There is a well-known proverb: “brakes were invented by cowards.” Therefore, some cyclists try to save brake pads and resort to their services only in special cases. The stopping distance depends on several factors: the time of year, the characteristics of the road surface, the skill of the cyclist and the condition of the brakes.

It is clear that you don’t need to brake sharply: depending on the speed of movement, showing those driving behind (by raising your right hand up), 30-40 meters before the intended place, you stop pedaling. Then, with the help of short-term small pressures on the brakes (first on the rear brake), you gradually reduce the speed to a minimum and finally stop the bike at low speed. This is the ideal situation. More often than not, this is the case, and you have to brake urgently. The most dangerous consequence of emergency braking is a fall over the handlebars. Another, no less “pleasant” result is a skid with a sideways fall. To avoid this, you must be able to brake correctly.

Let’s note two points:

First: the brakes must always be fully functional, and this must be monitored.

Second, the front brake is more effective when braking, while the rear brake is safer.
Due to the effect of inertial forces during braking, the load increases on the front wheel and decreases on the rear. For this reason, the rear wheel loses in braking efficiency to the front wheel, and it is easier to skid. Therefore, the front brake brakes better, but if you do not calculate the braking force, you can fly over the handlebars, or if you hit a thin layer of sand or wet ground, the front wheel can skid, which will lead to a fall. What can be recommended to a cyclist so that his “iron horse” is impeccably subservient?

It is important to take into account the behavior of the front and rear wheels when skidding. For example, you overdid the brakes, applied the brakes too hard and blocked the rear wheel. The drift has begun. The rear wheel goes into a skid, as if reluctantly, against its will. If you unlock the wheel (release the brake slightly), then the spinning wheel will tend to return to its normal position. Another thing is skidding on the front wheel. If the front wheel gets into a skid, then it itself will not return to its original position. On the contrary, it seeks to “leave” you as quickly as possible to the side. What is the moral? It consists in that if the front wheel skids, it is extremely difficult to get out of it without falling.

Tips for proper braking on a bike:

brake so that the front wheel does not block (the rear is also undesirable);
stay calm and cool: if you see that the wheels are locking up, find the strength to release the brakes a little before the wheels start spinning. This will help avoid skidding;
when braking, shift your body weight as far back as possible to load the rear wheel, increase the effectiveness of the rear brake and reduce the likelihood of flying over the handlebars;
remember that braking is not the only way to avoid, say, an accident;
finally, drive “like a human being”: emergency braking is most often the result of an excessively “steep” ride.
try to combine braking with maneuver;
brake mainly with the rear brake in poor conditions (rain, ice, mud). On slippery ground, on ice, it is necessary to brake intermittently, fractionally, often pressing the rear brake handle – this will help to avoid skidding and wheel skidding.
braking with both brakes is most effective;
press the rear brake a little earlier than the front brake handle;
avoid skidding, adjust the pressure on the brake levers so that the wheels spin – in this case, you can brake most effectively without losing control of the bike;
on bikes equipped with a suspension fork, braking with the front brake is easier.