all learned that lesson lol.
I try to teach cyclists (US) to signal and drink from the bottle with the left hand, which leaves the right hand to cover the rear brake in case of a panic stop. In England the brake levers are opposite, cover the rear with the left hand.
Rear break slows you down then the front break stops. Rear then front. If you want to slow down use the rear and ease the front for faster stopping power if needed. Slam the front expect to flip forward. Slam the back expect a slow stop. Slam both you're going to lose control.
You can absolutely use the front brakes, but you have to have a feel for it and not go overboard. You are more likely to lock up the brakes if you just use the rears. Every time you brake there’s weight shift so there’s more traction in the front, but you just have to be more diligent with it. I road bike and mountain bike, I mainly use rear brakes to rotate myself around corners on the mountain bike and use front and rear brakes to tighten a line while road biking around high speed corners. Each has its own usage. I personally prefer Shimano XT or XTR disc brakes because they have a much more controlled and progressive feel.
You most certainly do use the front brake on bikes, carefully. I'll hit the back brake, then supplement it with the front. If either locks up, you need more practice.
I always use my back brakes first to slow most of the way down, then my front and back together. Front only results in an unexpected dismount of the bike in a forward facing direction.
Whoever told you not to use the front brakes is dumb. It's also dumb to use the front only.
I recommend taking a MSF course if you're having issues but this is clearly a skill issue and not an equipment issue
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*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
ITT boomers that take grievance over slang. Here is a translation for those still living in 1689: "I do declare, my brother, that I find gravel to be thine enemy, only Lord knows."
I remember learning that the hard way as a kid. Was going way too fast and the bike just flung me over the the front of the handles and front wheel. Not fun
One of my first times riding a bike.
I was on a hill and it was starting to roll
I was young, so the bike was lowkey too big for me
I used the front brakes on accident
Got lauched forward
Never hit my nuts on anything that hard again (up to this point, at least)
I hadn’t ridden a bike in years and was flying down the street a couple years ago and for some stupid reason pulled only the front brake, slingshotting me into the ground HARD. A visit to the ER the next morning after I couldn’t move my arm all night confirmed a broken elbow and 3 fractured ribs.
You're supposed to use the back brakes to start slowing down and then ease in on the front brake to come to a full stop! If you use the front brakes only to stop, well, I guess you already know now that you'll do an Endo?!😬🤦♂️
When I was younger (13 or so) I had gotten used to having both brakes and having a bike where I could pedal backwards. Then I went to my grandma's house and rode the bike she had for us there which I could not. So when I peddled backwards I slammed the brakes went over my handlebars and no longer had skin on my knees. Took me a month to heal. Years for the scars to finally go away
You DO use front brakes. Just not like that. Welcome to the club! Buy some gear.
Once I was mountain biking and the guy in front of me fell so I instinctively slammed on the brakes, went over the handlebars, my face went straight into the side of the mountain at 30+ mph, I had 12 hour reconstructive facial surgery. Thankfully only evidence is a small scar. But at the time thought I would never be able to speak or eat again. Surgeon told me there was a hole the size of his finger through my tongue.
Surgeon: “Oops, uh, my bad…”
Doctor: wow that hole in his tongue is as big as my finger. Nurse: I don’t know… Doctor: no really, watch. Nurse: huh, well I’ll be darned.
I‘ve been told that wearing a full face helmet and goggles makes me look aggressive and like I‘m taking risks. No dude. A branch to the face can break your jaw. A twig in your eye can make you lose it. I‘m just being sensible with the most vulnerable part of my body.
Respect. Always use appropriate PPE.
Jesus! I should be dead the number of times I’ve crashed mountain bikes lol.
I'll bet he said "Watch this!" during the surgery, and>! stuck his finger through the hole and waggled it, and said "bel-el-ele-ele-ele-el"!<. I'm going to the special hell, now.
How can someone who has brought me so much joy from a comment end up in hell. Unthinkable.
I had a friend who rode his bike to work everyday. Turned a sharp corner one day, hit a wet patch, hit the front backs and flipped right over and landed face first. His face was so jacked up, a tooth went through his lip, and he still went to work. His boss was like WTF and sent him home. Exactly a week later, he did the exact same thing, in the exact same spot.
[удалено]
I know a guy who fell back from the first step of a ladder and lost use of one of his arm for like a year
or when to use his brakes, unfortunately.
