The Great Brake Debate

There exists a divide between seasoned bicycle enthusiasts and the casual rider. At the center of this disagreement is the front brake, and what exactly it's role is. It is the position of many expert cyclists that the front brake should be the primary brake to be used in the majority of stopping scenarios. Many more casual riders, by contrast, will tell you simply that the front brake's only purpose is to send the rider flying over the handlebars and into certain death*. So who's right? Well, let's break it down and look at the facts: The front brake has significantly more stopping power than the rear brake. This isn't an opinion, but rather simple physics. As you force deceleration on a bike, your weight shifts forward, off of the back wheel and onto the front. The back wheel loses traction while the front wheel gains it. It's testable and repeatable: All else being equal, a front brake will always slow you down quicker.

[* This never actually happens.]

But should it be one's primary brake? That's a little less clear to me. After two years of riding fixed-gear bikes with only a front brake assigned to the right (primary) hand, I was ready to believe that it should be. After all, I have come to many emergency stops on my fixies with a front brake and never had trouble. So when it came time for me to route the brakes on my touring bike, I made the bold decision to reverse the levers from the conventional standard, and put my front brake on the right, and the rear brake on the left. The idea, of course, being that my right hand is my go-to hand, capable of more strength and subtlety than my left, and that it should be assigned to my primary brake, my front brake.

So how'd that go, you ask? Well, on my first ride, I fell sideways onto the ground at an intersection. Less than ideal. I was going very slowly, riding the brakes and making a slow left turn to cross the street. My front tire hit a patch of sand and the bike when right out from under me. The reason is obvious, it's because my front brake was applied, and when the wheel locked up on loose sand, I lost control of my steering. Had my front wheel been free to rotate, it would have likely rolled freely over it at my intended trajectory. And it got me thinking, why doesn't this sort of thing happen to me all the time on my fixed-gears, with only a front brake? The answer is that although there is only a front brake on my fixies, it is not my primary means of deceleration and stopping. Rather, my legs are, and my legs affect the back wheel. That's why I could ride during blizzards on a fixed gear without problems, but wipe-out within hours on a bike with a freewheel and a front brake.

The late, great Sheldon Brown disagrees with me, stating plainly that the front brake is the primary brake and should be used in the majority of situations. I agree with a lot of his logic and practical experience. Him and I also agree that the front brake is dangerous when applied on slippery or bumpy terrain. The difference is that he seems to see such terrain as an exception to the norm, and not something that can occur unexpectedly at any given moment. All of my riding is on road bikes, on city streets and paved bike paths, but I still encounter sand and dirt regularly. In the spring time, in a region where the roads get covered with sand and salt in the winter, it is impossible to avoid it. And if one assumes that the majority of one's braking is simple speed regulation, and not emergency stopping, doesn't it make sense to keep the front wheel spinning freely, rolling calmly over unexpected obstacles? I ended up on the ground because I was using the front brake for just that, simple speed regulation, and not emergency stopping. The rear brake would have been just as effective, with the added benefit of keeping me upright and unbruised.

I do not debate the importance of a front brake on any bicycle that is to be used seriously. I go for entire long rides on my fixies without touching the brake, but I know it's there to stop me if I should need it. Whichever hand the front brake lever is on, I advise every cyclist to learn to use it effectively. But in all this front-brake celebration, let us not forget how useful and practical a rear brake can be. As for me, I immediately switched back the levers on my touring bike: Front on the left, rear on the right. I intend on keeping it that way.