http://www.ambmag.com.au - 99- Braking on the trail:
On Approach: In the picture, you will see I am coming down the steep
fire trail, approaching an off camber left turn into the single track.
This is what the 70/30 rule looks like out on the trails - My front
suspension is compressed due to the heavy front braking, and my rear
wheel is showing signs of ‘skidding’, but it’s only minimal. If I were
to reverse the 70/30 rule here, I would simply not make the corner.
The trail surface is loose and there is no ‘berm’ or trail feature to
push against mid corner, thus the way we use our brakes is a crucial
component to success with a corner like this.- Braking on the trail:
Mid Corner: By the time you have reached the entry to the corner or
obstacle, you have hopefully done the majority of your braking using
the 70/30 rule. Now, it’s important to understand how the braking can
affect our line and ability to turn safely. Think about this - A wheel that
is under hard braking will not maintain contact with the ground as
well as a wheel that is freely rolling or under light braking (sometimes
referred to as ‘feathering’). In even simpler terms, “A rolling wheel
tracks better than a braking wheel”. So, if we are to apply a handful
of either brake mid corner, then there is a good chance we will
either crash, or lose a massive chunk of speed. On the other hand,
if we completely let them go, then we will probably also crash out
of control, so it’s important to understand the term feather braking,
or ‘feathering’ which is basically light and easy controlled braking.
Using the off camber corner in the pic as an example, you can see
that neither my front wheel or rear wheel are skidding or showing
any signs of hard breaking as I approach the mid point of the corner.
In this example, I am feathering my brakes at close to 50/50 to ensure
I keep on the fastest line for the turn. Any hard braking in the turn will
immediately impact my ability to hold the line - a theory that applies to
any and every corner, so keep it smooth and feathery!5) ‘Slow in, fast out!’ Learning how to generate speed out of corners is
a braking exercise as much as it is a vision and position one (see our
previous how to articles), however these basic braking techniques will
be crucial to allow controlled heavy braking into the corner, mid corner
‘feathering’ and subsequent fast exits with a big smile on the dial.Minimal skidding with the 70/30 rule 70/30 braking makes sure you can maintain control