Ok so I've heard many different things about this, My friend called it wrong and bad technique to always have 2 fingers on the brake lever not pulling it but resting there, where my other friend says he prefers to ride like that so he can quickly use it if needed while riding?

We got on this subject because i cannot reach the break with my fingers if if im using the throttle my hands are too small. Is that an issue?

thanks

 

Not good form. It's a common practice in mountain biking etc, but not acceptable for street riding.You need to be loose on the bars - if you are straining to always keep 2 fingers on the brake, you will be tense and that can cause accidents faster than it solves them. Also, if your hand is always covering the brake, you are more likely to use it in a 'knee jerk' reaction. Say you are turning at an intersection in town and you see a pedestrian run out in the path of where you wanted to go. Instead of rolling off the throttle, steering to avoid it, and/or applying rear brake, you pull that front you have loaded up... there is a good chance the front end is going to dive on you and you will drop it.

My advice: - Get those new levers, hopefully they will help. Although, you can't adjust them too much, as when you bring the levers in too close, they risk hitting the throttle tube and preventing you from using full brake.
- Start by using 4 fingers on the throttle, then 4 fingers on the brake when needed. Once you get comfortable with that, you can move to 4 fingers on the throttle, 2 on the brake. This is used for rev matching for downshifts during braking etc... sort of like heel toe shifting. It's not necessary so don't worry about it if you can't do it because your hand size.

 

Ok awesome thanks for the input. Will try that out!

 

How's it been working for you, OP?

 

Old thread, new member...just my opinion When I'm lane splitting down the freeway I keep two fingers on the brake lever. When approaching an intersection and going straight through I'll rest them there. I think it's situational. But "always"? Nah...but I would say, if you have a problem reaching the brake lever while manipulating the throttle you should invest in some adjustable reach levers if you don't already have them. Also, adjust the lever down a bit so you can easily swing your fingers forward without having to waste a lot of motion. My .02 cents...

 

Agree, not good to have to try too hard to reach the brakes. I guess my hands are big enough because I can rest two fingers on the brake lever without much effort if at all. As Malice101 said - especially splitting in hectic LA rush hour, it is necessary to cover the brakes, cars will sometimes pop out of nowhere, sometimes you can't see it coming at all they don't use blinkers or turn their wheels or nothing they literally sit there until you're nearby and swerve into you, it's like playing a game of How fast can you react. In those cases, those microseconds matter a lot.
I'm like your other friend, always rest 2 fingers on the brake unless I'm cruising long distance on an empty road. It's just habit from LA street riding experience. I don't know if it's ideal or not, but saved my *** many times and never negatively affected my riding (including emergency braking mid-corner) But, I would definitely never do anything that causes me to be tense/uncomfortable while riding.

 

+1. A must in LA traffic

 

but i thought on twist of the wrist he says never to use all your fingers? i could be wrong i hadn't rode for over a year when i got my bike last month. need to go rewatch anyway

 

also idk. its been more comfortable for me to have 2 on the brake and 2 on the throttle? especially for downshifting and my knee jerk reaction has always been trying to miss obstacles if theres any chance.

 

Old debated topic. Do whatever is comfortable for you.

Personally, I don't keep or rest any on the lever unless I'm anticipating a stop. In an emergency situation, stay relaxed and just brake as needed. A handful of brake will throw you over the bars...

And when I do brake, I keep my first finger on the throttle and use the other 3 on the lever. It may seem strange to do it that way, but I can feel the brake more and be smoother while still having control of the throttle for trailbraking, down shifting, and transitioning back to the gas.