Was I in the wrong?

[Volnix]

Originally Posted by alienator .


Easier to reach and operate? There's nothing to suggest that at all. Braking faster? Again, there's nothing that suggests as much.

Well... Didnt check any Newtons per angle distance stuff, that also depends alot on tuning.

I havent seen too many gravity bikes with drop bar shifters. It seems that these brake levers (the horizontal ones) are easier to reach and the operating position is a bit quicker to access and you can also hammer the brakes without using too much force from an non-efficient angle like in the drop bars. Unless you got hands like these: /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

 

[Volnix]

Originally Posted by danfoz .


a familiarity with what happens to ones body weight (and therefore one's body in it's relation to the bicycle underneath) as a result of sudden deceleration to potentially get right.

Somebody told me that when you brake with the rear brake, its good practice to "put your weight" on the rear wheel. I tried it once and it seems that it works.

 

[alienator]

Well... Didnt check any Newtons per angle distance stuff, that also depends alot on tuning.  I havent seen too many gravity bikes with drop bar shifters. It seems that these brake levers (the horizontal ones) are easier to reach and the operating position is a bit quicker to access and you can also hammer the brakes without using too much force from an non-efficient angle like in the drop bars.

Uh-huh. The gravity bike quip is pointless.

 

[danfoz]

Originally Posted by Volnix .

Somebody told me that when you brake with the rear brake, its good practice to "put your weight" on the rear wheel. I tried it once and it seems that it works.

It may, I get a lots of skid with excessive rear brake. Coming from the MC world, my story has the front brake doing most of the stopping. On single track the rear break is great for making controlled skid directional changes in a blink on the MTB (but not recommended for first timers /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif).

 

[alienator]

It may, I get a lots of skid with excessive rear brake.

The benefit to the weight shift is in keeping the bike from rotating over the front wheel. Once that rotation starts, deceleration will not increase further.

 

[danfoz]

Originally Posted by alienator .


The benefit to the weight shift is in keeping the bike from rotating over the front wheel. Once that rotation starts, deceleration will not increase further.

Tru dat. I had a real white knuckle moment to verify. And unlike a motorcycle, a bicycle does not have a fork that can compress under load.

 

[alienator]

Tru dat. I had a real white knuckle moment to verify. And unlike a motorcycle, a bicycle does not have a fork that can compress under load.

Me too. It's the stops that really tighten the anus that make you appreciate keeping up on your braking skills.

 

[Volnix]

Originally Posted by alienator .


Uh-huh. The gravity bike quip is pointless.

/img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

 

[burnrubber]

Driver in wrong for sure, you have to have your wits about you with all the inconsiderate drivers about. take care.

 

[An old Guy]

Originally Posted by danfoz . breaking hard to save ones life, like anything, requires regular drills and a familiarity with what happens to ones body weight (and therefore one's body in it's relation to the bicycle underneath) as a result of sudden deceleration to potentially get right. Additionally, even regular practice does not garantee that the end result will be the one we desire, but it can dramatically improve the odds for a positive outcome.

Practice braking at speeds below 20-25mph is perhaps reasonable. Practice breaking at high speeds is dangerous. To practice effectively you need to get close to the point of failure. It is the not successes that make it dangerous. It is the failures at high speeds. They hurt.


The best practice is simply to avoid situations where you might need to brake hard. I do that a lot.

 

[danfoz]

Originally Posted by An old Guy .


Practice braking at speeds below 20-25mph is perhaps reasonable. Practice breaking at high speeds is dangerous. To practice effectively you need to get close to the point of failure. It is the not successes that make it dangerous. It is the failures at high speeds. They hurt.


The best practice is simply to avoid situations where you might need to brake hard. I do that a lot.

Since most folks ride at speeds lower than 25mph I'm not sure about your point is but you are correct, the best practice is to avoid hazardous situations altogether. The problem is that sometimes hazardous situations don't avoid us.