From: tedg@apollo.HP.COM (Ted Grzesik)
Subject: Re: How do I teach the wife to descend?
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 16:09:11 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Chelmsford, MA

In article <1992Sep07.224648.6879@convex.com>, couyant@convex.com (George Couyant) writes:
|> 	You have to pick your moments when using the front brake down a
|> 	hill.  It's not a good idea to keep it applied all the way down
|> 	...not because it'll lock, but because it compresses the front
|> 	suspension and you really muck up the stability and handling of
|> 	the bike. You'd never attack something rutty or rough sitting on
|> 	the tank with the brakes on right? You'd be standing up and on the
|> 	gas...Nothing's changed because you're going down a hill.
|> 
|> 	BUT...you still need to wash speed off...and that comes with
|> 	experience. Look for areas with better traction..or smooth areas.
|> 	You can brake as hard as anything there and wash off a lot of
|> 	speed.
|> 
|> 	Me? I enter everything, whether it's a steep down hill or hard 
|> 	turn nice and easy. I can then be in perfect (?!?) control to exit
|> 	quickly. Just for the record though, I always keep one or two
|> 	fingers on the front brake (lightly...) down a hill. It helps keep
|> 	the bike from running away on me...
|> 
|> 	Cheers
|> 	George C.
|> 

Boy this discussion is getting a lot of mileage...

Well, I guess I responding with a knee-jerk reaction.  In reality, I DO use
my front brake, but only when I know that it's "safe".

This weekend we'll be heading up for our annual Crescent Mountain hill climb.
This is a 4000 footer in the White Mountains of NH.  The ride starts out with
a nice logging road which quickly turns into a nasty, washed-out boulder-fest.
The funnest part is that the logging company took out all the bridges when
they were done.  It's lots of fun coming up to a gully with the throttle wide
open, and a few seconds to figure out what you're gonna do to keep yourself
from crashing.  :-)

Anyway, as they say, what goes up, must come down.  Soooo, when descending the
mountain, I use the following techniques.  I stand on the pegs with my knees
bent and my whole body loose and leave the bike in 2nd gear (1st when it's
REALLY steep).  I use the rear brake to bleed off speed when I can.

In regards to all the comments, I must admit that I use my front brake to
bleed off speed, but only when the ground is smooth and it isn't really steep.
On the rocky stuff (which we have plenty of in New Hampshire), I don't get much
opportunity to do this.  As George said, hitting the front brakes compresses 
the shocks which doesn't leave any absorbancy for the rocks.

I guess I should have said more on the subject.  I just don't think it's a
good idea to encourage use of the front brake.

Also, someone mentioned attitude as being important.  I absolutely agree.
Besides, dirt-riding, I'm an avid skier.  I find that both these sports are
50% skill and 50% attitude.

Well, that's my riding style.  It works for me.

	Keep on ridin'
	Ted
-- 
Ted Grzesik       Massachusetts Language Lab             Hewlett-Packard Company
tedg@apollo.hp.com                                Chelmsford, MA  (508) 436-5959
"Contrariwise", continued Tweedledee, "If it was so, it might be; 
and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't.  That's logic."
                                        -- Lewis Carroll
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