 (It didn't have the tooth through the lip gif. All I got is this)
Brilliant
Yeah, a lot of us learn this lesson the hard way. I know I did. Also, polysporin is wonderful thing.
I learned in middle school. My buddy got this really fancy mountain bike, and none of us had ever seen one before, much less disk brakes. He was letting us take turns riding it up and down the street, but when he saw his mom coming down the road he freaked and said I had to get off. I panicked and squeezed the brakes hard. We'll the front wheel immediately locked and and the whole thing flipped over. His mom laughed and laughed.
Exact same thing happened with my new bike. I was letting my buddies try it out in the street in front of my house. I even warned them that the front brake is strong so be careful. First guy grabs the front brake, wheel locks, it flung him forward, back end of bike lifted up and smacked into my neighbors car. Luckily no damage.
You *do* indeed need to use the front brake because that's where 80% of your stopping power comes from but OP needs to learn progressive braking instead of grabbing a handful of frontbrake.
Everybody is saying this but nobody's explaining HOW 😭 I only use the back ones because the front ones squeak and are too sudden Thank you everybody!!! I think I can't do it with my bike specifically because even with a gentle tap of the lever it's sudden still
When you brake, your weight shifts to the front wheel. This makes the front brake more effective, while the rear brake’s effectiveness diminishes. Ever sideslip or fishtail while braking with your rear? The weight transfer is why. But, if you grab the front brake too hard (and don’t have antilock brakes), you can stoppie and go over the front. Bottom line: You can decelerate much faster with the front brake than the rear brake. Use both to brake optimally.
Pull the lever. The bike slows down/stops. No special technique required. If you pull the front brake too hard, the rear wheel will start to come off the ground. This is not a problem, just reduce the amount you are squeezing the lever and the back wheel will go back down again. The only reason people go over the handlebars is because they panic and squeeze the brake harder when the back wheel starts to lift. If a lever has made the bike do something you don't want it to do, pulling it harder will only make the problem worse. (The squeaking and suddenness are likely due to lack of use/maintenance, not design)
Thank :) I think your last paranthesis is right too, because even when I do it lightly it still brakes very hard I have no idea why. I'll probably need to have it looked at before I can experiment using the front brakes. I just thought they were akin to a hand brake or something and that the squeak is because it holds on really tight LOL
To add what other comment said. When you use front brakes wheel rotation tries to lift you up and puts more pressure on front, making sure that it does not skid. With the rear breaking it pushes your fron wheel in to the ground and shifts your weight forward making it easier to just skid along without slowing you down effectively. Key is to use both all/most of the time, but sitting down or pushing your weight backwards. That way more energy will be needed to lift your back wheel up.
Or get to a wide open parking lot and practice with your gear on. YouTube is an amazing resource for new riders. Check out motojitsu. Steer clear of dandanthefireman. He just wants to sell subscriptions to his fear mongering.
Okay as a cyclist I'll help you out, firstly squeaking could be wet or badly set up brakes. If it's all the time, get someone who is knowledgeable or a shop to look at them. Secondly if they're sudden that's on you grabbing the lever too hard you want to be gentle with it, you'll get a feel over time of how hard you need to grab them but generally speaking a little gentle squeeze is all you should need to slow you down. If you are braking suddenly that's a clear indication you're grabbing them too hard.
Get your bike checked out to make sure it’s good to ride. Then take a beginner rider class. Usually around $250-300. I scheduled my class, then high sided due to front brake misuse. Then had to reschedule the class (embarrassing).
Oh interesting! I only bike around the neighbourhood for fun, not to actually travel. I think I would invest if I actually were to be going long distances
At the very least, helmet, gloves, boots. Be safe bro
Thank you !
Why you don’t use them incorrectly. Ftfy
lmao yea they're just there as a trap to eliminate the less skilled riders ... smh
Exactly. I was riding downhill once with a guy who burst his rear brake line on the first jump when it got caught in the suspension. I thought he would call it a day but nope. Mad Lad did a 4hr DH sesh with only a front brake. Riding flat out too..
lmao not acording to OP
they're
thanks 👍
Hes ready for a motorcycle now. SMH
When I got a motorcycle my neighbor told me not to use the front brakes. I’m like dude you’re on a heavy ass Harley, if you managed to get the back wheel up when braking I’d be shocked. I’m pretty sure if I didn’t use my front brakes when someone pulled out in front of me I would’ve ended up with more than a broken wrist.
