Forget Everything, Here’s Why You SHOULD Brake In Corners!

One of the things we’re taught when learning to ride a bike is not to brake in corners, but is this actually a myth? Hank spoke to one of the best bike handlers on the planet, Alec Briggs, about the technique of trail braking, which is the act of feathering your rear brake around corners. Is this skill the secret to cornering faster and more safely on the bike?
Watch ‘Masterclass - The Art And Science Of Cornering’ on GCN+ 👉 gcn.eu/7Pp
0:00 Intro
2:48 How to trail brake
4:31 Trail braking demonstration
5:04 Why trail braking makes you faster
6:28 How do disc brakes help?
7:01 Trail braking in a group
7:39 Dive-bombing
9:36 How to build confidence at speed
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[@gcn]

What other videos would you like to see us do with Alec?

[@PhilMcCrevis]

Anything. Especially when he and Hank are competing at something. Alec is super skilled and the chemistry between the two is very fun to watch. \,,/

[@btrocketry3736]

Test ride bikes with auto transmission. Is it worth riding with one.

[@rogersimmons8788]

How about speaking without the accent?

[@btrocketry3736]

Love the accent.

[@SioLazer]

Bike check please! I must know the story of how he got EPS disc onto a Specsh!!!

[@nikolausschallhart8654]

Just in case it is not obvious for everybody: If you are on open roads, top tip Nr. 1 is to forget all the tips you saw in this video!!! And just for the downhills of alpine roads Alec mentioned. There are riders dying or being severly injured in almost every granfondo in the italian alps taking place. And its not because these riders are bad descenders, its because they think they can descend like pros or because they get hit by somenone thinking he/she can descend like a pro, presumably after learning such great skills like "save" divebombing... 😕

[@plantfuelled8912]

I would say the opposite. Learning better bike handling skills makes you a safer descender. I have ridden behind professionals doing winter training camps on various Spanish Islands and can keep up on the descents safely because of years of studying and applying road motorcycle technique, although I get dropped immediately on the up-hills. People that get injured or killed in Fondos are because there is a traditional hatred of learning or discussing bike handling technique in road cycling outside of cycle clubs and pro teams - for example: bicycle magazines are all about new equipment reviews and sometimes places to ride. Buy a motorcycle or MTB magazine and you'll find multiple page articles all about technique. Many American motorcyclists get injured or killed every year on twisty roads because most places are straight roads with T junctions or crossroads. They have no experience or techniques for twisty roads, that's the danger. Many don't know that they are only leaning their bike at 30 degrees and then end up in the scenery because their speed outweighed their ability and think that's the maximum, but after you learn to ride on a track and get your knee down that's more like 50 degrees. You wouldn't have even thought it was possible to lean that far or go that fast around the corner. Poor technique is causing the injuries, most amateur road cyclists are what motorcyclists call 'squids'.A squid can only keep up with a skilled descender by taking insane risks like grabbing at their brakes and doing lunges etc which is where most of these injuries come from. I can't understand how anyone thinks the best way to be safe is to ignore all information, know practically nothing and just 'be careful', but then when you get competitive and try not to get dropped on the descents you'll more than likely just get injured. Road cycling needs a culture change to discuss technique and ignore some of these amateur riders that attack people for discussing technique, they are clearly doing this to avoid having to face their own inadequacies and insecurities. People marvel at descenders like Pidcock, but then won't do anything to learn those techniques for themselves. Yes some people will be dying to say 'road motorcycling/MTB/CX is different/it's just for pros etc. But do extensive study and ride MTB/CX or even do a motorcycle track day and you'll understand just how complementary these techniques are.

