Originally Posted by aprilm
I was going around a sharp corner downhill, applied my front brakes, and my front tire slid out from underneath me. Landed face/elbow first, and I'm not entirely sure how that happened. My left eye is feeling a bit "swollen", and I have a yucky scrape on my elbow... and my left shoulder hurts. Sigh. The bike's handlebars came out of alignment along with my seat, and the chain came off. It can never be simple with me.
Anyway, so I'm still learning techniques, and I read on Sheldon Brown's web site that you should use the front brakes more often than the rear brakes. Can someone please explain to me when you should use the rear brakes? Was this a time that I should have? The ground was very dry, so if I had applied the rear brakes, wouldn't my rear wheel have slid out too? I'm very confused about the whole brakes thing...
Ouch! Using the front and rear brakes is as much an art as a science.
Going down hill my rear end and body weight are way to the back of my bike and low to prevent going over the bars.
I try to use the brakes as little as possible (usually not at all) in a turn. I scrub off the speed
before the turn.
I do tend to use the front brake more than the rear because the rear has more tendancy to lock up and skid. But I have to modulate (apply - let off - apply - let off) both brakes and I avoid locking them down at any cost except in an emergency.
Hope that helps; it's what works for me, anyway. Practice, practice, practice; especially scrubbing the speed
before the turn.