I always love the “had to lay her down” crowd who locked up the front brakes but avoided the crash that never would have happened if they’d known how to use the front brake. Still wouldn’t trade away the ABS on my bike, though. Same mindset as the “loud pipes save lives” crowd. If that were true, imagine what learning to ride the thing would do. 😂
I didn’t lay her down haha, I slammed into the side of the car. She was at a red light and decided to make a U-turn while I was going through the intersection. I had a neon yellow helmet and it was a clear day. It turns out no amount of gear will make you visible to some drivers. Thankfully I always wore full gear so it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. The insurance settlement helped pay for a new car and tuition at college, so that was fun.
My spouse was in insurance and argues that if you get a big settlement you earned it. And not the good way. I wear all the gear now, but I can see the day coming when I hang it up. Too much can go wrong and I don’t heal like I did forty years ago.
I plan on being brighter than the Sun and still assuming that everyone is blind and moronic
ATGATT
I use my front break almost exclusively on my motorcycle. The back break only makes an appearance in surprise stops.
Same. I took a Motocross racing school years ago and they made us do an exercise where we applied front brake with the gas on until the wheel locked up then continue to try and ride with the front wheel locked up as long as we could. It’s a great skill builder.
> I always love the “had to lay her down” "Ride the Slide"
I got new tires put on from the local place and now my ABS light is on. The semi-local dealer closed, so now I'm waiting for a trailer hitch to be put on my car so I can drive 200 miles to the next nearest dealer to get that, as well as a warranty issue sorted out. I really don't like riding without ABS.
I’ve never had the luxury of having ABS on my motorcycles over the past 17 years of riding. Definitely a nice feature to have because no amount of skill is going to be able to out do how fast the ABS can respond to emergency inputs.
Not sure about bikes, but with a car threshold braking is definitely more effective than ABS.
"Hey guys! Watch this sick stoppie!"
Stupid post saying don’t use front brakes lol
Correct. Like a car, the front brakes can do the majority of your braking. But you don't slam on them exclusively. You need to use both. No different than how a car will nosedive if the back brakes aren't working but the front brakes are always bigger/stronger because they do the majority of the braking (70-80% of it in a car/truck).
My e-bike has a lot of rear weight (battery, hub drive, panniers) so I can pretty much slam on the front brakes and the back end doesn't lift up at all.
Don't let dreams by dreams, go faster next time before using them.
Yeah as a kid my parents didn't believe in all that BMX nonsense so I always got the old granny Raleigh type bicycles. Even those heavy framed ungainly bikes could dump you over the handlebars if you front braked while going fast enough. That said, I eventually appreciated having to use those heavy bikes - they really drove home the fact that inertia is a thing and you better not plan to do any stupid last minute braking or swerving or whatever. If you could pop a wheelie on those things, doing it on a BMX was piss easy.
I'm a fatass. So I add a lot of weight to the back. So I, too, can slam on the front brakes.
For real. Front is the main brake like in a care. Also like a car you don’t slam the brakes to stop.
Yup, front brakes are actually significantly more effective than rear brakes. Bonus points if you use both brakes at the same time. Shift your weight towards the back wheel and let em rip.
I hope all new riders read this comment because holy shit
Yeah as a kid I quickly learned that those fuckers GRIP. It just meant that you don't stupidly grab them first. Or do the manual rapid brake-then-release like mimicking how you braked in cars to avoid locking before ABS was a thing. I think I only ever sailed over the handlebars once. Most of the time if I accidentally clenched on the front brakes I'd let go fast enough to just pop a back wheelie briefly.
As long as the photo is originally saved in Snapchat you can just go back in the app click edit snap then text and delete the caption. Sorry you got banged up hope you didn’t break anything!
my 8yo daughters got their first "big girl" bikes with gears and hand brakes. FIRST lesson was to NOT brake with just one brake - gotta use both. lock the front and you'll lose steering control. lock the back and you'll fishtail.
At least for motorcycles the front brake exerts roughly 70% of the overall braking power... as in more than double that of rear brakes. The *ratio* you work both brakes is important, but more importantly is to *not* death grip the front brakes in a panic situation
This is true for all vehicles. The fronts do 70% of the braking work, as you slow the wheel, the weight of the bike and rider stacks against the front wheel (object in motion stays in motion until acted upon by an outside force, etc) so the front brakes tend to be more powerful. The rear wheel gets the weight lifted off of it so it becomes easier to lock up, but correct amounts of braking to both sides of a vehicle results in manageable, predictable deceleration
>FIRST lesson was to NOT brake with just one brake - gotta use both. So how does one use their hand signals then?
