Originally Posted by
Sixty Fiver
At my shop I run into so many people who do not use their front brake because they have a fear of going over the bars when they should be more afraid of being unable to stop fast enough to avoid a collision.
I can tell they don't use their front brakes because they often have little to no wear while the rear brakes often need replacement.
A decent front brake will give you all the stopping power you will ever need if it is applied properly.
The physical term is weight transfer, such that the harder you apply the front brake, the more downward force is applied to the front tire, which results in greater traction. In a panic stop hard braking situation, I instinctively push my butt back, even off the rear of the saddle to maximize the weight transfer, whilst still keeping the rear wheel on the ground. It has always been a mystery to me why front and rear brakes on bicycles are the same size, since the braking force achievable with the rear wheel is much less than the front. This is why my motorcycle has two huge front disk brakes and one tiny rear disk brake. Even then, I have to be careful not to lock up the rear wheel under hard front braking. Although most of my road bikes have rear brakes, I rarely use them, and my street fixed gear only has a front brake.