How To Brake Hard On Your Road Bike Without Crashing

Brakes on a road bike are there primarily for safety out on the road and cyclists count on them to avoid crashing should they have to stop quickly. But braking hard without going over the bars or skidding out requires a bit of practice, join Hank and Manon as they explain how to practise hard braking safely.

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Has braking hard got you out of a sticky situation on the road? Let us know in the comments 👇

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ES_Again & Again (Instrumental Version) - Vicki Vox
ES_Sweep (Instrumental Version) - Naiad

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[gcn]

Has braking hard got you out of a sticky situation on the road? Let us know in the comments 👇

[Kolomy]

"A nice quiet road"
Yea, I would like to find it someday
For me it either nice, quiet or road

[bnzboy]

Would've been helpful before my clavicle surgery last month lol great tips!

[mathewrose]

After hand surgery about 7 years ago, I've had the mechanic at my local bike shop set up my brakes with an early bite point and an extra layer of tape on the tops so that I can start braking with minimal effort to close my hands. The best tip I've found, however, is to avoid descending at speed where hard braking would be needed in the first place.

[dslaimless]

I think that one point missing in this video is a clear explanation on using front/rear brakes. Quite a lot of people, even those with experience and good bikes, are afraid to use the front brake because they might fall forward. Indeed, you could fall if yo don't shift your weight accordingly. However the front brake is the most effective, while the rear brake most likely will block the wheel and make it skid. And skidding wheel doesn't make for effective stop.

[thomlarson]

I grudgingly switched from rim brakes to disk on my newest bike. I learned their true value when a senior citizen suddenly stepped off the sidewalk into the bike lane in front of me at the bottom of a descent. I was able stopped in time and was grateful I wasn’t riding one of my bikes with rim brakes. I was also glad that I had watched an earlier GCN video on stopping. Now I’m a disk-brake convert. They may be more expensive, add more weight, and require more maintenance, but when you really need to stop fast they work brilliantly.

[jaimeisreal]

One time, I had to brake so hard, that I knew I wouldn't be able to stop in time (without flipping over like a n00b would have). So mid-way through hard braking, I let off all the braking and did a small



to get over a chipmunk lol. Little bugger's incredibly lucky because to this day, I don't know how I reacted that quickly to have saved his/her little life.

[mucklark]

You know what the Downhillers used to say "It's not the speed that kills, it's the sudden stop" :-o

[dnnich]

Something I’ve used is practice pumping the brakes this will allow you to maximize you braking because if the wheels lock up you will release slightly and apply again avoiding a wash out. You have to automatically squeeze and release slightly until you get the hang of it then you will instinctively do it when in trouble. The rear brake also isn’t a static pressure because as you brake harder on the front less pressure is needed on the back so by learning to pump you will reapply the pressure without a skid. This has saved me on road bikes, mountain bikes, and motorcycles.

[haarr]

i cant even afford a aerobike but i love watching gcn.

[leonidiakovlev]

When braking on the road "corner" you make your bike go straight, then brake without steering, then release the brakes, turn a little excessively, then you repeat. You forgot to mention that you must have two hands on the bar while braking... But this one is pretty obvious. Nevertheless I learned this hard way.

[RoelCuylaerts]

Totally agree that having a good braking technique can save you in dangerous situations. In the Ardennes I totally misjudged a corner at 65km/u. 50 m before the corner braked as much as I could, pulled my rear wheel of the ground and just got it back to the ground and slowed down enough to get me 'safe' around the corner. If I had done that when I just started cycling I would have surely crashed. Practice is key.

[woodywoodverchecker]

I always lock up my rear wheel to make my brake pads last longer.

[shilpiwalia]

Braking while shifting your weight backwards can really help

[jjjooo]

I learned more from reading the commentsthan the actual video. Thank you guys

[er]

Practise off-road on a mountain bike, you get very familiar with the limit of adhesion for both the front and back brakes

[leeadams]

I somehow taught myself to Double tap, when I realise that I've got to much speed ( descending a classic) and know that I want make the the turn I'll release the brake and brake again. I find it very effective and got me out of sticky situations.
Naturlich easy said than done

[MrMoccachinoo]

I actually nearly had an accident this week. The surface was full of wet leaves and a car suddenly came across.
I smashed the brakes, but had almost no braking.

So watch out in autumn, wet leaves are slippery as hell! Don’t trade your safety for speed!

[hansfm]

Great video on an important and among cyclists often misunderstood topic. Good highlight of the importance of body position; get your centre of gravity as low as possible! If possible with your hands down in the loops of the bars.
I felt that the required muscle tension in your body to safely and quickly stop was not given the attention it deserves. For most riders that lack of tension in their arms, shoulders and back is what sends them over the bars. Note that most (90%) of the kinetic energy you are trying to remove is in the rider's body. A quick stop will physically be very much like a hand stand on your front wheel.
With good skill, a road cyclist should be able to brake about as hard as the MOT requirement for motor vehicles.

[bboxxstance]

I wish this was published a day earlier haha.
Hit the front brake hard, was out of my saddle and flipped over on last night's ride. Thankfully landed in dirt!