50 ways to save your life

Point # 19. Keep the front brake covered--always


Is this right? I recently read in a magazine that keeping your fingers off the brake actually increases your responsiveness. It's been a long time I have rode but I remember correctly, I keep my fingers off the front brake.
 
Depends on where -- I cover the brake a lot when riding in the city and there is always the potential for someone to pull out in front of me. If I am in a more rural area, I normally don't bother unless I am near an intersection or similar.
 
Riding in the city, I'm conditioned to almost always have a pair of fingers hovering over the front brake.

I'd like to read the science behind being more responsive otherwise.

I also recall my rider training course - the instruction was to very deliberately keep my fingers wrapped around the grips, not hovering on the controls. The argument was that a rider would have greater stability with both hands firmly on the grips. I also remember my instructor kicking my front wheel back in forth to make that point, demonstrating more stability when holding on. In hind-sight, that is a bit of a stupid lesson to learn. You don't want a death grip on the bars.
 
leon_nerd said:
Point # 19. Keep the front brake covered--always


Is this right? I recently read in a magazine that keeping your fingers off the brake actually increases your responsiveness. It's been a long time I have rode but I remember correctly, I keep my fingers off the front brake.
Click to expand...

^^^^^^^^
Good point.
Keeping fingers on the brake lever limits movement in your wrist. Not a good thing, especially when that wrist is meant to control the throttle.
Forum Sponsor
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom