Originally Posted by
rpenmanparker
The problem I have is that when using only the front brake for a panic stop, my front end gets squirrely...on any of my bikes. It is like not slowing the rear wheel makes the bike want to jackknife. Any little misalignment in the front wheel and the momentum keeps pushing the front wheel further to the side and threatens to cause a fall. But if I start with the rear brake, that doesn't happen. Or so it seems to me. Do you have a cure for this when using only the front?
My guess is that you are tensing up which is causing the instability. Practice and you'll get more comfortable with it allowing your arms and hands to stay looser. I have a friend with whom I'm working on descending where he gets really unstable at higher speeds because he can't stay loose (yet). Certainly getting comfortable with lots of speed as a kid has helped me here as I don't feel like I'm going all that fast until I'm at 40+mph. And a nearby hill where 40+ is easily attained with a stop sign at the bottom is great practice for panic braking and keeping my weight back.