When not braking, you brake to kill your momentum as you’re slowing or at a stop you make your hand signal.
You should indicate well before you start slowing down. Does no good to signal after the fact
I’m Dutch and you’re suffering from skill issue, I almost always bike with one hand or no hands and just very gently brake with one hand. Jokes aside, definitely good to signal before braking just like you would with a car. But most people here definitely bike one or no handed and if you’re careful it doesn’t really matter braking wise.
Yea I was just referring to how the guy is teaching his 8 year old on her first big bike, she’s def gonna be lacking skill
Breaking isn't a binary on or off, use the break to slow down and do your signal then turn and carry on as normal
Take off the training wheels and just give 'em unicycles.
Nobody is out here doing the brake signal while riding a bike. I'd bet the majority of people wouldnt understand an offhand turn signal (pointing up with your right hand to signal left or w/e), even less people are going to understand a brake hand signal.
That's why I signal and ride like they don't see me. Too many people get hit because they assume drivers are competent and alert. I don't typically signal for braking though unless a car is right on me and I'm stopping somewhere unexpectedly. Not at intersections though. If they didn't see the red light in front of them, they probably didn't see the brake signal either.
>Nobody is out here doing the brake signal while riding a bike. I do, but you're right that no one fucking understands them. Most people just think I'm waving at them and wave back.
If u don't shuck at riding a bike its easy to brake with one hand and signal with the other.
I can only use one break since I got nerve damage in my left hand. It's a little hairy at times because I still haven't figured out a "fix" so I've got both breaks. I don't ride so much anymore so it's never caused any issues luckily. I can't even hold the handlebar for long periods. My hand just flies off if I hit a pot hole.
Some bikes come with a feature that triggers both brakes even if you click just one of them.
I'd rather upgrade the bikes I have then buy a new one. I like my bikes a lot.
When I was younger, I had gotten used to having both brakes and having a bike where I could pedal backwards. Then I went to my grandma's house and rode the bike she had for us there which I could not. So when I peddled backwards I slammed the brakes went over my handlebars and no longer had skin on my knees.
ya but fishtails are dope
You absolutely use them... Just not incorrectly.
This has to be the dumbest caption I've ever read.
Like, what the skibidi?
on toilet rizz gyatt frfr gang common W Edit: bussin
ONG FRFR
Avatar Ong
Pretty sure it's Vietnamese!
The pasty white freckled hand makes it so much worse.
there's no way there's still people like you on Reddit that bitch about modern slang
When I was a kid, I was gifted an old bike from my neighbors. It had the most sensitive front brake I've ever encountered. You didn't have to give it much pressure to completely lock up the front wheel. At one point I had a buddy ride my bike and I told him to tap the front brake. The bike immediately stopped, he slid forward, and got nut checked. We both laughed so fucking hard. Good times.
Don't use front brakes? Motorcycles use mostly front brakes. The key is KNOWING HOW to use them. Not avoiding them completely.
My instructors on the course said it's like 80% of braking (i may be off a little bit with the percentage). Some others commenting have either never taken the course and/or have never ridden a motorcycle.
Found out why you're not supposed to panic brake, I see.
The real question is why OP listed gravel as his opponent? The real enemy here is OP himself... that gravel did nothing wrong at all.
what the fuck does that say?
It says “hey I’m a nice suburban kid with a loving family”, I believe
Young gen way of literally saying "Gravel is my opposition(enemy) on god" like a gangster but really its saying something like "I fucking hate gravel". Heard it from people who are in their late twenties to high schoolers. Not fun.
Wait, you’re saying they speak like this and it’s not just a text shorthand?
Opp ong? What are you, 6?
I'm old. What does that mean?
Opp = opposition [just saying gravel is their enemy] Ong [on god] = I swear
Rest in pieces, full English words. We will miss you.
RIP
To be fair, my generation did the same thing when online chatting (yahoo, AIM, ICQ, etc) came around. Now we’re the old fogies waving our fists at the clouds!
This is exactly the kind of intelligent speech I would expect from someone who thinks you aren't supposed to use the front brakes on your bike
I have no idea. Kids these days can't do something as simple as typing words out.