[@nikolausschallhart8654]

@@plantfuelled8912 You make an absolutely fair point, but - and that is crucial here - a completely different argument to that of the video! While you are suggesting learning such skills is good to be abel to negotiate potentially dangerous situations, which I absolutely agree with, the video is suggesting to learn the same skills to go faster through corners or overtake other riders in group rides or granfondos via divebombing and therefore just creating these potential dangerous situations, which I absolutely disagree. That is a completely different mindset and the reason why I referred to the "open road"!!! Just as an example: I also do some "trailbraking" (or whatever it's called) sometimes. But not because I think it's a clever idea (at least in open traffic). I do it when I miscalculate a corner and its necesarry to stay on the road. I can rember one occasion, where I was way too fast. I managed to stay on the bike and negotiate the corner (whilst having a prayer and alomst shitting myself simultaneously) via "trailbraking" with much more luck than skills only to have to brake even harder at the end of the corner. I almost crashed in the back of the car in front of me, which was taking the corner with "normal" speed. In this case, technically I was not too fast for the corner but I was too fast for the traffic on the open road, making a potential dangerous situation even worse. And that basically is my point: If you are a professional racer, racing against professional competition in professional races on closed roads/tracks you should have these skills to be able to compete. But than you don't need this video tp learn thses skills. If you are an amateur riding on open roads, your limits quite often are not your skills but the traffic around you and the traffic laws. For sure is a good thing to have good bikehandling skills, but it's even more important to know how to avoid having to use them! As for the safety trainings: I am not a motorcyclist, but I did a safety training for cars (on a closed circuit of course). And the trainer said exactly this: "We will put you in potential dangerous situations that you can learn how to cope with them, but more important, we will teach you how to avoid these dangerous situations in the first place." And last but not least for the crashes in granfondos: The crashes I refer to are not crashes where people go too fast because they miscalculate a turn and crash into a wall, they go too fast because they miscalculate the willingness of the other riders to take unnecessary risk and then crash into these other riders. Ironically, they crash into competitors wich are stronger than them in the ascents. These other riders think, "you know what, there are still 3 uphills to do, so I won't take too much risk in the downhill and they they got torpedoed buy someone trying to make some time up, he/she would loose again in the next ascent anyway...

[@plantfuelled8912]

@@nikolausschallhart8654 Fair points, but I'd love to be able to read articles about bike handling skills in road cycling magazines and have discussions about it on road cycling web forums.

[@nikolausschallhart8654]

@@plantfuelled8912 I am absolutely fine with this. I was just annoyed about the way this particular videos was "framed" (for lack of a better word; I'm not a native Englisch speaker) because I felt instead of helping you negotiating a dangerous situation it would more likely maneuver you into one.

[@taranhase4396]

It's purly because of disc brakes

[@richardtris4cake391]

Alec is such a breath of fresh air , his enthusiasm for life and biking is infectious. More of this please

[@gcn]

He's so good 🙌Makes it look effortless to!

[@santiagobenites]

I've been using the trail braking technique for many years now. I first learned how to do that from racing motocross for a few years before I got into cycling. I've learned that it's crucially important to get your weight onto the outside pedal, and almost steer the bike through the corner on your rear wheel. Feathering the brake and not locking it up is the key. Another great video, GCN!

[@gcn]

Great to hear you've been doing it for a while! How do you feel about us giving away your secret? 👀

[@santiagobenites]

@@gcn The best thing about GCN is that there are no secrets. That way everybody benefits 😁

[@gcn]

@@santiagobenites Spread the cycling love 🙌

[@Technotranceism]

Trail braking is crucial in all forms of road racing, so it's no wonder they're advising to use it in cycling.

[@petesig93]

Outside pedal weighting.... ALWAYS!

[@vipergtsrgt1]

Coming from motorsports before switching to cycling, trail braking was something I did immediately out of habit. I remember in my first crit race, I was so slow everywhere else, but I make up time every lap by carrying more speed into the corner and trail braking. It was the highlight of my day.

[@mmmbetter55]

Looking ahead / looking where you want to go (on descents, but really always) is a super important skill and directly informs your braking timing. Those decreasing radius turns will come at ya!

[@gcn]

Great fundamental skill 🙌

[@jonford6119]

A1 to this. This is absolutely the most important thing. When you get taught to ride a performance motorbike, this is the thing that's stressed, at the higher speeds on a fast bike. On a bicycle, it's extremely important too, as although the speeds are lower, some of the tolerances are even tighter.

