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Riding skills: how not to crash part 4

Part 4 – Confront your braking fears 1

Bikers are sometimes the victims of crazy or careless car drivers no doubt.

But don’t kid yourself – most bike prangs are things we could avoid if we mastered our brains, our brakes, and the bends.

our series of guides on how not to crash, and start adding the years of accident-free biking to your riding life…

In this part we’ll confront some of the commonest fears and assumptions about braking – the neglected skill that could prevent hundreds of accidents, and reduce the effects of many more.

After all, halving your speed reduces the force of any impact by four times. So you won’t want any of these thoughts cluttering your mind…

‘I’ll never act fast enough’
At 60mph, for every half-second you lose opening your hand and reaching for the lever you travel 46 feet further down the road.

Learn to cover the brake with two fingers in all situations where you anticipate potential hazards. When you’re shocked by something the hand naturally clenches – with two fingers on the lever your will have already started.

‘I’ll lose the front if I brake hard’
This is the big one – the automatic fear which pops up whenever we have to slow down or stop unexpectedly quickly.

The effect is twofold. It makes us resist braking to the full and tenses up the body. Trouble is, a rigid body is the enemy of effective braking.

But is the front really about to let go? As soon as you start to brake, your weight is thrown forward.

As you brace yourself against the bars and fear the worst, your brain takes your sense of stress and figures the front tyre is feeling the same. Chances are it’s further within its comfort zone than you.

Add to that the innate sense the bike must be ‘pushing’ the front tyre, because that’s the way the braking force is pushing you, and you’ve got a mental recipe for weak, hesitant braking.

There are two solutions. One is to understand that when you apply the front brake, the weight doesn’t push horizontally forward, but pivots around the axle and down through the front wheel – pressing the tyre into every pit on the Tarmac and helping the tyre to grip. It loves it.

The second is to practise braking with bent arms. Without locked arms your brain gets a different picture of the situation at the front tyre.

Suddenly, it doesn’t feel as if it’s about to break away. Every time you brake, grip the bike with your thighs on the tank, and think ‘Are my arms loose enough to flap like a chicken?’