How To Brake In Any Situation | MTB Skills

You know what they say, anyone can jump a bike, it's the landing that's the problem. Well, it's kind of the same with steep downhills. Anyone can do them, it's the stopping and they're not crashing that's the hard bit. Today, we'll take a look at some riding skills that will give you maximum stopping power. Let's take a really quick look at the basics, bear with me because it is important. Let's start with trying to stop quickly but staying in control. Getting on the brake hard means that all the weight is getting thrown forwards if you don't do anything. That's going to be hard to keep in control, never mind actually stopping quickly. Try and think about getting your weight down and into the bike rather than rotating over the top of it. This is quite an extreme example of me getting my weight back and down into the bike. You need to learn the most extreme version of this and use different amounts of that when it's needed on the trail. Now, let's take that simple idea of getting the weight down and into the bike rather than risking it rotating over the top and take it to a steep bit of trail where it's really going to work out here. You're going to need to break down this. If you're stood tall and your seat is still up or even if you're just not getting your heels down, when you start hitting the brakes, it's just going to want to rotate the bike. Even on the steepest downhills where I've got this really steep slab here, you can see my weight if I pause this section. I'm really heel down. I'm really hip back but also you can see my elbows are really bent and my chest is still quite far forwards on the bars. I'm just making sure my weight is down and into the bike and isn't above it, especially on this really steep section. I need to be low with also some movement to move my arms and legs if I need to move through a certain section. It's all about getting your heels down and using those tires to stop. Actually, that really steep section, you have to roll into that as slow as you possibly can. If you drop in with just an ounce too much speed, you're going to go bombing through it at the bottom. Also, you can't risk stopping or locking your brakes at the top of it because the worst you could do here is lose your balance before you drop in. It's keeping the wheels rolling and gripping, not locking up, but really controlling your brakes and getting your weight nicely down and low into the bike. As with any part of mountain bike skills, be it cornering or even riding jumps, it is really important to look to what's after the thing you're concentrating on. Especially with steep downhills, you might find that actually you cannot brake very hard on it, like that slab example I've just shown. It's so steep, you're not going to get any grip on it. You have to realize that you have to come off the brakes to get your tires gripping. It's the exit where you can then slow yourself down. Luckily, I've got a big flat fire road here. Obviously, I've got loads of space to stop. You might need to find a berm or an edge to slam against, but you need to know where you can eventually get rid of that speed. It might not be on that steep section. It's often said in mountain bike skills coaching, I've probably said it as well, I'm sure, that you should be off the brakes in corners, but it doesn't always work like that. You might be on a really steep side of the hill like we are here or you might arrive in the corner too fast. I've done that so many times where you have to brake. Obviously, trying to come off the brakes is going to help your tires grip, but actually, it's probably better to try and arrive in control on the brakes and then come off the brakes mid-corner so that you are gripping and slowing down on the important part. If you come in too fast and have to hit the brakes mid-turn, you can slide out like I've said, but also it can sometimes stand the bike up and you overshoot the corner as well. Try and predict when you're going too fast and obviously how much grip you've got. Air on the side of caution on the way in, and you can always be a bit more wild on the way out, I suppose, and slide on the way out of the corner. Hopefully, if you're on the steep side of the hill, then that gradient, you're going to pick up speed again anyway. I would always try and be a bit more careful and be on the brakes a bit more into the corner. Then if I can, if it's not too steep, ease off the brakes mid-turn. Sometimes you're going to have to stay on the brakes all the way around. Sometimes you have to grip it and rip it. I suppose that's quite a good saying for it, where actually hitting the brakes is going to be the worst thing you can do. A bit like riding super steep stuff, actually, you just got to get off the brakes to let the tires roll. Jumps and drops are a similar situation. If things go wrong, it's almost better to just try and rely on your skill to get through that section and then look for a nice clean spot, especially with drop-offs. I've seen loads of people panic, hit the brakes and things go wrong, weight goes forward. Jump's the same, try and get through the section, come off the side and then stop or find a nice flat landing, flat spot in the middle of the jumps where you can then hit the brakes and slow down if you're out of control. Obviously, how good your brakes work is going to affect how well you can slow down. It's not just the model or the brand of the brake you've got, but making sure they're in good condition as well. Obviously, brake pads aren't completely worn out, but also disc rotors, if they're a bit bent, they can push the pads back and forth, which doesn't help you stop, but also they can warble a bit. If you ever feel like your brake's pulsing, maybe if you ride down a road, something super simple, if you're putting on your brakes moderately, if you can feel a bit of a warble like they're on and off and on and off, probably because your rotors are a bit bent, so try and sort that out. I've got Shimano XTR brakes with 203 rotors, front and rear, and they are super good, really powerful. Obviously, big rotors will help you slow down better. You've got more leverage than a smaller rotor, but also there's more material there as well, so they don't get as hot as quick. If you live somewhere with big mountains or you're a heavier rider or if you've got a heavier bike, then bigger rotors do help you brake stronger for longer, but that is nothing without control. Power is nothing without control, so you need good tires to slow down proper as well. Obviously, the payoff there is rolling resistance, but if you're riding steep, gnarly trails, then you should definitely have bigger rubber with gnarlier tread to help you slow down. One of the scariest situations is where you don't have the friction you need to help you stop. It could be muddy sections, could be loose, or roots, or hardpack, or anything where it's just slippery and it's steep. Again, bike setup will help. Having a chunkier tire is going to help you stop quicker than your mate who's on semi-slicks or cross-country tires. Also, lower pressure is going to help those tires dig in. Same skills, really, as before. It's just trying to get your weight down in the bike. If you haven't got any grip, then try and plan where you are going to have grip. Also, if it is on the edge of what you think is rideable, then I would definitely take a look at it first. Sometimes, I'll do this where I even use my foot to try and get an idea of the grip before I drop into that section. They can be a bit dicey, but they can also be quite exciting and a bit of fun. Try and make sure you keep the wheels rolling, don't lock them up, and then find where you can slow down. Braking here is a super important skill to get the hang of. Mastering that is all about mastering grip and all the other parts of mountain biking as well, like cornering, and how you're braking and doing those things at the same time. If you're struggling with brake setup, there's a really good video over on GMBN Tech on how to make your brakes more powerful. Check that one out. I personally love having a brake that almost feels so strong it's on or off, and then I learn how to judge that and use my fingers. Rather than a really modular brake that goes from not that great to really great, I'd rather have a really, really powerful one that I learn how to use properly. Check that video out because hopefully it'll help you improve your brakes whatever brand they are. Give us a thumbs up if you love riding steep stuff.