# Back Brake Only...



## Hans Slowlo (Feb 12, 2010)

I'm a poor college student in the process of shedding some unwanted pounds from my SS. I recently saw that my buddy rides/races with only a rear brake and thought it was genius. Instead of replacing heavy parts with expensive lighter ones why not GET RID OF EM!! I brought the topic up in the shop I work at and everybody thought it sounded nuts to get rid of the brake. It sounds reasonable to me. I ride flat single track and hardly touch the front brake. The owner of the shop related my not using the front brake to a lack of technical skill (i.e. good riders use the front brake frequently)

2 questions: 
1. Is not using the front brake a lack of skill?
2. What are some thoughts on the topic?


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## rockyuphill (Nov 28, 2004)

Most of the braking force when stopping comes from the front as that's where all the weight transfer goes when stopping. If you're using your rear brake only there's a bigger chance of skidding on a regular basis.


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## nino (Jan 13, 2004)

Hans Slowlo said:


> The owner of the shop related my not using the front brake to a lack of technical skill (i.e. good riders use the front brake frequently)
> 
> 2 questions:
> 1. Is not using the front brake a lack of skill?
> 2. What are some thoughts on the topic?


correct - Listen to your shop!

If ever get rid of the back brake.No kidding. The rear brake offers less power and more weight savings because of longer hoses/housings. Riding without rear brake is no problem but without the front it's sketchy.


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## egebhardt (Nov 16, 2004)

I got rid of the back brake on my commuter bike. I wasn't necessary.
The back tire lifts off sometimes, but it's not a problem if I just keep steering.


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## nino (Jan 13, 2004)

There's some really fast guys that hardly ever use the rear brake at all as the wheel is up in the air anyway


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## Hans Slowlo (Feb 12, 2010)

I understand the advantage in stopping power the front brake has, that just seems part of the reason i rarely use it on the trails. I feel like I want to keep as much momentum going as possible and by tapping my rear brake when I have to, I can do that. Rockyuphill, you mentioned the skidding that comes with the rear brake. I've sort of incorporated that into how I handle slowing down, a small skid then right back on the gas. Is that considered inefficient/poor handling?


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## slcpunk (Feb 4, 2004)

Hans Slowlo said:


> I understand the advantage in stopping power the front brake has, that just seems part of the reason i rarely use it on the trails. I feel like I want to keep as much momentum going as possible and by tapping my rear brake when I have to, I can do that. Rockyuphill, you mentioned the skidding that comes with the rear brake. I've sort of incorporated that into how I handle slowing down, a small skid then right back on the gas. Is that considered inefficient/poor handling?


i'll venture to say that it may not be inefficient, but its certainly not nice for the trails. Sure, if you're in a race, then tear it up, but seems pretty selfish to be skidding around all the time just because you can go faster. But then again, i'm a self professed trail etiquette nazi, so you should ignore me.


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## trailville (Jul 24, 2006)

Hans Slowlo said:


> I feel like I want to keep as much momentum going as possible and by tapping my rear brake when I have to, I can do that.


If you want to keep momentum, you use both brakes. That way you can wait until the last possible moment before braking. A couple of years ago I took a bike with only a rear brake on some local trails and it was crazy, I ran right off the trail in the first tight corner because I was used to a bike that could actually stop fast (2 brakes).


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## pernfilman (May 24, 2007)

We all wanna shave some grams but removing useful things like the brakes is stupid. 

If you are any kind of respectable rider you will need both of them. 

If this is your new approach to dropping weight completely remove the seatpost and seat and collar and keep the rear brake


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## tomboyjr (Jul 16, 2009)

to all the naysayers, guess no one here ever rode BMX? Back brake only and set to just slow you down, no skidding. For flattish trails I could see this working.


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## JoeST765 (Feb 8, 2010)

I have to agree with most here, keep them both. I could never survive without both brakes.


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## bholwell (Oct 17, 2007)

Almost* everyone is correct in this thread. You might safely get away with running a front brake only, but you won't be faster for it. Running a rear brake only will be painfully slow as you'll have to brake well in advance of the corners, and you'd better hope there aren't any steep declines.

Right before a 6 hour endurance race my teammate broke the axle on his rear hub. I loaned him my spare rear wheel, but b/c it was a disc hub and he was running rim brakes, he was without the rear brake. He crashed once because of it, but overall he was fine.

Bottom line- I wouldn't venture onto a real trail without a front brake. But that's just me.


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## COLINx86 (Apr 8, 2009)

If you plan on racing then you'd have to put the other brake on. Pretty sure there's either a USAC or UCI (both?) rule that say you have to have 2 working brakes when you start the race.


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## danjmeyers (Mar 15, 2009)

I had to get rid of both brakes when I removed my handle bars. The handling is a bit twitchy but I'm running sub 15lb!!!!!


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## liam2051 (Apr 19, 2008)

I agree with nino (for once ) if you want to remove a brake then let it be the rear, i probably go through two sets of front pads before I go through one set of rears. 

Going around corners only with rear brakes would be PAINFUL, you would find yourself pushing yourself back whilst braking to try and increase the brakes power, which by the time your cornering will be a completely wrong position on the bike to tackle the bend


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## Soya (Jun 22, 2007)

Hell, if it's a SS take off both brakes and make it a fixie.


