Breaking down braking

Start from the basics - make sure your brakes are 

1. Working properly; the calliper is aligned on the rotor and well bled 

2. The lever position is in the correct place on the bars. 

 

Lever position is often a personal preference but think about that 1 finger braking, the end of the lever needs to be in line with your index finger. If you are into your numbers, somewhere around 20 degrees down from bar height would be a good place to start. 

Brakes aren’t there to swing off! Minor movements to the brake lever have big impacts to the contact with the rotor so you need to 'feel' the brake pads onto the rotor using the lever by making small movements and adjustments to how much you are pulling the lever - this is modulation. 

Most people need to use a little more front brake than they currently do - this has to be the most common challenge with riders braking. Riders (including myself) don't balance their braking enough from front to rear brake. This may be because the front wheel sliding out feels a little more scary than the rear. Definitely don't use your front brake to the point of being dangerous but play with giving a little bit more bias to the front end to see how that works for you. 

Braking is based on ‘feel’ so it’s always tough to plan exactly where to brake, it’s about adjusting as it happens. Play with this approach - as you brake, you will realise it was either a good idea (you have some grip) and pull them harder, or wasn't a good idea (you start to slide) and let off. Try looking for the gripper point such as where there are no or less roots, try not to brake on ‘off camber’ and when there are braking bumps I try to brake before and / or after them. Another good tip can be to try to brake when your bike is upright, as this encourages you to brake before the corner.