I am a newbie so if this topic is stupid or dumb, bear with me!!
This morning on my way to work from the gym it starts raining. In addition, I am on a steep hill going DOWN. So, without even peddling, the bike is picking up speed big time..I am doing over 30 mph or more, and I see a car getting ready to blow the stop sign and come out..I went for the brakes, both of them, and gave a gentle squeeze on both of them. Oh chit, the rear is coming out on me!!! I quickly eased off the brakes and all at the same time making sure the cage saw me.Okay, I got away with that, but that was my FIRST experience with hard braking on the bicycle.
I am coming over from motorcycles, in fact, motorcycle racing. I don't use the rear brakes at all on my racing motorcycle or my street motorcycle for the simple reason it creates a reflex that will IMO, put you down on the street and racetrack. Experts motorcycle racers used the rear brakes to back it going into curves. I am not there.
Back to the bicycle, I got a rude awakeing this morning..A little more agreesive squeezing of the rear brakes this morning and this old man would have went down hard, and that really would have messed my day up. As it was, the bicycle gods were with me, and pulled my coat on using the rear brakes on the bicycle. From now on, hard stops will get front stoppers only.. Rear brake will be used only sparely and most likely not at all. At least until I learn what is going on in how to brake hard.. I am a newbie!