Folding Bikes - SCReeeeeCH!!!!

I read an article awhile ago on the Sheldon Brown website and he said we should be braking with our front breaks. I started doing this and find it to be great! I can stop quickly and I don't worry about flipping over. Just curious how other people use their brakes on their folders.....Please take the poll!

I always use my fronts, but then on my current bikes, I don't have any rear brakes anyway.
FWIW I've never really liked rear brakes - they always seem unresponsive and spongey when used on their own. Good in combination with the front in an emergency stop but not something I use much day to day.

Mostly fronts but I add some rear brakes on steep downhills.

John

Back to keep from going over the handlebars, then front for the real braking power.

I pretty much only use my rear brake to scrub off a little speed in a descent.

Years of motorcycle riding have taught me to ALWAYS use both front and rear brakes. Of greater concern than flipping and doing an "endo" is having the front wheel hit a slippery patch (could be oil, water, diesel, etc.) and having your front wheel slide out of control. Believe me, front wheel skids are no fun. You lose control of your steering and continue in a straight line in whatever direction your bike was heading at the time of the skid.

Years ago, I was following a fellow worker home on her bike, and she ran over a Coke can on a curve in the road with her front wheel. It wrapped itself around the wheel and tire, turning it into a "ski". She then skidded, out of control, head first into a "No Parking" sign at the side of the road, and required several stitches.

I have experienced front wheel skids on my recumbents, (usually in the rain), due to the lighter loading of the front wheel. It can be pretty scary, and requires a split-second reaction to correct before wiping out. Of course, the proper way to correct is to release pressure on the front brake and increase pressure on the rear, which is a lot easier to do if you already have both hands on both levers.

Just my 2 cents worth.:thumb:

I have also spent years riding motorcycles and It all depends upon the road surface. If it is dry and warm and the tyres are up to operating temperature, I would be putting most of the braking effort into the front wheel. Damp, wet conditions or banked over I’d be using 50/50 front rear split. Same with a bicycle..... and in any case, you should be able to feel how the bike is responding and adjust your braking accordingly.

both brakes... however I find myself using the rear brake more and more, but that is because my bike has the Bionix motor and the rear brake if pulled just slightly engages the regeneration ( charging the battery) process ..its like a engine brake on a big truck..lol
Emergency stops however always both brakes ( more power on the front )
thor

in most cases i use rear brake first and then the front brake.

rear brakes 90% of the time
both brakes for emergency on the spot stop
10% front brakes, when i'm busy with my other hand

I try to use just the front brake, but I have several different bikes and they're not all set up the same way, so at any given moment I'm never sure which brake is which. So I use them both.

As a one-time Motor cycle rider, I also use both brakes when a fast stop is needed.

In most cases (we do NOT ride steep downhills) and just a quick application of either brake will slow down the bike enough to avoid people and other bikes.

FYI: I have three bikes - each with a different braking system. The cruiser has only a coaster brake; the Dahon S1 has both a coaster brake and a front handbrake; and the NWT has handbrakes, front and rear. I am amazed that I can move between them fairly easily. I have to say I do prefer a bike with at least a front hand brake, because once you take your feet off the pedals on the 'cruiser' you loose normal braking capability.

I've converted my dahon boardwalk to a fixed gear with no brakes. My legs are my brakes. My singlespeed MTV has both front and rear and I use the front more than the rear.my bmx has only a rear brake.

Rear first then front if I need more braking power, although I already have both hands (fingers) over the levers to start off with. I only ever use the front when braking in a straight line and off it goes as soon as I bank into a turn. If I still need to scrub off some speed while I'm already cornering, then just the rear.

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Both, but most of the braking power comes from the front brake.

Speedo