Trail braking - a fact of life

Many country riders will debate the merits and risks of trail braking, but for city riders, it's a constant fact of life. For the layman, trail braking is the act of braking before the turn, and slowly releasing the brake through the turn. This differs from what most formal riding courses teach beginners; that the ideal is to brake, release completely, and then turn.

In theory, avoiding the front brakes into the turn is ideal, since excessive pressure can force a lockup, or make the front lose traction. However, a controlled release on the front brake can actually give you more control, since the weight of the bike remains on the front tire.

Most racing courses will teach that 90 degree turns require trail braking for as much as 25 percent of the turn. Of course, all city intersections are right angles, so this means that a controlled turn means releasing the front brake for a quarter of the turn. In most cases, this translates into braking all the way up to the side street turn, and then releasing the brake slowly until the front tire is a few meters from the white pedestrian line. Incidentally, this also frees up the most traction as you approach the white paint, which is a well-known grip killer.