Brakes, which are you using the most ?

weeksy59

Was discussing this with a mate, we both come from Motorbike backgrounds which is 75% front brake, 25% rear brake.

He says he uses about the same percentages on the MTB.


Personally i use 80%+ REAR brake and <20% front brake when out.

What do you use more ?

Why ?

Graydawg

Depends on what I'm doing I guess. Front brake is used for controlling the front funnily enough...

I probably sway towards using the rear brake more tbh - Dunno why - controlled slow descents I still use the front brake ... its probably for me a 60/40 split.....

cee

not sure....i think i pull both brakes at the saem time, but feather each one differenly....don't mind yanking on the back a bit more, but the front is done pretty carefully.

To stop in a hurry, I use the motocross ratio.

Graydawg

cee wrote:

To stop in a hurry, I use the motocross ratio.

Yeah valid point - The front one will stop you a lot quicker than the rear brake....!

Also depends on the terrain type - Softly packed loose ground and you're safer applying more rear brake IMHO - unless you want to drop the front end!

Mastineo

100% front. Paralysed left hand means I cant use the rear brake, and I probably come off more than most :oops:

weeksy59

Mastineo wrote:

100% front. Paralysed left hand means I cant use the rear brake, and I probably come off more than most :oops:

Could you not get a Thumb brake sort of set-up ?

P-Jay

I'd guess 60/40 front rear, but that changes based on the angle of descent, I should use more front, but a locked rear is no biggey, a locked front is much harder to catch.

If I'm on the flat though I just wait to the last split second, throw my body weight downward and grab a handfull of each, staggeringly effective, if nothing else for getting a chansing mate to crash into the back of you, ha ha.

nicklouse

front for braking, rear for steering.

papasmurf.

front for stopping, rear for skidding

stumpyjon

All rear brake until I started reading threads like this. Now I try and use the front brake more (also have more front wheel wobble moments now, but may also be riding faster now though).

Northwind

I use the rear a lot for, well, comfort braking really. Front (with a bit of rear) for slowing and stopping, rear for keeping the speed under control on descents, but that's mainly because I'm a big coward :roll: I don't really rear-steer because I don't like tearing trails up.

benneally

Im about 70/30 in favour of the front brake. It just gives you so much more control. The rear brake is for 'feck me i need to stop now'.

pete higham

im 75/25 front/rear as been said before front to brake rear to steer, i do come from a moto x background tho

M1llh0use

mainly front but rear as well for the "OH SH!T" moments!


(but i do have a 200mm front/180mm rear rotor)

gsxrian

80/20 rear front...use the rear for steering!

tompug

Both for straight line stopping, the rear most for control.

The Northern Monkey

obviously depends on the trail...
rear for steer
front to stop.


However i've never slammed on, because I'd fly over the bars...brakes are uber powerful!!

docker0141

i don't have very much rear pad left so for me it's about 50/50 but the front works better

jsussex

Mastineo wrote:

100% front. Paralysed left hand means I cant use the rear brake, and I probably come off more than most :oops:

I'm thinking you could probably get both break on one side with a bit a thought/tweaking?
maybe...

pilsburypie

Mastineo wrote:

100% front. Paralysed left hand means I cant use the rear brake, and I probably come off more than most :oops:

You don't ride up Cannock do you? There was a bloke there a few weeks ago with his arm in a sling/brace thing. I was about to make a wise crack about him coming off but just noticed he had 2 brake levers on one side and nothing on the other. Realised his condition was a bit more permanent and my daft joke would be inappropriate! So he seems to ride effectively and uses both brakes...... 50:50 I'd guess

xtreem

Both at the same time, without locking the rear of front. So around 70/30.

But if you mean using the max power from the brakes without locking them then 50:50.
But you don't decelerate with the rear as much as the front.

Btw, I lock the rear only on emergency. And on some corners.

andyturner28

pilsburypie wrote:

Mastineo wrote:

100% front. Paralysed left hand means I cant use the rear brake, and I probably come off more than most :oops:

You don't ride up Cannock do you? There was a bloke there a few weeks ago with his arm in a sling/brace thing. I was about to make a wise crack about him coming off but just noticed he had 2 brake levers on one side and nothing on the other. Realised his condition was a bit more permanent and my daft joke would be inappropriate! So he seems to ride effectively and uses both brakes...... 50:50 I'd guess

He was riding Cannock one handed :shock:

Mastineo

Never been to Cannock unfortunately. Did wonder about converting a quad/jetski throttle to operate a rear brake, but never got any further than wondering.
My flat bar roadie :oops: has got both gear shifters on the right hand side and that works brilliantly. Its not so straight forward on the MTB due to the rise and sweep of the handlebars. Suppose if I was that bothered I'd fit flat ones.

passout

Mainly the front but the back gets used a bit more on tricky/ fast descents.

Vegman

Its quite easy to flip over the levers to one side of the bars if you run hydraulics, I have a stuffed right hand and arm (birth defect) but with a bit of jiggling both the XT and Juicy fives on my bikes work great, you can position the levers adequately enough to get indipendant use of both brakes using various finger combinations, I get on with top lever for rear and bottom for front, means that in an emergency the rear gets grabed first, rather a rear wheel skid than a face plant. :P

lesz42

sadly

%80 rear

%20 front, mostly when i need to stop, well.......very well!

wordnumb

48% front, 48% back, 3% foot and 1% jump.