Once your brakes are set up properly, then you can learn to use them safely. Watch the video below to find out the nuances of braking on a mountain bike.
What if I told you that one of the secrets to going faster is knowing how to brake on a bike? It’s true! The better you are at braking on a mountain bike, the faster you will be! Sort of a paradox, right?
Knowing how to brake on a bike precisely and smoothly is very important for mountain biking safely and I want to set you up for success. Last week, I shared how to set up your brakes. (If you missed it, it’s worth going back!) Setting up your levers correctly is critical, but it’s just the first step. Poor braking technique can lead to fatigue, muscle cramps, or worse—accidents! This week, we’ll talk about optimal hand and finger placement, which will further set you up for safe, confident, and controlled descending.
Best Hand Placement While Riding
Hand placement is key in knowing how to brake on a bike. For the best leverage, place both hands on the very outside edges of your handlebars without any bar extending past your hands. Imagine trying to push a shopping cart from the center of the push bar—it would be very difficult!
The proprioceptors in your brain will naturally keep track of where your hands are in space, but have trouble keeping track of limits beyond your body. Riding with your handlebars extending beyond your hands can make it more likely that you will run into, clip, or punch obstacles like trees or boulders when you are riding through narrow spaces. In addition, a wider hand position gives you more steering control.
Why One-Finger Braking Is Best
When descending, position only one finger over each brake. Using two fingers per brake places your hands in a sub-optimal position and results in less control in navigating your bike beneath you.
To gain a better idea of why we encourage one-finger braking, place your hands around your handlebars with one finger extended on each side. Lift your bike vertically. It's kind of hard, but it's doable.
Next, hold your bike in a similar position, except with two fingers extended on each side. In this position, your bike is much more difficult to lift! Because of your muscle physiology, you can form a much stronger grip when only one finger covers your brake compared to when two fingers cover the brake. It is very difficult to hold onto a bike effectively with two fingers extended. This creates a safety issue because your bike could get away from you!
One-finger is sufficient for braking because hydraulic brakes do not require an increased effort on your part for faster braking. Regardless of how fast you're going, braking will slow or stop you immediately—you don't need to pull the brake harder.
What Is the Correct Braking Position?
To optimize safety and control, make sure your hands are at the outside edges of your handlebars and rest your index fingers in the hook of your brake lever. Don't rest your finger in the middle of your lever or close to the brake fulcrum because you won't have as much of the necessary leverage.
To learn more braking skills and have our team assess your lever position, hand placement, and braking technique, sign up for one of our clinics! We’ll have you descending with significantly increased control and confidence in no time. And to get you started in the direction, I’ve made a video explaining the techniques I just outlined. You can click here or on the image above to watch it and apply it to your riding today!