Bikinfoolferlife said:
How could it be worthless? It is good advice still, even if it isn't specifically about mountain biking. You still get most of your effective braking from the front brake, on road or off road. I've seen a couple articles written on braking for mountain biking and they will also try and get the point across that the front brake is the most effective. I'm not saying it's the most effective advice for all braking situations by any means.
I thought it might help the OP as he was using an 8" disc up front and feeling as if he had less than necessary braking power (in Ohio yet). The OP thought it was helpful. YMMV.
I understand and don't disagree with you as such, it's just that Sheldon guy's advice I particularly disagree with. For instance, in his opening paragraph Sheldon "
Front Brake" Brown states:
"Conventional wisdom says to use both brakes at the same time. This is probably good advice for beginners, who have not yet learned to use their brakes skillfully, but if you don't graduate past this stage, you will never be able to stop as short safely as a cyclist who has learned to use the front brake by itself."
I don't disagree the front brake is the most important for stopping with regards its capability in optimal circumstances, but I would ask Sheldon to test his little theory sometime of the front brake only really being necessary for
skilled cyclists by riding off-road downhill sections using front brake only. Maybe he'd feel comfortable doing that (bs), but I certainly wouldn't because I know just how much the back brake is necessary, too. It'd scare the life out of me having only a front brake and attempting to ride the way I do with both. Think about riding downhill on a less than super-grippy surface with only a front brake? Now I know
you didn't imply that only the front brake is really needed, but Sheldon's advice, which as you hinted isn't really applicable for MTB'ing, generally does. I believe this could prove bad advice for any people who might take it as being sound practice for MTB.
"When to Use The Rear Brake: Skilled cyclists use the front brake alone probably 95% of the time, but there are instances when the rear brake is preferred:
* Slippery surfaces. On good, dry pavement, it is generally impossible to skid the front wheel by braking. On slippery surfaces, however it is possible to do so. It is nearly impossible to recover from a front wheel skid, so if there is a high risk of skidding, you're better off controlling your speed with the rear brake." ... or here's a bizarre concept, how about using *both* brakes whilst cunningly modulating the pressure to each individually as appropriate?
" * Bumpy surfaces. On rough surfaces, your wheels may actually bounce up into the air. If there is a chance of this, don't use the front brake. If you apply the front brake while the wheel is airborne, it will stop, and coming down on a stopped front wheel is a Very Bad Thing." ... so if you're riding rocks/roots and there's even the
chance your front wheel could momentarily go airbourne,
don't use your front brake(!) or feel the wrath of Very Bad Thing(TM). Rubbish.
" * Long mountain descents, when your front brake hand may get tired, or you may be at risk of overheating a rim and blowing a tire. For this situation, it is best to alternate between the front and rear brake, but not to use them both at once." ... Horse crap.
"Generally I advise against using both brakes at the same time." ... with a couple of irrelevant exceptions. That's just rubbish advice. If you rely on your front brake too much then if/when you do loose traction you'll regret it worse than if you used both brakes in a proper manner in the same circumstance. You're actually more prone to lose front wheel traction if your bias is 100/0 than, for example, 70/30. The rear bias would also help keep the bike tracking straight.
...
Anyway, like I said I'm not out to diss you, Bikinfoolferlife, just that I can't not say something about that Sheldon advice because I think it's mostly crap, frankly, but each to their own.
