Originally posted by roy
I Swerved to avoid a branch on the road at speed and had just put new brake blocks on, maybe the brake was to powerful and when I applied the rear it just locked up and went over the full lock of the steering any ideas for safe descending?
Sorry to hear about your injury. Make sure it heals well before risking further jarring. My dislodged lower rib took ages to get right again.
As far as breaking goes, dont use the back, esp during cornering. It invariably breaks out from underneath you. You should practice using the front with a fine touch for those situations.
You need to descend at a safe speed, with enough road visible so you dont get surprised like that. Feather your brakes to control your speed on the straights, line up the corners wide in, narrow out, and corner without brakes, inside pedal up.
You can try cycling over obstacles like that. At high speed, you can often bunny hop a few inches. Apply the front and feel your weight go forward. Release the breaks and bounce up and over.
Like aviators, there are old cyclists and bold cyclists.