[@djfung]

Motorcycle riders know this. I use mostly front brake to get the front tire dig into the tarmac . To me Brake lever is my traction dial .

[@thomasthuene3173]

These are all tips that you naturally learn real-quick when you are mountain biking: Look ahead, find your line, keep the rear brake in high alert, stay relaxed in the arms. Also helping: Where to put the weight on the bike and camber of the bike over body position to keep rubber on the surface.

[@WintergardenPL]

True

[@ApaX1981]

On the motorbike you learn to trailbrake on the front.....

[@goodcompanycoffee]

Love it. Blokes on bikes. Hank's positivity really bounces off well with Alec

[@gcn]

These two 😊

[@michaelclements4664]

At 3:50 he makes a key point: braking while cornering does reduce traction, which means you're actually slower while in the corner: the bike will slide out at less lean angle. But it enables you to brake later, which means entering the corner faster, which *may* make up for the reduced traction, *if* you take the right line *and* have the right skills. Of course there is the obvious point that entering corners faster is more dangerous. Those are some big *if*s to bet your life and safety on. Otherwise, keep it safe and do your braking early, and don't use brakes through the turn. You'll have more traction, achieve greater lean angles without slipping, and have more margin to handle unexpected hazards.

[@lidge1994]

I love it when you guys do the side-by-side slow-mo and talking/explanation, it looks so incredibly professional and interesting!

[@GeekonaBike]

I'll be sticking with the time honored "Slow in is Fast Out". That said I'm much better at saving a neutral or rear wheel slide than front wheel slippage.

[@wardieleppan8443]

Trail braking is common in motor racing. Tyres are good for accelerating, braking and cornering. If you brake to the maximum of the tyre grip, any attempt to corner will have you slide out. The idea is to brake late and as you turn in slowly release the brakes as the cornering tightens. In other words, you’re balancing the maximum tyre grip between braking and cornering.

[@chadwells7562]

On a motorcycle you have a double advantage. It also compresses the front fork, decreases trail, and decreases the effective turning radius of the bike.

[@marcelsow5817]

Hank and Alec on a weekend budget ride through the mountains with downhill challenges. Maybe some tight gravel trails thrown into the mix 😂

[@gcn]

Sounds like re recipe for a fun day out ! Did you catch Alec's GCN+ doc? 👉gcn.eu/7Pp

[@marcelsow5817]

Not yet. Lots of content to catch up on. Weather is too good for November in TN, though.

[@geoffreyhoney122]

I am NOT a racer, rather a 'Party Pacer' but I absolutely LOVE this content! Thanks Hank, Alec and gcn for showing us these tricks!!! I will be working on this. Makes a lot of sense when you see it demonstrated so well! Also love the fun between Hank and Alec. Any video that they get to josh each other is great by me! Wow... loved the older clips of Hank crushing corners. Fun historical footage! More gcn, more!

[@Chreeeys]

The energy between the two - brilliant!

[@plantfuelled8912]

Cool vid. Been motorcycling and riding MTB for years and loved reading about and discussing technique, but in road cycling all conversation was shut down immediately and just resulted in insults. Glad someone can talk about this stuff, doubt most road riders will thank you as they'll need to learn something new after years of riding and claim any advanced technique is dangerous and only for pros.

[@gcn]

Glad you found it interesting! You should check out our film on GCN+ about the art of cornering gcn.eu/7Pp

[@Dermiezz]

Genuinely fair play to both Alec and Hank this video was hilarious! We need more of these two together with someone just filming what they get up to!

[@gcn]

If you liked that you should check out our full documentary with Alec on the art of cornering on GCN+ gcn.eu/7Pp

[@HughDWallace]

This video makes me realise how much I learned from reading motorcycle magazines during my 20s. They were always writing articles on cornering and braking and how to read the road by looking far ahead of the bike and I took a lot of that to the car and my bikes. Mountain bike magazines write about this all the time as well but road cycling magazines rarely discuss bike handling at all. I was never much of a motorcyclist (had a moped for a few years) and I'm pretty rubbish on a mountain bike but my downhill ability on a road bike is better than anyone I ride with (no racers admittedly) and my strava descent times are up there in my local area even if I am nowhere on the climbs or flat segments. The road cycling publication sector should do a lot more on bike handling and how to read the road. I get the feeling that a lot of roadies aren't even that aware of it as a subject area worth thinking about.

