Originally Posted by
wphamilton
Just a quick question. If you're braking for the same amount of time, down to the same speed at the apex, how does it make a difference in speed whether you do it early or during the corner? In my simplistic imagination the only difference is where the gap forms, if it does, and what lines you could choose. If we're disregarding the effect on traction. Is it simply because without trail braking you're coasting more? Explain please?
On a motorcycle at least, trail braking gives you better control over the turn because the weight distributes more onto the front wheel. You can turn in and generally react much more quickly.
Having said that, it only takes one incident of breaking the front wheel loose on a bicycle to put you off of trail braking for a good long time
But IMO it's far easier to redistribute weight to the front wheel on a bicycle than a motorcycle without using the brakes at all, just by getting your body forward, which is also a natural side effect of strong countersteering.
As shovelhd suggested, probably 90% of racers think they are above average at cornering, so threads like this turn into everybody giving advice to everybody else and it starts to seem sort of obnoxious. Having said that... this season alone I won 3 races entirely due to being able to rail the last corner, in one case putting a full second between me and a much stronger breakmate on a 120 degree turn in the rain. IMO it's all about weight distribution. You've got to get forward on the bike and aggressively weight the front wheel.
We are way past the scope of the OP question and into navelgazing mode at this point, so, sorry about that :/