Braking

Since you have two brakes, one for each hand, if you want to stop as safely as possible, you need to pay attention to how you use each of them. Conventional wisdom says use both brakes at the same time but with care. This is probably good advice for beginners, who have not yet learned to use their brakes more skillfully.

Over the bars

Many cyclists shy away from using their front brake, due to fear of flying over the handlebars. This can happen, but mainly to people who have not learned to modulate the front brake at the same times with the rear brake.

Cyclists who rely on only using their rear brake for stopping can get by until an emergency arises, when in a panic the front brake is over applied that can result in a classic “over the bars” crash. This won’t happen if you balance the stopping force between the front and rear brakes, bend your arms to brace yourself securely and you move your weight (center of gravity) back on your seat as far as possible.