This is true, and usually you can stop on it OK. However, surfaces can be deceptive, so as a matter of good practice we teach easing the front as you pass below walking speed. At this speed less than 50% of the weight is on the front wheel because the weight transfer effect is minimal - unless you're doing an emergency or other hard stop.

If you lock the rear brake it's easy to ease the pressure and to control any resultant slide. If you lock the front you're often spit off before you have chance to react.

Essentially, stopping on the rear under normal braking is always safe. Stopping on the front isn't always, so we teach always to use the rear. I will stress, this is only to come to a halt once the bike has been slowed. For slowing you use both brakes, with an awareness that the front is the one doing most of the work.

On figure eights, you can lightly drag the rear brake to help control speed. A firm application will, as you say, probably fetch you off - or at least make you put a foot down. Any application of the front usually does.

 

interesting, may just be a difference of riding theory. From my learning in most conditions you want to use your front brake because the fine muscle control and responce is much faster in your hand vs ankle to be able to quickly adjust for any changes in road condition or grip.

I have no problem lightly using front brake in figure 8's, but front or rear a newb is likely to drop it using brakes in the 8 untill they can learn to slowly squeeze till they can just start to feel the drag and know where that point is.

and yeah a rear wheel brake induced slide is easier to control when upright than a front. Its also far more likely to happen so its a trade off that requires some awareness of your current traction and experience. Its part of why I encourage people to ride inthe rain or atleast when its wet, its important experience to gain.

 

I'm not convinced about the fine control theory with the hand. It sounds good, but in practice too many other factors get in the way. In particularly, response time is no faster and if the front starts to lock you can be off before you can react.

Bottom line for us is stats gathered from a lot of experienced high mileage riders - most UK police riders as it happens. The data shows that Stopping on the rear under normal conditions generates very few 'offs' compared to stoping on the front. Most riders can stop on the front most of the time, and experienced riders pretty much all the time, but there is stil a chance of being caught out.

I agree that the front, rear or both can be used during figure eights, but best not taught to a newby.

The typical case for an 'off' is, for example, starting to follow a car out of an intersection. The driver sees something and stops dead, you hit the front brake hard at 2 mph, and you're sitting in the road feeling silly. As a result, we teach always to use the rear at this sort of speed so that the likelyhood of inappropriate use of the front brake is reduced.

Riding in the rain isn't an issue here. Riding in the dry is a rare experience.

Rob

 

you poor fellow. dry is so nice, and around here the cars are more dangerous than the road when its wet out. Water seems to short circuit their I.Q.

there are a great deal of "fair weather riders" out here. if there is a cloud int he sky they won't ride.