Fifty Plus (50+) - Reactions

Funny how our reactions work.

I dove into a backstreet intersection on my Jamis (geared bike) the other day ... and a car came flying up the road towards me. So I grabbed the brakes and veered to go behind him. All right and proper and there was no danger. The interesting thing was that I also tried to apply back pressure on the pedals, like I would on the Europa (fixed gear). Funnily enough, it didn't work very well seeing the geared bike has a freewheel :rolleyes:

Similarly, if I get onto a loose surface (and there's a lot of that on my commute), I immediately start trying to control my speed with my legs ... which is great on the fixed Europa and rather ineffective on the geared Jamis.

It's why it's important to practice safety moves because in a 'I need to do it NOW' situation, you always react the way you've practiced it, whether that's what you should do or not.

Richard

I grew up with coaster brakes. When I switched to hand brakes I was fine for quite a while. But the first emergency stop that was required resulting in me slamming on the "foot brake" and almost going off a cliff.

I ride both fixed gear and freewheel (well, . . . cassette) bikes, and in an emergency situation, I've noticed that I just go for the brakes, even if I'm riding fixed. A controlled slow-down, yes, I appy back pressure and rarely need the brakes while riding fixed.

Panic makes me reach for the brakes, with back-pressure applied only after the initial reaction has had that very important part of second to respond. That's the reason I still have brakes on the fixed gear bike.

Rick / OCRR