User's Manual

HOW THINGS WORK

BRAKES

NOTE: For most effective braking, use both brakes and apply them simultaneously.

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 then left lever

controlling the front brake. Make sure that your hands can reach and squeeze the brake levers comfortably.

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.

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.

WARNING

Some bicycle brakes, such as linear-pull and disk

brakes, are extremely powerful. You should take

extra care in becoming familiar with these brakes

and exercise particular care when using them. Ap-

plying these brakes too hard or too suddenly can

lock up a wheel, which could cause you to lose

control and fall.

WARNING

Sudden or excessive application of the front brake

may pitch the rider over the handlebars, causing

serious injury or death.