[@penrar]

These two need their own weekend gravel race. Belly laughs all round!

[@gcn]

Maybe Alec can rent a Hank 👉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2GcYY1vfqd3pc0

[@MrDaemondays]

Alec and Hank, What a team! Banger video! Thx guys!!!

[@remoted9796]

For motorcycles, trailbraking is done by using the front brake to feather it out while turning, the rear while is so light, that there is near to no grip left to apply any break to slow you down while turning into the turn.

[@manonthebike2205]

Intriguing video, loved the focus on improving braking technique. I've read many of the comments, and those about motorcycle riding reminded me of two things in particular. Watching a video of Kevin Schwantz (a really good American racer from - 30? years ago) titled something like "Slide your way to the top". Of course speeds were a lot more, but the emphasis was on technique i.e. sliding his rear wheel at high speed around corners and leaving a nice black trail on the track. And whenever I changed my own motorbike (I had a few) I'd go and redo a section of a "Learn to ride your motorbike" course. Once you'd completed the course, you were allowed to come and redo any section you wanted at no extra cost. I always went and did the high speed braking section. Probably the most telling comments though are those referring to the skills (usually the lack of) of other riders. Keep doing these skill videos, there's always something new to learn, or to make you think. Cheers from NZ.

[@craigdegier1507]

Lots of good elite/pro level tips here, but there are a lot more technical elements to trail breaking which were skipped (maybe intentionally as that part can get boring) but are very important for safety. There is a time and a place for everything, and this is a very useful technique for elite racing. However, IMO, this shouldn't be used on general group ride or in sport level racing as 1) the risk/reward isn't worth it and 2) the average rider isn't skilled enough (yet) to consistently execute this skill. For people who want to progress to the elite ranks though, this is absolutely a needed skill.

[@gcn]

Good point Craig, this is very much aimed at those racing or competitive riding. On a group ride there should be no need to dive bomb each other 😬 Perhaps it's best practiced somewhere safe first.

[@morosis82]

Depends, the controlled speed aspect can definitely be used by amateurs during a group ride. Not using it to max speed but to make sure the speed within a group is consistent. I'm a big lad, even in Ironman shape I'm 100kg. That means cornering downhill finds me gaining speed faster than the rest of the group and using this technique makes it easier to modulate my speed relative to others through a corner.

[@menelaos951]

We teach the circle of friction during trackdays, so the students can (hopefully) better understand why trail braking can work but why braking on a straight line is best for panic braking or when one does not have a good feel for braking. Looking through the corner and towards the exit is potentially the best part of this trail braking video, because at some point you realize you don't actually need to brake very hard :) (and thus you can get away with trail braking ;) )

[@plantfuelled8912]

So your logic is be less skilled because it's safer to be ignorant. Although I agree being on a group ride is the wrong time to learn to do a new skill, but I would consider it far safer to learn a skill like trail braking on your own and then apply it on a group ride.

[@danglybit1]

Great video thanks guys..

[@Ruggine85]

Love these videos! The energy coming from you two hypes even my cat

[@chrisbaum998]

Lots of motorcycle principle come in play when corning on your bike. Great video Hank and Alex!!

[@gogodre]

FINALLY! I've been waiting for years for this video to come out. Trail braking isn't an advanced technique. Everybody does it, whether they realize it or not, and should use it. Now, we just need the MTB team to do a similar video.

