# mid air brake tap?



## freeriderB (Jan 9, 2004)

does anyone ever tap their brakes when in mid air? If so...why and when?

effective or disasterous??


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## mtbman4 (Jan 28, 2004)

tapping your rear brake while in the air will bring your front wheel down, and fast. tapping your front brake in the air will result in a horrible painful endo. lol i sometimes tap the rear if my front wheel is sky-high.


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## n8nate (Apr 12, 2006)

Wasn't there a thread on this awhile back?

-Nate

EDIT: Found it:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=62339&highlight=Braking


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## 08nwsula (Oct 19, 2005)

it doesn't really do a whole lot unless you are on a dirtbike


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## blizzard_mk (Feb 19, 2006)

I use both of my brakes in the air, tapping either one will bring the front end down. Which brake and how hard you grab it depends on how fast you want the front end to come down. You don't need to be on a motorcycle to notice it. Unless you're going really fast and big and your wheels weigh a lot, I don't think you'd probably endo.


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## Ojai Bicyclist (Nov 4, 2005)

Why? If you can't control where your wheels go in the air you've got more to worry about than hitting the brakes in the air.


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## todd_freeride (Aug 9, 2005)

no it does a huge amount.

I ended up doing it subconsiously.

I was riding up at whistler, about 15 seconds into A-line I for some reason pulled up really hard at the end of the jump, as if I were to do a wheelie or something, but I squeezed my rear brake and landed perfictly onto the transition.

I dont do it on a regular basis, but I guess I do it when I know my front end has to come down.


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## zachdank (Jun 15, 2005)

Anyone who rips the DJ's knows that brake tapping comes in handy all the time. I do it daily.


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## DHidiot (Aug 5, 2004)

It's definetely noticeable if you have a second or more in the air (this doesn't apply to puny jumps). It should in no way be relied upon for control in the air - if that's what determines you pitch you need to learn how to jump and be loose on the bike before getting in over your head. Emergency use only IMO, though it definetely isn't frowned upon if you need it for a little extra comfort once in a while.


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## Guest (Oct 29, 2006)

My wheels are so heavy if I tapped my brake in the air my fork would fall off


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## ibanezrg520kid (Oct 27, 2005)

it doesn't do nearly as much as it does on a dirtbike. the objective of doing so is to bring the front end down, but the sudden stop in the moment of the rear wheel. don't ever do it with the front break. also, if you are ever riding and the rear break is actually working well with bringing the front end down then be careful! i've used to much rear break racing and drop the front end down so low it cought the face of the landing jump... so be [email protected]! endos suck


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## Guest (Oct 29, 2006)

ibanezrg520kid said:


> it doesn't do nearly as much as it does on a dirtbike. the objective of doing so is to bring the front end down, but the sudden stop in the moment of the rear wheel. don't ever do it with the front break. also, if you are ever riding and the rear break is actually working well with bringing the front end down then be careful! i've used to much rear break racing and drop the front end down so low it cought the face of the landing jump... so be [email protected]! endos suck


all this breaking makes me nervous


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## ibanezrg520kid (Oct 27, 2005)

haha oops... mybad jake! **brake** i feel retarded lol


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## mack-a-nator (Apr 26, 2006)

it actually does a whole lot 
it does bring your front down hard but it sumtimes makes for a smoother landing on a steeper landing


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## zachdank (Jun 15, 2005)

DHidiot said:


> It should in no way be relied upon for control in the air - if that's what determines you pitch you need to learn how to jump and be loose on the bike before getting in over your head. Emergency use only IMO, though it definetely isn't frowned upon if you need it for a little extra comfort once in a while.


I find this statement comical, considering i ride with several 20" pros that tap their back brakes at least once almost everytime they flow through a set with steep landings. It is a technique that some people use to get the perfect pitch on a large steep technical set. 
It is not a must, but it does come in handy for some of the best riders out there.


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## ibanezrg520kid (Oct 27, 2005)

ps. i'm a big fan of the bar hump. always used it on dirtbikes even if it was a big tripple or something with a steep landing.. i always seem to feel more in control!


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## mace2 (May 3, 2004)

so basically just tap your rear brake to bring the nose down a bit?

sounds kinda scary to practice the first few times. you'd have to get a good amoutn of air right? does it bring the front down a lot? thanks


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## .WestCoastHucker. (Jan 14, 2004)

zachdank said:


> Anyone who rips the DJ's knows that brake tapping comes in handy all the time. I do it daily.


on the flip side, i never touch my brakes in the air. if my finger is ever on the brake lever, it's because i am trying to stop.....


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## DHidiot (Aug 5, 2004)

zachdank said:


> I find this statement comical, considering i ride with several 20" pros that tap their back brakes at least once almost everytime they flow through a set with steep landings. It is a technique that some people use to get the perfect pitch on a large steep technical set.
> It is not a must, but it does come in handy for some of the best riders out there.


For the most part, they are probably landing on WAY steeper trannies and hitting WAY steeper lips than any of us are for the purpose of the topic. For a lot of those, their pitch needs to change almost a full 180 degrees (nearly straight up to straight down). I think their case is a bit different...valid exaample though.


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## crazy Jim (Mar 31, 2005)

.WestCoastHucker. said:


> on the flip side, i never touch my brakes in the air. if my finger is ever on the brake lever, it's because i am trying to stop.....


