Halfords 13 2014 User Manual page 27

Brakes are designed to control your speed, not
just to stop the bike. Maximum braking force for
each wheel occurs at the point just before the
wheel "locks up" (stops rotating) and starts to skid.
Once the tyre skids, you actually lose most of your
stopping force and all directional control. You need
to practice slowing and stopping smoothly without
locking up a wheel. The technique is called
progressive brake modulation. Instead of jerking
the brake lever to the position where you think
you'll generate appropriate braking force, squeeze
the lever, progressively increasing the braking
force. If you feel the wheel begin to lock up,
release pressure just a little to keep the wheel
rotating just short of lockup. It's important to
develop a feel for the amount of brake lever
pressure required for each wheel at different
speeds and on different surfaces. To better
understand this, experiment a little by walking your
bike and applying different amounts of pressure to
each brake lever, until the wheel locks.
When you apply one or both brakes, the bike
begins to slow, but your body wants to continue at
the speed at which it was going. This causes a
transfer of weight to the front wheel (or, under
heavy braking, around the front wheel hub, which
could send you flying over the handlebars).
A wheel with more weight on it will accept greater
brake pressure before lockup; a wheel with less
weight will lock up with less brake pressure. So,
as you apply brakes and your weight is transferred
forward, you need to shift your body toward the
rear of the bike, to transfer weight back on to the
rear wheel; and at the same time, you need to
both decrease rear braking and increase front
braking force. This is even more important on
descents, because descents shift weight forward.
Two keys to effective speed control and safe
stopping are controlling wheel lockup and weight
transfer. This weight transfer is even more
pronounced if your bike has a front suspension
fork. Front suspension "dips" under braking,
increasing the weight transfer (see also
Section 4.F).
Practice braking and weight transfer techniques
where there is no traffic or other hazards
and distractions.
Everything changes when you ride on loose
surfaces or in wet weather. Tyre adhesion is
reduced, so the wheels have less cornering and
braking traction and can lock up with less brake
force. Moisture or dirt on the brake blocks reduces
their ability to grip.
The best way to maintain control on loose or wet
surfaces is to go more slowly to begin with.
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