[@chickenpoodle]

yeah thats how i've always felt about it. anyone who has spent enough time on a bicycle will have done it to varying degrees. how late you brake into the corner is entirely up to all the above said factors in the video, such as road conditions and your speed etc. but its just always over generalized "you can't brake mid corner or you'll crash" just almost as badly as "you can't use your front brake or you'll crash" kind of garbage. i hope there is going to be more of these sorts of videos which encourages people to try, experiment, and learn to be better riders, and be able to do things safely, rather than always pushing the generalized "oh we can't do this, or you'll crash" kind of mentality.

[@Fastbeer]

I trail brake alot with Cycle-gymkhana. Great video for spreading the knowledge. With kevlar jeans and jacket, you can pratice your cornering skills savely to the limit and beyond.

[@Aeysir]

Shall we just cut to the chase? Counter steering good, lean angles good, progressive braking and trail braking good etc etc. for other tips and tricks go refer to the last couple of decades of motorcycle track theory. Next step: Off road riding helps you improve on road riding. In other news; leg dangling suspicious. Go ask Rossi how he make rocket go now.

[@MOSloan]

Excellent Tips, thank you!

[@jorenvandaele1301]

I do this when riding my cross bike on some tight trails, especially when going to the limit on some trails this can increase the overall speed and give you just that edge to rotate the bike a bit more when you're going fast. I do think that this has to be practiced and people need to know that this is a technique that's very advanced.

[@gcn]

Great point Joren! You should find a quiet road or even car park to learn the skills 🙌

[@aymtb]

Counter steering would be a good follow up on cornering techniques.

[@orbea2247]

Hi took onboard regarding trail braking unfortunately I came a cropper and now in intensive care with double fracture of my tibia and three cracked ribs my bike has been totally wrecked so thank you, my solicitors will be in touch regarding your video.

[@steveallen273]

Great vid…love seeing great pros together sharing skills

[@gcn]

Always a fun day with Alec 🙌

[@jakecalderburby]

Great video and great information but keep in mind the amount of space you have for potential error, especially when you are on an open road with traffic and don’t have the entire road to use. For many of us cornering is equally due to traffic restrictions as speed and control.

[@JanHolgerOlof]

Glad to see you finally brought this up. Trail braking is a standard technique when riding motorcycles, even though you feather the front and not the rear break on those. There's a lot to be learned for cornering from our motorized counterparts.

[@n22pdf]

Alec is awesome watched all his vids on GCN+ top rider and his knowledge and skills are invaluable.. give him a job on the channel 🙏🤩🚴🏅

[@andyfairchild2383]

Interesting video, thanks. I’ve been trail braking for years on a motorbike, it controls the pitch of the bike and loads the tyres for more balanced grip. So interesting to see it applied to cycling too. Will I be applying it to my Brompton….. yeah, perhaps not 😉

[@mick6ful]

Great video thanks. More content like this please.

[@PeterFoytik]

This was great, I would not even have imagined breaking in the turns unless it was an emergency, I will definitely practice this some!

[@gcn]

Go get it Peter 🙌

[@rudolphpyatt4833]

Trail braking is a classic motorcycle technique that I have read about and applied to my cycling.

[@gcn]

Nice one 🙌

[@kinglamhui177]

Disc brake and this technique are perfectly matched, especially on a sharp corner or downhill corner, so much more confident and easier to get the line, been using that for a while

[@888jhs]

As a moto rider and a cyclist, I often wondered why GCN did not talk about trail braking which is always recommended for riding the twisty roads on a motorcycle. Thanks for this. Now I just wonder why a great discussion on cornering does not include counter steering which is fundamental to cornering on a moto and should also be fundamental to cornering on a bicycle. Maybe I missed that video but if not please consider on cornering part 2.

[@plantfuelled8912]

In road cycling all discussion of technique is usually shut down by those insecure about not being able to do it. 😁 'Trail braking is only a technique for pros/elites' 'counter steering is only for motorcycles doing very fast corners' 'Wheelies/manuals/endos are just pointless tricks'. Always said by people that don't have the skills.🤣

[@matt.3.14]

Countersteering on a bicycle isn't really necessary, since it's not hard to get the bike over since your body weight is a much higher proportion than on a motorcycle. That being said, it's entirely possible I'm intuitively countersteering on the bicycle after doing for a long time on motorcycles, lol. Next time I'm out I'll have to pay attention to it. As for trail braking, I never actively did it on the motorcycle, although riding a BMW twin the engine braking was probably doing it for me to a degree.

