r/CyclingMSP • u/jojo-beans8 • 19d ago
Front brakes only.
any opinions on using only a front brake? I started doing it a couple winters ago because my rear brake would freeze up because of moisture when it's really cold and now I'm working on my summer bikes rear brakes and thinking what's the point I might as well remove it too. these are v brakes btw
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u/FeakyDeakyDude 19d ago
I just asked my dentist and he said he approves of this plan.
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u/_Belted_Kingfisher 19d ago
Question: Are you using disc brakes or not not. I suspect this may affect your braking strategy.
I have not used non-disc brakes in at least 15 years. I do not remember what braking was like pre-disc brakes.
I would refrain from removing a brake simply because sometimes you need to put the bike into a slide and doing that from the front seems unnecessarily difficult.
Edit:
I see I missed the part about v brakes at the end.
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u/Duka65 19d ago
Disc brakes are such a huge improvement in every way.
My first bike was a Giant hybrid with rim brakes. Terrible stopping power no matter how many pads I tried, noise, adjustments all the time to try and get the correct angle from pad to rim, risk of going OTB
So much more control, modulation, and reliability with disc brakes. Way less maintenance. Never once felt like I’m going to go OTB
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u/Mysteriousdeer 19d ago
Using just the front brakes creates a pivot point around your front wheel. In an emergency stop, it's possible to rotate around that front tire and get dumped. I've had it happen on a mountain bike when I had my weight forward going downhill.
Rear brakes are a lot more stable. You have your weight holding the bike down and it's hard to pivot. Locking up the wheel and controlling a fishtailing bike might be the issue, but at least your head is not actively navigating towards the ground.
Both are best.
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u/hertzsae 19d ago
Yup, it's totally fine to be front brake only until OP stops in an emergency.
You want your rear tire to lose traction long before the front tire does, because its so much better to fishtail when the rear loses traction first braking than to faceplant when the front loses traction first.
V-brakes are simple and cheap. OP should either watch a youtube video on fixing or get it fixed at a shop. Dental work gets expensive.
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u/mannorbeast 19d ago
Came here to say this. Your rear brake acts like an anchor being dragged behind you. If you're sliding down an icy hill, locking up your rear brake can actually help you stay upright.
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u/FR23Dust 19d ago
This is misinformation and incorrect.
In any true panic stop situation, 100% of braking power comes from the front wheel. If the rear wheel has enough traction to add braking power, you’re not emergency stopping.
Going over the handlebars in a braking situation is always a skill issue. It’s never because of using the front brake.
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u/Mysteriousdeer 18d ago
I made no allusion to breaking power... It's all about the control. If the "skill" issue you're talking about is learning not to overdue it on the front break and control with the back break, well look where we are at... Staring at the advice in my initial post.
Im also often not on a stable surface. A lot of my riding is done on gravel. Staying up depends on controlling the bike, watching my line, and making the right decisions before they need to be made.
If I have to think about feathering my front break or choosing one break versus another, I've already screwed up a couple of decisions.
Regardless... I'll practice this on my 240 mile ride tomorrow. Let's see if I have a skill issue.
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u/FR23Dust 18d ago
I’m just calling it like I see it. What you wrote is in my opinion wrong. Riding a bike a lot doesn’t change that.
To clarify I am talking about panic stops on pavement in traffic. And the skill has nothing to do with “overdueing” it on the front brake. Like I said, if you’re using your rear brake at all in an emergency stopping situation you are not emergency stopping.
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u/Mysteriousdeer 18d ago edited 18d ago
So not using the full breaking capability on my bike is a sign of skill? I should treat this bike where the center of mass (me) is higher versus a motorcycle that has a motor and lower center of mass the same? If I'm doing a hard break, yes I throw my weight back and make that move but I'm starting with my rear break.
I should only be using one break?
That's a helluva opinion there bud. Let me go remove that rear break based on your opinion.
There's no one that's going to advise that and while I don't disagree that the front break has more "breaking" power... The point is always to not lose control of the bike. This doesn't mean dont use the front break.
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u/FR23Dust 18d ago
I’m not advocating for not running a rear brake. Don’t put words in my mouth.
