Late Braking And 'Backin' It In'

Miles turns a corner.

Learning how to brake effectively is a massive part of riding a bike. It’s a skill that takes a long time to learn and can be the difference between keeping the bike upright or not.

Riders with a very high level of front-brake control can brake later and harder, and with a little bit of technique some can drift the back wheel sideways into a corner to get the bike turned early. ‘Backing it in’ is spectacular, a lot of fun and it can be a very effective way of controlling a bike into corners in specific situations.

For sure, many new bikes come with ABS, which is a nice safety net for beginners but also for experienced riders in emergency braking situations. But having your own internal ABS system tuned to a high level is a very important part of riding, especially high-performance riding.

Most people learn how to skid the rear wheel early on and have a bit of fun in the process. The front is another story, and many people’s first front-wheel lock up turns into a pretty sudden stack. Bikes loose stability very quickly when the front wheel locks. The handlebars start turning, balance deteriorates and it can be a very sudden impact with the ground soon after.

Developing skills

In my 20 years coaching riders, teaching braking control is one of the most important and fun aspects of any training. Developing the skill of locking the rear brake and controlling the bike in various situations is always fun. Then, learning how to lock the front wheel at quite low speeds while maintaining control can be quite daunting, but it’s surprisingly achievable for most riders, even those who may initially think it’s beyond their skill level. Once you can lock either wheel you can also understand better how to not lock the wheels. Like anything, practice makes perfect, so don’t stop fine tuning your braking skills. It could end up saving your life.