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## Jake Pay (Dec 27, 2006)

Is there a full moon or something








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## loggerhead (Mar 8, 2009)

i won my first race on only a back brake (14 miles on a rainy day). crashed into a tree within the first five minutes and the front brake handle twisted 180 degrees. this was with v-brakes. i could see getting used to this as you would have to learn how to drift the bike quite well around turns with speed. i definately wouldn't want this setup (especially with cantis or v brakes) on wet surfaces. another problem is you would tear the crap out of the trails with any type of speed as you would always be skidding unless you brake way too early before turns.
my 93 klein attitude had only a front brake as my rear ti. post snapped in the frame. biking was still real sketchy and any long descents sucked as the front would heat up and the brakes would be rendered useless.
definately better modulation with both brakes.


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## Ansible (Jan 30, 2004)

Keep just the front brake and convert your SS to a fixie. If you want to brake with the rear, just stop the pedals! I rode with a guy last year who had this very setup and he was actually pretty fast. Faster than me up the hill that's for sure. Downhill his feet were a blur. His handlebars just had the one lever for the front brake, no other controls!

For myself, 2 brakes are lots faster to stop than one, so I can wait later to brake and go fast for longer into corners. Plus I can go faster with confidence knowing I can stop when I need to.


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## Broccoli (Jun 11, 2008)

Hans Slowlo said:


> I recently saw that my buddy rides/races with only a rear brake


ut:


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## roaringboy (Aug 26, 2009)

This is quite a good explanation as to using front/rear brakes:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html

I NEVER use my rear brake - it's only there in case my front packs up and i need it in an emergency.


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## Wheelspeed (Jan 12, 2006)

Hans Slowlo- Half the fun in life is trying new things. I say pull off the front brake and try it for a few weeks. You're on flat ground, and on a SS, so I doubt you're roaring up to turns and needing to slam on the brakes.

Just try not to skid too much since it causes damage, erosion, etc.


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

Depends where you are riding, and if there is anything that could cause brakes to not sork so well....

Like rain, puddles, snow, sleet, or maybe just brake fade...if so you need a back-up brake...

Or maybe you get a brake failure, just as you pull up to a red light, well not really pull up just zing through the intersection....

Tha is why two brakes are a good idea....


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## herbn (Sep 17, 2005)

front brake=way to stop,and yes not being able to use it to it's limit is a sign of general lack of skills. If you rode down trails or steep rocks were just using the rear brake would be a real problem you would not be asking this question.


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## jrod22 (May 19, 2008)

I'd say if you wanna, go for it. i used to never use my front brake because...i don't know, i just never did and i got around just dandy. You said you rarely/never need your front brake on the trails you ride on so following logic, you can survive without it. It doesn't matter that in many situations the front brake is necessary as long as you aren't in those situations. Then again, jeffscott is right, you'd only have 1 brake between you and whatever you're careening toward.


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## gixer7 (Jul 26, 2007)

Something else to consider is what about needing to brake hard in an emergency.

Few weeks back some mates and I were smashing down some narrow singletrack that is not heavy on brakes. Halfway through some walkers were coming back up the other way. If we were only running back brakes it would have been absolute carnage. As it was it was a close run thing.

You can never account for all the vagaries you may come across out on trail. Removing either brake is in my mind ludicrous. If one fails you at least have a backup. having a back brake only is asking for trouble.


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## herbn (Sep 17, 2005)

Every vehicle that uses brakes uses more front than back brake, bmx courses are pretty much brake free these days,and i hope you don't compare yourself to a flattrack oval racer. Any race car ,road bikes, motocross,even my old ford explorer truck has discs up front drums in back,it's physics. If you use the back brake to fishtail around corners,it would be much more effective if you grabbed a bunch of frontbrake , then initiated the fishtail at the last moment with the backend unweighted. So much faster.


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## onlycrimson (Nov 11, 2008)

nino said:


> There's some really fast guys that hardly ever use the rear brake at all as the wheel is up in the air anyway


LOL x2. The front brake routinely provides 100% of the stopping power for GP bikes.

You'll want both brakes on your bike as they are both useful. I lost my rear brakes during a race (due to a leak) and it was awful. Every downhill the front was skidding like mad and the rear wheel was lifting. After that I learned to appreciate the 15-25% force the rear brake provides.


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## herbn (Sep 17, 2005)

Do you think if you had lost your front brake in that same race,it would have been worse,because you would have lost 75-85% of your stopping power.


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## onlycrimson (Nov 11, 2008)

herbn said:


> Do you think if you had lost your front brake in that same race,it would have been worse,because you would have lost 75-85% of your stopping power.


Absolutely. I would have been flying off the course on the downhills.


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## diver160651 (Jun 18, 2007)

My 2 cents as an ex- Moto-x (started as a little kid) and Road Racer racer:

This has been bet to death -- sans the rear performing slightly different duties in technical areas, the rear when used properly is providing huge input to the rider. This input tells the rider just how much transfer the front is receiving. Yes, the front does the stopping but the rear lets the rider know whats going on. Without using both brakes properly, you will be slower period. Usually when people are skidding the rear all over the trail -- you find they are not that fast.

Upgrading your brakes for better modulation and power, sure -- but removing them? Don't unless your a hipster ;-)


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