I'm sure you know this but a lot of people don't: if you want to stop quickly, use the front brake while adjusting your weight backward. The rear wheel can skid along a good distance, but if you apply the front brake to the point of wheelie liftofff but no further, that's as fast as you'll stop.

Aside from just laying down and scraping yourself against the rode, which might still be preferable depending on the alternative!

(Gravel or other slippery surface where the front wheel would just skid? You're toast. Ride slowly instead.)

Moreover, a lot of casual cyclists don't use the front brake at all -- evidenced by the condition of the front and rear break pads on bikes I've worked on. I think that effective use of dual braking is vital to safe riding.

I advise beginners (yes there are a lot of them) to practice making panic stops in a safe place such as an empty parking lot.

I've been riding a fixed gear in traffic daiily for 14 years and it has never actually been necessary to panic stop in that time. I have a front rim brake and only use it on the big hill.

As a hypothetical one would think it would be necessary to slam on the brakes more often, but the situation has never come up.

I think the more you cycle the more managing speed becomes a function of predicting traffic around you than needing to react to unexpected things. Rarely an obstacle in your path is truly "unexpected" if you're able to understand how other participants in traffic will move.

It's come up often enough for me, in 55 years of riding.

Experience does make a difference, but I haven't yet seen the risk of an unexpected stop drop to zero. And I think learning to control the bike is still valuable for a beginner, so they can survive to the point of developing their street smarts. A panic stop teaches you how to control the bike.

The recent e-bike boom has been a chance to observe a lot of beginners learning to ride. One habit I've seen on the paths is being "afraid to stop," resulting in minor collisions within groups of cyclists, and cars making panic stops when the bike paths cross roads. These are the people to whom I suggest learning how to use the brakes.

I've used to commute in inline skates in traffic. It wasn't usual but I had a couple of close encounters.

The was an avenue with bike preference in the leftmost lane, but as cars parked anyway it way like a 1/4 lane.

Once I was completely zoomed out and felt something was off. The car at my right just push the break.

I followed along with a t drag and straighten up to get a clearer vision. A truck was turning left from the middle of the avenue, cutting 2 lanes including mine.

These things always happens in downhill. I had not enough space to brake. I turned left almost, not without almost hitting a woman that was waiting to cross the street 2 steps down the curb, and headed full blast too a cobblestone street. I don't know how I manage to do that without falling.

Yes a less experienced me would have not seen the risk early enough nor had the skills to get that turn. But there are shit you cannot predict.

Both you and your sibling commenter have read "rarely" and have chosen to interpret it as "never", which is not what the word means. :P

The parent comment you built off of used "never"

I'm not sure if it's me or you guys that are misreading that post but I interpreted it as "I never had to", not "nobody ever had to".

In context, they are clearly saying that beginner cyclists should not have to panic stop because it is exceptionally rare, as evidenced by their 14 years without needing to do it. It is extrapolating from their singular, personal experience to general frequency for the population. It is equivalent to saying "people shouldn't worry about breaking bones because I've never broken a bone." Even if you qualify the statement by saying "maybe someone out there has broken a bone at some point" you are still making a statement about it's rarity that can not be adequately supported by your personal anecdote. Having multiple people in a single thread which has been viewed by a few thousand people at most who have counter examples should clearly indicate that "it hasn't happened to me" doesn't equate to "you shouldn't expect it to happen to you."

Maybe I'm more charitable in my interpretation, but I don't really see grandparent making a generalization, they're giving a counter-example to requiring everyone to practice panic stops.

His and my reply assert that panic stops are not a panacea of avoiding traffic problems, but a side-effect of not paying more attention.

And cheers, this is my last clarification. I don't enjoy engaging with such excessive pedantry.

A panic stop while turning is a sure way to get a face full of asphalt even for seasoned riders. Don't try that please.

Edited per your suggestion.

And tense your arms muscles and hand grip when you brake. A lot of over the handle bar accidents are due to people not being ready to absorb the force of braking.

Also, on uneven ground you can apply a little brake to get a sense of the surface. Feel how the bike responds and moderate accordingly.

> Gravel or other slippery surface where the front wheel would just skid? You're toast. Ride slowly instead

Yup! Can't stress this enough. The last big crash was literally slippery road and a speed bump. The bicycle did a full 180. I'd have probably been better off if i just didn't brake at all... Didn't notice the speed bump in the darkness and when i suddenly did The front brake was on, the bike hit the speed bump after skidding.

Being lights, bicycle have very efficient braking on the other hand. The thing is most people never train to brake in an emergency so don't know how to modulate them correctly nor how to stay upright even if you lock them up.