[@aethylwulfeiii6502]

Rim brakes are garbage for this. You really do need that wheel stopper to be at the center of the wheel for this to work.

[@janetw9016]

Alec's GCN+ documentary video is my Favourite!

[@ricf9592]

Twice I've had the bike break away from me taking a corner at no real speed at all. My nerves are completely shot on corners. Cannot trust any corner wet or dry.

[@gcn]

Practice practice practice, do you think this method will help? 👀

[@hoser7706]

We used to use braking through corners in the 80s/90s racing for this reason plus the stabslize the bike on rough surfaces. Always worked

[@overthebarscycling2463]

I’ve been using this technique for years. It’s only gone bad once coming down Coldwater Canyon in Los Angeles. I’m still throughly convinced though that the reason my rear wheel slipped out wasn’t my braking but something on the road surface like oil or the like.

[@Phones007]

I loved this episode awesome loved the energy

[@gcn]

They were both buzzing after! 😬

[@mikeprichinello2683]

I cycle and I race motorcycles. I trail brake in both disciplines. on a motorcycle, you trail the front brake to load your front tire. a road bicycle doesn't have front suspension, so trailing the rear, instead of the front, lets you have some finesse and stopping power without going over the bars. A real benefit of trial braking is you are making the brakes an adjustable input. if you' have the pad to the disk already, you aren't shocking the chassis if you apply more brake to tighten your radius or to adjust trajectory if someone comes onto your line. if you weren't already on the brakes and you applied then while leaning over, you'll send a shock through the chassis, and you'll crash. This is great advice to trail by GCN 🏆

[@Jarek.]

10:31 Grabbing handlebars, this is a big topic. A #gamechanger for me was to understand that I should put single-handed pressure on the handlebar *following corner direction*, saying differently - the hand *opposite* to the heel pointing downwards. This helps to overcome stiffness in my shoulders and makes bike turning much tighter in a magical way. Additionally: #tires. Conti GP 5000 significantly improved my cornering confidence.

[@nstrug]

What you are describing is countersteering - it's something that anyone from a motorcycling background will do instinctively and it works brilliantly on push bikes too.

[@brunospasta]

This was also such a surprise for me. Pressure on the inside hand, look ahead where you want to go and push a tiny bit out of the saddle. All of a sudden that bike below you moves around corner almost by its own and sooo much faster while still feeling in control.

[@Zack6986]

thx

[@jeanmarcleplattenier2762]

The way I dive bombed when racing was starting on the outside then entering the apex of a turn late which causes the other riders to overbrake and lose speed out of the turn. The result is a gain in distance of about 10 yards which you have to maintain to the finish line.

[@boscoyu_sci]

Alec is well spoken, he would make a good GCN presenter

[@adventurevelo3610]

Sounds good for heat build up on a long alpine downhill

[@yeonghonoh6532]

This is gonna help me with my next crit comp thank ya'll so much.

[@gcn]

Good luck! The full GCN+ doc is going to really help 👉 gcn.eu/7Pp

[@eliknowsbest4946]

I can feel how much fun you guys are having 😂

[@mrsmradoch9584]

4:58 Look at the valves.. So satisfying ☺

[@bartvanbokhoven7929]

4:13 that is usefull, since descends tend to be downhill most of the time

[@MorganBrown]

I should find the video from a crit in 2017 where I just “tapped” the rear brake in a corner. Broke my hip in that crash 🎉

[@Rhodair]

your guys' playful approach has me cracking up - love the bits about cycling etiquette as well

[@tobydhue]

I thought i was going to learn something new. I've done this since i was riding MTB and moto in my teens and continued into my road cycling days. The benifits of coming from a dirt background in to road i suppose.

