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New bike braking
I finally decided to get a new bike and it is a substantial upgrade on the previous one. It flies, it climbs very well, it fits beautifully and the braking is very, very different - this is where i’m Having issues. On the old bike I knew where the bite point was and how to modulate the brakes. It was a cheap bike, with cheap brakes. The new bike i’m Nearly always locking the back wheel, the bite point is catching me unawares and the rate of deceleration rapid. This had to led to a crash and a near miss so far.
is this a case of I just need to ride more to get used to the brakes or should I be doing something different. I’ve gone from being very confident to not so. Probably making a big thing of nothing. I should probably just ride!
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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7 comments
Ride plenty, and practice braking, from easy, modulating to a very gentle stop to putting them on harder and harder until you are confident in a full on emergency stop.
If you haven't already, I'd highly recommend learning how to set up and adjust your brake system - there are a few hidden screws etc that can help dial in the feel perfectly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO77mbB8w7I
I'll be honest, with rim brakes, I *have* (in the past, I'm on discs now!) REALLY struggled to ride bikes with different bite points etc.
When I upgraded from tektro to Ultegra rim brakes (bit of a jump, I know), I really struggled because the Ultegra rim brakes actually worked! It took me about 50 miles of riding to get properly used to it.
I'm sure you took a certain amount of time to brake efficiently on your old bike? As you state, you should just ride. The more you ride the sooner you will be braking at maximum efficiency.
Loosen your brake cable then tighten it where your brake lever stroke is at the grab point you want.
Loosen your brake cable then tighten it where your brake lever stroke is at the grab point you want.
Can you tell us more about your system, what make /model and type of brake and lever, what rims, tyres, etc?
Which brake do you use the most? 70+ % of your braking should done with the front wheel only. You only really need to add some back brake if you're trying to brake to a halt hard and fast.