ElliptiGO 8S Owner's Manual page 27

and drastically increase the likelihood that the rider will
collide with another object and suffer serious injury.
The correct way to apply the brakes under normal stopping
conditions is to gently actuate both levers, having the rear
brake engage the rear rim first and then slowly applying
the front brake until it engages the front rim, then applying
force to lever simultaneously to bring the bike to a smooth,
controlled stop.
However, there is more to it than this, especially in
emergency braking situations. Braking force is at its peak
just before a wheel "locks up" and starts to skid. Once a
wheel locks up, the braking force is greatly reduced and,
more importantly, the bike becomes extremely difficult to
control. The important skill to learn to optimize braking
effectiveness is how to get to the maximum braking force
quickly without locking up a wheel. This is best done
by smoothly and efficiently increasing the braking force
until maximum braking force is reached, as opposed to
pulling the brakes to the point of maximum braking force
immediately, which will likely result in overshooting on one
or both brakes, causing tire lock up and skidding.
WARNING! Always apply the brakes in a smooth
controlled manner. Start braking with the rear brake first,
but always use both brakes to control speed. Applying
the brakes too quickly or with too much force can result
in a wheel "locking up" and the rider losing control and
suffering a fall.
Be aware that as you slow down, inertia will cause your
body weight to move forward. The quicker you slow down,
the quicker your body weight will shift forward. This effect
makes avoiding rear wheel lock up even more challenging
because one of the variables that determine when a wheel
will lock up is the amount of weight supported by that
wheel. The lighter the weight, the less force required to
lock up the wheel. As a result, proper braking requires an
adjustment for this shift in body weight as well as an active
effort on your part to minimize this effect by consciously
shifting your weight rearward during braking. However,
usually to accommodate for this shift in body weight, you
should apply more braking force to the front wheel and
less to the rear wheel as the rate of deceleration increases
and your weight is disproportionately borne by the front
wheel. This weight distribution inequality becomes even
more pronounced when braking downhill. The declined
slope encourages a greater shift in weight towards the
front wheel during deceleration, increasing the likelihood
of a rear wheel lock up and requiring more braking force to
be placed on the front wheel during an emergency stop.
Also, as discussed above, wet road conditions greatly
reduce the stopping ability of an elliptical bike. Rim brakes
rely on friction between the brake pad and the rim to slow
rotation of the wheel. A wet rim will reduce the amount
of friction that can be generated, especially at the initial
stages of braking. Similarly, a wet road surface reduces
the amount of traction for the tires, allowing the wheels to
lock up more easily. These are two of the primary reasons
why we discourage riding during wet conditions. If you
must ride when the roads are wet, then the best way to
adjust for this loss in stopping power is to slow down, to
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Owner's Manual