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C. Brakes
NOTE: For most effective braking, use both brakes and apply them simultaneously.
WARNING: Sudden or excessive application of the front brake may pitch the rider over the handlebars, causing serious
injury or death.
1. How brakes work
It’s important to your safety that you instinctively know which brake lever controls which brake on your bike. In the U.S., bikes
are required to be set up with the right brake lever controlling the rear brake, and the left lever controlling the front brake.
The braking action of a bicycle is a function of the friction between the brake surfaces -- usually the brake shoes and the
wheel rim. To make sure that you have maximum friction available, keep your wheel rims and brake shoes clean and free of
lubricants, waxes or polishes.
Make sure that your hands can reach and squeeze the brake levers comfortably. If your hands are too small to operate the
levers comfortably, consult your dealer before riding the bike. The lever reach may be adjustable; or you may need a differ-
ent brake lever design.
Most brakes have some form of quick release mechanism to allow the brake shoes to clear the tire when a wheel is removed
or reinstalled. When the brake quick release is in the open position, the brakes are inoperative. Make sure that you under-
stand the way the brake quick release works on your bike and check each time to make sure both brakes work correctly
before you get on the bike.
Brakes are designed to control your speed, not just to stop the bike. Maximum braking force for each wheel occurs at the
point just before the wheel “locks up” (stops rotating) and starts to skid. Once the tire skids, you actually lose most of your
stopping force and all directional control. You need to practice slowing and stopping smoothly without locking up a wheel.
The technique is called progressive brake modulation. Instead of jerking the brake lever to the position where you think you’ll
generate appropriate braking force, squeeze the lever, progressively increasing the braking force. If you feel the wheel begin
to lock up, release pressure just a little to keep the wheel rotating just short of lockup. It’s important to develop a feel for the
amount of brake lever pressure required for each wheel at different speeds and on different surfaces. To better understand
this, experiment a little by walking your bike and applying different amounts of pressure to each brake lever, until the wheel
locks.
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