>Kids these days can't do something as simple as typing ~~words out.~~ Fixed it for you.
It's always funny to see older generations dunk on younger generations about using slang whilst y'all weren't any different when you were young, but people tend to forget that it seems.
lol ikr
this is dumb as hell lol. you out here typing television,advertisement, or refrigerator in full every single time? Slang evolves, words get shortened, jokes change, and dialects form . You're the same as the old fucks you hated when you were a kid. Who were no different than the damn WW1 vets bitching about them, who were no different from Horace in 1BC. Edit: ima throw in "essays in idleness" since that complains about the youths changing of a language and it was written by a medieval Japanese era boomer
Gravel giving suss Ohio vibes skibidi ong fr usually a deadass rizzler sigma 💀😭
Why are yall just now learning that slang exists and is different every generation lmao
"Head bonk me no make sense."
Yeah, kid is clearly so concussed that he's typing in gibberish.
Lost some brain cells reading that fuckin' text
Back brakes first and hard ease into front brakes.
Stupid question here but is there any downside really to only using back brake? Just a habit I picked up and I haven’t really been in a situation where using front seems essential, however that could just be that I really only bike around my city on nice open sidewalks
You’ll brake much slower only using your rear brake. During a regular ride that might not be an issue, but when a child decides to walk in front you’ll want to brake quickly. Always practice using both brakes. The only time you shouldn’t use the front is when cornering (if you’re going fast) especially if you’re cornering on a gravel road.
60-70% of your braking power is provided by your front brake. If performance isn't enough of a reason, you'll get much more life out of your pads if you use both. I see countless bikes come into the shop with rear pads needing replacement while the fronts look fine. Even if you don't use them (for rubber pads/rim brakes) they sort of have a predetermined lifespan, as the rubber compound eventually dries out and hardens, making it a less efficient braking surface. So for best safety and cost savings, use both brakes!
I had my first sport bike for about 6 hours before I dumped it. Went on my first ride with with my other young inexperienced friends. Ended up grabbing the front brake lever during some dumbshit riding and ended up going down doing about 60mph.
"bro gravel my opp ong" 😭
.........on gravel
Can somebody translate this to english?
In an emergency stop, if you use the front brake only can cause the rider to lose control of the bike and fall.
Bicycles should just have a brake bias switch. 62% rear 38% front. Except when you are lapping Monza, then you move it a little more to the rear for turn 1.
Do you have any idea how complicated that would be oh wait F1 reference. You'll spend 5 mil developing it, and 15 mil hiding it from everybody until a ruling body notices some peculiar leg movement.
Until a meddling photographer peeks inside the [pedal box of your McLaren ](https://www.mclaren.com/racing/latest-news/mclarenracing/article/mclaren-extra-pedal-3153421/).
Or a pedal that is 2mm too wide and causing excessive downforce. You would also have to fit shitty tyres that can't make it down to the shops without exploding.
Meat crayon
Thank goodness it’s not that bad. That’s what we millennials and older all got as kids almost everyday playing outside. I think we’ve all learned that lesson lol.
I know everyone's got ADHD because of tik tok, but man, we gotta try to use more words
I think he meant the gravel is his opposition on God?!🤔🤷♂️
You're lucky thats all you got, I had much worse when I was a kid and did the same thing
I try to teach cyclists (US) to signal and drink from the bottle with the left hand, which leaves the right hand to cover the rear brake in case of a panic stop. In England the brake levers are opposite, cover the rear with the left hand.
Send us the picture of your wound when you only use the back brakes
Rear break slows you down then the front break stops. Rear then front. If you want to slow down use the rear and ease the front for faster stopping power if needed. Slam the front expect to flip forward. Slam the back expect a slow stop. Slam both you're going to lose control.
Front brakes are most of a bike’s brakes.
Dumb title. The front brake is the most important/useful.
*brake
“Don’t use the front brakes on bikes” you forgot “improperly”.
You do use them, you just don’t use only them
Ive never heard anybody recommend not using the front brake
That's also why you wear gloves, preferably with padded or armored knuckles.
Should be using protective clothing and also riding safely but w/e
Front brakes are the best breaks to use if you understand how they work
Tis but a flesh wound. Rub some dirt in it and walk it off
You do use the front brakes, just not to the point of flipping the bike.
Front brakes are 70% of your braking power. Don't gorilla grip the things and this wont happen.
