Overheating discs / pads
spdpug98
Posts: 112
I have just got into MTB'ing and have started riding the trails at the QECP, I have spent the last couple of days riding the red/orange route but am finding that by the end of the run I have no rear brake at all as I am overheating the pads/disc. I know why this is happening (as I don't let go of it!!!) but how can I stop myself from doing it, is it just because I am not riding properly and I have poor technique or could it be the pads
Sorry my first post is a question
Sorry my first post is a question
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What brake?!0
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Bigger discs keep cooler than smaller discs.
Also sinitered pads pads supposedly heat up a lot more than others.
When your riding if theres a section you can let off your brakes altogether rather than dragging the rear brake then do that. Also if your not already try and split your braking more between front and rear.0 -
spdpug98 wrote:
what brakes? make model and year!"Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
Parktools :?:SheldonBrown0 -
well the main problem is your braking.
the Front brake is your main brake not the rear.
stop using your rear brake so much."Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
Parktools :?:SheldonBrown0 -
As long as you know your brakes, and how hard they operate then you shouldnt end up going over the bars.0
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Thanks for the advice, I am heading down to QECP again tomorrow afternoon so will concentrate on the front brake....hopefully no face plants!!0
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nicklouse wrote:the Front brake is your main brake not the rear.
stop using your rear brake so much.
Nick, that's the biggest load of hooey, and you know it is. Are you trying to get this guy to have an accident?0 -
the front brake is the most powerful and offers the best braking from speed, braking with the rear takes alot longer doesnt it? isnt that why the front brake tends to be bigger?0
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The front brake is your main brake!
Your front brake stops you the rear slows you down.0 -
Yeah, the front brake is the brake you should be using to stop/slow down 95% of the time.
Its the other times that catch you out, and hurt though
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dave_hill wrote:nicklouse wrote:the Front brake is your main brake not the rear.
stop using your rear brake so much.
Nick, that's the biggest load of hooey, and you know it is. Are you trying to get this guy to have an accident?
No i am not."Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
Parktools :?:SheldonBrown0 -
sheepsteeth wrote:the front brake is the most powerful and offers the best braking from speed, braking with the rear takes alot longer doesnt it? isnt that why the front brake tends to be bigger?
Yes - as you brake load shifts forward so front wheel has much better grip and back less as it unloads - hence front brake can be bigger, and why the back wheel's relatively easy to lock.
RBIT0 -
spdpug98 wrote:nicklouse wrote:well the main problem is your braking.
the Front brake is your main brake not the rear.
stop using your rear brake so much.
That explains it then....
I was worried about using the front too much and flying over the bars!!!
if you are worried about going over the bars move your body to the rear of the bike. get your arse over the rear wheel and of the saddle when descending maybe drop the saddle a bit before the decent to make it easier to get of the back.
for confidence. fins a medium tarmac slop and get a reasonable speed up and then apply your brakes while moving your weight back. rear brake only and it locks up and you skid. front brake only and you stop. just dont go to much or you could lock the front."Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
Parktools :?:SheldonBrown0 -
The front brake provides the most braking power, any half decent rider would know this.dave_hill wrote:nicklouse wrote:the Front brake is your main brake not the rear.
stop using your rear brake so much.
Nick, that's the biggest load of hooey, and you know it is. Are you trying to get this guy to have an accident?
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The front brake on mountain bikes is bigger because the product managers and marketing men think that it looks cool.
And in general, we the punters tend to buy into it.
Have you noticed how BMXers hardly ever run a front brake? The reason is that because their wheels are so much smaller, they have far more rolling resistance - even if they hit a small kerb or bump, the wheel is much more likely to stop even without a brake and cause an off. So why bother with one?
I've lost count of the number of times that I've explained this, but I'll go over it again...
Imagine riding at a reasonable speed down a trail and you see an obstacle that you cannot ride round - say a water bar, or a log. You're to close to it to manual, so you've got to slow down and "bump" over it.
If you grab a handful of front brake, the wheel is already being slowed when it hits the log/water bar whatever. This acts as an extra brake and the front wheel stops dead. Your forward momentum throws all your mass forward, the rear wheel starts to rise and unless you can shift ALL your weight back very quickly, you're going to go over the bars.
Similarly, if you are cornering on a loose surface, you DON'T use your front brake (you shouldn't be braking through corners anyway, but that's another matter). If you do, the front wheel will lock up and slide - you CANNOT steer a locked front wheel no matter how good you are. Not even the likes of Sam Hill, Brian Lopes, Jill Kintner, Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa or Casey Stoner can do it. Again, unless you are unnaturally gifted, you're heading for the hedgrow.
Now imagine the same scenarios but using your REAR brake to scrub off all the speed. In the first example, because the front wheel is still rotating you have more chance of it rolling up and over the obstacle.
In the second, if you lock the rear wheel, at least you can still steer and you can control the slide by steering into it and shifting your weight backwards.
I'm not saying DON'T use your front brake. You need to use it as a "feather" to do the fine tuning of your speed. What I am saying is that too much emphasis is (wrongly) placed on using your front brake to control yourself when riding off road.
If you don't believe me, go and try it then come back and tell me what happened.
Just to balance things up, when riding on tarmac, the exact opposite technique holds true. Braking on the front pushes the front end into the ground, increasing the size of the contact patch and thus increasing grip. This is why road motorcycles have huge front brakes (and often doubled up) compared to the rear.0 -
holy crap, Dave, you've got it so far wrong, I don't even know where to begin.0
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n ot a bad argument but you are assuming everyone cant brake properly, thats the whole point of modulation, all of the situations are true if you lock the front wheel, but by shifting weight and modulating your brakes, all is well0
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Yup, Dave you're so wrong in so many ways.yeehaamcgee wrote:holy crap, Dave, you've got it so far wrong, I don't even know where to begin.0 -
Your assuming no one can brake properly though, or everyone is doodling around at walking pace.
In reality your front brake is much better at stopping you than your rear.
You generally drag your rear brake to slow you down but hard braking is always done with your front brake.0 -
any time you lock a wheel, front or back, you need to release the brake to regain control, thats not unique to bikes of any variety.
it is a fact that the front brake offers the best braking, i dont believe your response is genuine, you must be taking the mick?0 -
So, so wrongBrian Lopes wrote:The front tire gets the most traction, so you can and should squeeze the front brake harder than the rear0
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You're riding into logs, falling over the bars and blaming your brakes? The fact the front brake can lift your weight, on the end of a lever (distance from the axle it's pivoting) is testiment to it's strength and traction! With great power comes great resp... err no, sorry.
I'd advise either stopping before the log and riding onto the log :P0 -
BMXers omit the front brake for bar spins!
Simple mechanics, simple physics, and experience of most riders has the front brake as most productive - it is far easier to lock the rear.
Both brakes of course are important. But ithe front benefits from less lever effort.0 -
BMXers rarely find themselves in a situation where they need to stop!0
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Dave- you are most certainly wrong.
The front does 80% of the work why do you think most big brake kits for cars concentrate on the front. :roll:
Going down a sketchy piece of downhill you would use more of the rear granted, but you would still be using the front to help take the load off the rear.The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.
Giant Anthem X0 -
Does it not depend on your riding technique and position on the bike allied to conditions, I would always use both brakes in conjunction at varying amounts, sometimes bias towards the front & others toward the rear. Surely it's something that comes down to experience/practice, & what suits and feels more comfortable and efficient for youGiant Defy 4 2014
GT Avalanche Expert 2006
Specialized Hardrock 19890