[@davidmelbourne4808]

Thanks gentlemen enjoyed your shenanigans, you certainly looked like you both had fun making this. My question is, I was always told that with rim brakes you didn't use your front brake in corners because the centrifugal force would try and stand the bike up and make it harder to lean smoothly into a corner. If this is correct what is science behind front disc braking in fast corners? Cheers Davo

[@nstrug]

When coaching we teach the younger kids to come off the brakes at the turn in point, but once they become more subtle and balanced on the brakes we teach them to trail brake from the turn in point to the apex. Nothing faster round a wet, off-camber corner than an 11 year old child with great braking technique and no fear.

[@gcn]

Hahaha sounds rapid! 🙌

[@JektorII]

1:54 holy moly thats some cornering! I know trailbraking and divebombing from Racing Simulators. I never thought they can be applied THAT deep in cycling.

[@ActiveKidney]

Loved the video. I feel like as Hank has grown out the beard he has become more rowdy. Notice, how these past couple weeks Hank has been enjoying elbowing his fellow presenters during group rides. It’s like along with the whiskers he’s let out his inner child.

[@gcn]

Thanks Miguel! For more Hank, why not check out our 'End to end' documentary on GCN+ gcn.eu/7RF

[@rikkiola]

Does it need to be just rear brake? I thought having some front trail brake can help also, load the front (to an extent) while also reducing the risk of rear slipping out. Very easy near traction limit for rear to go under (just rear) braking while turning

[@biketimist6943]

I might have taken it for granted i already knew of trailbraking from motorcycles. It´s almost second nature whenever I ride my MTB or normal bike. Brake hard before the corner, ease of the brake as you get around to the apex. Best way to make sure the weight is on the front wheel for increased grip.

[@douglaspate9314]

Mega vid. Until I saw this vid I didn't know what I did had a name. Alec is a legend!!

[@dirkstaudt4341]

I'm a fan of Tom Pidcocks roadbike slides 🙂

[@Ballacks101]

"Especially good for downhill descents". But what about uphill descents or downhill ascents?

[@D1N02]

I've always been doing this as no one ever told me how to break.

[@asams7255]

I've always trail/apex braked and thought I was doing it wrong as people say brake beforehand. Once locked the front wheel on a greasy downhill hairpin which scared me out of it for a bit.

[@brad179]

more alec 👏

[@fritzb.3978]

Question for the pros: why don’t you trail brake by giving a little brake in the front as well? In car theory, the forward weight transfer adds weight to the front and increases traction as long as you don’t exceed the slip angle and the rear of the car gets lighter and can pivot around the front. I get it that 2 wheels are different and I intuitively don’t add front brake in a corner, but appreciate any links if anyone has found them or knows the exact physics. That said, breaking with the rear would still have a forward weight transfer, I believe. Does the rear wheel actually slide a tiny bit in this case even while rotating?

[@plantfuelled8912]

Yes, you can use the front brake too, but you need to use progressively less braking as you near the apex as there is a risk of losing the front end. Rear brake is safer, as you can use the same amount up to the apex and it's easier to control a rear slide.

[@alwaystogether7626]

Initial D has taught me everything I need to know. Listen to the soundtrack on the on the touge downhill and you'll get a PB.

[@rafaelfranco7041]

You guys need to add some animation on top to indicate breaking zones.

[@NikolausLim]

Agree

[@gcn]

If we come back to this that's a great idea 🙌

[@AR-lz2br]

All is about having dirt or not on the tarmac what mostly determines how I will deal with corners.

[@seattlegrrlie]

Super tight corner, release that break just the right time and you blow out of that turn. It feels so good every time

[@gcn]

Are you a crit racer? 👀

[@OllyKilo]

When I rode a motorbike I always trail braked. I prefer to refer to it as feather braking, Much more achievable with hydraulic brakes.

[@bryansenn]

#gcncoachescorner I am a heavier triathlete (100kg) with an average sprint time of 1:20-1:30. With the next logical upgrade of carbon wheels, is there one that is better for a heavier rider or are they all constructed the same? Thanks again! Cheers.