If you're not supposed to use your front brakes there wouldn't be any. Just use them.properly.
You can absolutely use the front brakes, but you have to have a feel for it and not go overboard. You are more likely to lock up the brakes if you just use the rears. Every time you brake there’s weight shift so there’s more traction in the front, but you just have to be more diligent with it. I road bike and mountain bike, I mainly use rear brakes to rotate myself around corners on the mountain bike and use front and rear brakes to tighten a line while road biking around high speed corners. Each has its own usage. I personally prefer Shimano XT or XTR disc brakes because they have a much more controlled and progressive feel.
You most certainly do use the front brake on bikes, carefully. I'll hit the back brake, then supplement it with the front. If either locks up, you need more practice.
Seriously, relying on back breaks only is not the good idea you think it is.
Found out u need gloves on a bike
No offense OP, but this is most probably a Skill Issue. Most people can use front brakes just fine.
You Just have No Idea! Front Brake brakes the Most but you are to Rookie to Drive a Bike lol
Everything being an opp is cringe af
I always use my back brakes first to slow most of the way down, then my front and back together. Front only results in an unexpected dismount of the bike in a forward facing direction.
Front brake exist for a reason mate, skill issue
you CANNOT be caught using slang on reddit
Whoever told you not to use the front brakes is dumb. It's also dumb to use the front only. I recommend taking a MSF course if you're having issues but this is clearly a skill issue and not an equipment issue
materialistic zesty zealous cooing dinner squalid soft tart clumsy direful *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
opp ong?
Young people slang. Basically opp is opposition/enemy and ong is on God/ I swear. Summed up gravel is my enemy I swear!
>Bro gravel my opp ong Wtf does that even mean?
What is “bro gravel my opp ong”?
I always only ever had a front break on my bike. If you’re sitting down, it’s much more efficient for braking than using the back breaks.
"gravel my opp" is fucking hilarious
Bro, I'm old what's opp ong
Wtf is opp ong?
Wtf does opp ong mean?
Did nobody love you enough growing up to tell you why?
Is there an English translation?
Hear ye hear ye my dear brethren, from here on out I declare gravel my enemy on the Lord's name
Wtf is that caption?
The only opp this guy has is his brain.
Why am I seeing all these kids posting their boo boos on Reddit lately? No one cares.
ITT boomers that take grievance over slang. Here is a translation for those still living in 1689: "I do declare, my brother, that I find gravel to be thine enemy, only Lord knows."
Generally when you use front, your also using the back.
I remember my first scratch.
Well I found out why *you* don't use the front brakes on bikes
I can imagine this scene in my head
You have to lean/sit back as you do it. I'm guessing you flipped over? https://cyclingsavvy.org/2021/04/bicycling-skills-braking-and-cornering/
Some things need to be learned the hard way. I’ll bet he never uses his front brakes like that again and uses his rear brakes more often
Why did you post this? Do you have a humiliation fetish? You just don’t know how to use front brakes.
On God! 🙂↔️
This is how my brother broke his arm, consider yourself lucky to get away with a few scrapes I guess
I remember learning that the hard way as a kid. Was going way too fast and the bike just flung me over the the front of the handles and front wheel. Not fun
One of my first times riding a bike. I was on a hill and it was starting to roll I was young, so the bike was lowkey too big for me I used the front brakes on accident Got lauched forward Never hit my nuts on anything that hard again (up to this point, at least)
Found out why they invented gloves
I hadn’t ridden a bike in years and was flying down the street a couple years ago and for some stupid reason pulled only the front brake, slingshotting me into the ground HARD. A visit to the ER the next morning after I couldn’t move my arm all night confirmed a broken elbow and 3 fractured ribs.
You're supposed to use the back brakes to start slowing down and then ease in on the front brake to come to a full stop! If you use the front brakes only to stop, well, I guess you already know now that you'll do an Endo?!😬🤦♂️
When I was younger (13 or so) I had gotten used to having both brakes and having a bike where I could pedal backwards. Then I went to my grandma's house and rode the bike she had for us there which I could not. So when I peddled backwards I slammed the brakes went over my handlebars and no longer had skin on my knees. Took me a month to heal. Years for the scars to finally go away
You’re supposed to use your front brakes… you deserved it.
Your whole arm/hand is mildly disturbing... it looks like a prosthetic hand...no knuckles, muscle /and tendon definition...smooth like silicone.
HADDALAYERDOWN