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1. Brake controls and features
It’s very important to your safety that you learn and
remember which brake lever controls which brake on
your bike. Traditionally, the right brake lever controls
the rear brake and the left brake lever controls the front
brake; but, to make sure your bike’s brakes are set up
this way, squeeze one brake lever and look to see which
brake, front or rear, engages. Now do the same with the
other brake lever.
Make sure that your hands can reach and squeeze
the brake levers comfortably. If your hands are too
small to operate the levers comfortably, consult your
dealer before riding the bike. The lever reach may be
adjustable; or you may need a different brake lever
design.
Most rim brakes have some form of quick-release
mechanism to allow the brake pads to clear the tire
when a wheel is removed or reinstalled. When the
brake quick release is in the open position, the brakes
are inoperative. Ask your dealer to make sure that you
understand the way the brake quick release works on
your bike (see gs. 12, 13. 14 & 15) and check each
time to make sure both brakes work correctly before you
get on the bike.
2.Howbrakeswork
The braking action of a bicycle is a function of the
friction between the braking surfaces. To make sure that
you have maximum friction available, keep your wheel
rims and brake pads or the disk rotor and caliper clean
and free of dirt, lubricants, waxes or polishes.
Brakes are designed to control your speed, not
just to stop the bike. Maximum braking force for each
wheel occurs at the point just before the wheel “locks
up” (stops rotating) and starts to skid. Once the tire
skids, you actually lose most of your stopping force
and all directional control. You need to practice slowing
and stopping smoothly without locking up a wheel.
The technique is called progressive brake modulation.
Instead of jerking the brake lever to the position where
you think you’ll generate appropriate braking force,
squeeze the lever, progressively increasing the braking
force. If you feel the wheel begin to lock up, release
pressure just a little to keep the wheel rotating just
short of lockup. It’s important to develop a feel for the
amount of brake lever pressure required for each wheel
at different speeds and on different surfaces. To better
understand this, experiment a little by walking your bike
and applying different amounts of pressure to each brake
lever, until the wheel locks.
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