[@aleq]

This is exactly how I recently got a concussion by “trail braking” into a tight corner in the wet. Cool skill to master though. I am at most 3 to 4 concussions away from getting it right. 😅🎉

[@dpil810]

what a MOVE by our boy Hank at 1:50

[@strider7008]

@Performance Advantage Podcast it's mainstream now.

[@sspan1]

Looks like I’ve been trail braking since forever not knowing the benefits. My rear disk does wear faster. But on steep descents it makes so much sense because you can keep the speed constant through a hairpin

[@ASGundogs]

Fun vid. Can you do one about bumping drills for crits? Half the crashes would be avoided if people didn’t tense up and panic.

[@labi09r1]

nothing quite unsettling like braking into wicked corners & cringe hand shakes… @3:33

[@RevoltingRudi]

Traditionally, trail braking is done exclusively with the front brake.

[@Ale_BR]

Alec and Hank -what an explosive combination! Bring Blake along and boom, dinamite! Great video, thanks for sharing the secrets of race cornering, but you should also remind the audience how to stay safe on the road. In normal day-to-day riding some of those race skills can be transferred and utilised to give yourself extra margin, increase control, improve your position on the road, take in information earlier, set the pace for the group, etc. rather than for marginal gains. Here’s a suggestion for a video (or a series) with Alec: techniques to save it when you lose it, e.g. what to do when one or two of your wheels start to drift?, when the bike wobbles, when you don’t have enough distance to brake, when you’re about to crash. -that would be cool. Shit happens so how to save it like a pro?

[@starlitshadows]

So do you use both brakes in the straight and just the rear for trailbraking? Curious what the proper technique is here.

[@randomdan812]

Interesting, I had never heard of it either until I got into motorcycling. However in motorcycling it’s done on the front brake. The weight shift to the front actually increases traction because… physics. I’ve never tried that on a bicycle. I may have to put to football pads on and give it a try lol.

[@poehtrixproductions]

does anyone know what tights alec is wearing?

[@mvmadore]

Practice, practice, practice...knowing your bike and your own ability is key to cornering well.

[@bee_whisper]

gran turismo fans know this legit trail braking just makes rubbing off the last bit of speed easier .

[@michaelsingh843]

Its funny it make so much sense but only after gcn make a video of it !

[@leissp1]

I learned about trail braking from a friend who rides motorcycles. I use it on the tandem especially when in Europe on the big descents. I find that it helps to hold line. Cornering in general I have found that most people will err on the side of caution well before their tires use traction.

[@gcn]

Are you dive bombing on the tandem too? 😂 Great to hear you enjoy this method 🙌

[@Baddco]

Braking into corners was a Nigel Mansell trait. One of the advantages is weight on the turning wheel creates more grip. As you enter the corner braking is coming off slowly as you hit the apex its complety off.

[@menelaos951]

Yes, in cars you can get far more fancy with trail braking as you can left-foot brake while staying on the gas, feathering the brake pedal just enough to modulate speed without rocking the car due to throttle transitions. :)

[@MarkusFolz]

Could you also lean the bike more and drag your inside foot to stabilize if needed? Or is that not allowed in road cycling races?

[@paulrawlinson8653]

Very few people lean the bike to a point where stabilisation is likely to be an advantage. Keep your feet on the pedals and you'll go faster. ( check out the pros, not a single one unclips in corners)

[@MarkusFolz]

@@paulrawlinson8653 Yeah true, I was just thinking if you stabilize with your foot, you can lean further and take tighter turns at higher speeds - somewhat like MotoGP

[@pfunklife9379]

Trailbraking is NOT for the beginning rider... it's casually mentioned early in the video. Trailbraking is a technique for marginal gains. I do wonder why trailbrake/feather the rear tire? Is it because the front end is ridged and not prone to geometry changes? With motorcycles, mtn bikes, cars (front brake bias), I have always used the front brake. This always let me have a sense of available grip and control of what I'm riding.

[@vinson8459]

Hank's new bike looks sick!

[@gcn]

It's a stunner 👀

[@rogersimmons8788]

I hope it feels better soon