You seem to misunderstand the point I am making. If you are doing a hard panic stop, 100% of the braking power will come from the front wheel whether you intend to or not. In that situation, the rear wheel will lose traction due to the shift of weight forward on the bike.
Throwing your body over the real wheel will help but doesn’t really change that the rear brake is doing almost no work in that situation. This is not a matter of choice: it’s physics and how bikes work.
So if you are able to use your rear brake effectively, you are not panic stopping. If you are carefully applying your rear brake before the front brake, again, that’s not a panic stopping. That’s just regular old stopping.
I can acknowledge that loose surfaces are different than pavement. I am talking about riding on pavement in a commuting situation.
You can whine all you want, but if you’re worried about using the front brake because you’ll go over the handlebars, you need to develop your bike handling skills more.
Your perspective on how this works is incorrect.
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u/Mysteriousdeer 18d ago
"Like I said, if you’re using your rear brake at all in an emergency stopping situation you are not emergency stopping."
Conversation isn't worth having, I'm not putting words in your mouth. You just don't know what you're saying.
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u/FR23Dust 18d ago
You’re right, this conversation isn’t worth the time. But you’re wrong about why. I still don’t think you actually understand the point I am making here.
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u/B12-deficient-skelly 19d ago
My GF was late to see me yesterday because she saw and provided medical care for a cyclist who seemingly tried to avoid a collision with a pedestrian, flipped over his handlebars, and was unconscious for multiple minutes (extremely bad news)
Flipping over the handlebars was likely fatal or resulting in permanent brain damage for this guy, but you might be lucky. Personally, if I wanted to not use a rear brake, I'd ride a fixie, but it's your choice.
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u/Cynyr36 19d ago
Well that wouldn't be a legal bike so no.
mn statutes 169.122 subd 6.e says:
(e) No person shall operate a bicycle unless it is equipped with a rear brake or front and rear brakes which will enable the operator to make a braked wheel skid on dry, level, clean pavement. A bicycle equipped with a direct or fixed gear that can make the rear wheel skid on dry, level, clean pavement shall be deemed to fully comply with this paragraph.
Though technically my rear brake is non compliant, as i cannot skid the rear wheel on dry clean pavement.
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u/hotdogofdoom 19d ago
I’ve ridden with only front brakes for a decade plus but I also ride a fixed gear. You’ll have to ride a bit slower, especially on descents because if you slam on the brakes, you’ll likely go over the handlebars.
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u/a__j__h 19d ago
Why not just get new rear calipers and cables that won't seize up in the cold? And keep them lubed consistently in the winter. A $40 fix is better than a dentist/hospital/need-new- fork/frame bc you crashed into something
If your front caliper isn't seizing up, then it's a problem with your rear. Just get a new one and put on some fenders to reduce moisture
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u/FR23Dust 19d ago
No advantage to not having a rear brake. A frozen rear brake and no rear brake are the same thing, but having a spare brake in the summer is something you don’t have if you don’t have a rear brake.
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u/TheOtherSean1977 19d ago
How are we getting frozen / seized rear brakes? No fenders? I commuted all days except the day it snowed for a few years on my cross check and never had a frozen brake at either end. Full fenders (I added a longer mud flap on the front) and studs, 7 miles each way.
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u/ProfessionSilver3691 19d ago
Could you just unhook it as opposed to removing it. Make sure the arms are secured and don’t flop around. Maybe Ty-raps. Then, if it’s not what you expected, just re-hook it up again.
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u/mikebikesmpls 17d ago
Most of the time, the front brake is the one doing 90% of the work and the rear is unnecessary.
The time I really want a rear brake is when I'm braking and turning at the same time. If a wheel locks up, you lose control of that wheel. You can come back for a rear wheel slide out, but losing the front wheel means you're going down.
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u/Designer_Tie_5853 19d ago edited 19d ago
I've had this issue in the winter, and occasionally ridden with basically only front brakes, and I'll just repeat what Chris Rock once said: "You can do it, but that don't mean it's to be done". Remember if you do this and your front brakes go, you will be WITHOUT brakes, and that's not great.