I try to stop in mid air quite regularly


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## crazy Jim (Mar 31, 2005)

ibanezrg520kid said:


> it doesn't do nearly as much as it does on a dirtbike. the objective of doing so is to bring the front end down, but the sudden stop in the moment of the rear wheel. don't ever do it with the front break. also, if you are ever riding and the rear break is actually working well with bringing the front end down then be careful! i've used to much rear break racing and drop the front end down so low it cought the face of the landing jump... so be [email protected]! endos suck


first you say it does not do as much as a DB then later on you say it caused the front to come down too much. I say it is every bit as effective as a DB, also I tap the front while in the air all the time with no problems, I just let it go before I touch down.


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## ibanezrg520kid (Oct 27, 2005)

crazy Jim said:


> first you say it does not do as much as a DB then later on you say it caused the front to come down too much. I say it is every bit as effective as a DB, also I tap the front while in the air all the time with no problems, I just let it go before I touch down.


i just feel like on a bike it is much less reliable then on a dirtbike. sometimes it is very effective and sometimes it isn't. it is the same way for dirtbikes... i've seen people hitting 130foot tripples and you can watch them flying and just stomping on their rear break and the wheel locks up, but it doesn't bring it down much. its the same for biking and from personal experiance you have a much better chance of it not working then on a dirtbike BUT you do have to be careful, because sometimes you do bring the front end down.

do you have first hand experiance on a dirtbike? if not then you wouldn't be abel to say it is every bit as effective, because i don't think it is. does it work? yes, but often not as well and imo it isn't as reliable on a bike.

using your front break can be very dangerous dude. be careful.

NOTE: when i said that it brought the front end down too much i was refering to on my motocross bike not my bicycle. sorry for being unclear.


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## ibanezrg520kid (Oct 27, 2005)

mace2 said:


> so basically just tap your rear brake to bring the nose down a bit?
> 
> sounds kinda scary to practice the first few times. you'd have to get a good amoutn of air right? does it bring the front down a lot? thanks


just go out in try it... it isn't nearly as scary as you'd think. try it on a dirtbike when you have to pull in a clutch lever too!

just try it in moderation if you are scared. if you got a jump you are getting decent air on start trying to use it, but don't use it if you are already at a good angle... its use is to bring the front end down when high, so make sure you need to use it when you try it. try hitting some jumps so that you are ending up a bit nose high and then give the brake a tap and see what happens.


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## ibanezrg520kid (Oct 27, 2005)

DHidiot said:


> For the most part, they are probably landing on WAY steeper trannies and hitting WAY steeper lips than any of us are for the purpose of the topic. For a lot of those, their pitch needs to change almost a full 180 degrees (nearly straight up to straight down). I think their case is a bit different...valid exaample though.


first, zack is hitting some of the best DJ i've ever seen, so i think he is excluded from the Any of us are"

also, it doesn't have to be used for just steep landings. i know in motocross i've hit long high jumps with long landing ramps that weren't that steep and when you are flying at 50mph you don't wanna land with the front end WAY high up even if the landing isn't steep at all. nothing like landing rear wheel first when the front end sky high and then having the front slam down extremely hard. trust me, the purpose of using your rear brake is to lower the front end no matter what situation you are in when it comes to landing ramps. it is there for control of the pitch of your bike. if you think it is just to use to bring the bike down from steep lips to steep landings... then let me try and find a picture of what my old oversided renthal bars looked like after jump 140ft double with a nice long landing ramp and landing wayyyyy too nose high. the front wheel slammed down very hard, which then sent my chest to the bars and then me over the bars... i broke my helmet and my handle bars.


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## Guest (Oct 29, 2006)

I am pretty sure he's asking about jumping and braking on a bicycle... not a dirtbike..
they are completely different in many ways.... I mean we dont have to pedal up the jump...I suppose braking in the air would be similar, but seriously...


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## ibanezrg520kid (Oct 27, 2005)

[email protected] said:


> I am pretty sure he's asking about jumping and braking on a bicycle... not a dirtbike..
> they are completely different in many ways.... I mean we dont have to pedal up the jump...I suppose braking in the air would be similar, but seriously...


yes, i know he is talking about bicycles....

ps. i personally find break tapping not neccesary on bikes, because it isn't too hard to man handle a bicycle and throw it where i want it. that is why i'm a big fan of the bar hump!


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## crazy Jim (Mar 31, 2005)

ibanezrg520kid said:


> do you have first hand experiance on a dirtbike? if not then you wouldn't be abel to say it is every bit as effective, because i don't think it is. does it work? yes, but often not as well and imo it isn't as reliable on a bike.
> 
> NOTE: when i said that it brought the front end down too much i was refering to on my motocross bike not my bicycle. sorry for being unclear.


My credentials:
I dirt jump MTBs, BMX and DBs. I am fortyfive years old and have been jumping bikes all my life. I have ten years experience on DBs. I currently ride a YZ 450. The types of jumps I ride my bicycles on are steep, BMX rythym style jumps so bringing the front down steeply is a necessity. There is a point where the front of the bike is too high in relation to the rear for the "brake tap" method to be particularly useful ie: try wheelying (sp) very high and see how applying the rear brake no longer helps after a certain point. This is probably one reason why you have seen people try it with little affect. Done correctly when you apply the rear brake in mid air the front end _WILL_ drop steeply.


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## zachdank (Jun 15, 2005)

.WestCoastHucker. said:


> on the flip side, i never touch my brakes in the air. if my finger is ever on the brake lever, it's because i am trying to stop.....


I'm deffinately not saying that everyone does it, and i know you don't do it. I've heard your no fingers on the brake speach a thousand times. On a side note, when i was editing some video a couple weeks ago, i saw a clip of you with your fingers on the brakes deep in mid air.
No bull$hit.:skep:


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