• litchralee
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    3 months ago

    I suppose it’s worth a reminder that if approaching a steep downhill section – car or bike – at speed, the correct approach is to brake firmly in a short burst then coast, rather than dragging the brakes all the way down. This is because brake fade will soon reduce stopping effectiveness, which could result in a runaway condition. Whereas coasting after firm deceleration lets the brakes cool down in the wind.

    Cars can change gears into low to reduce building further speed, but bikes will just have to carefully manage speed and brakes, moreso for heavily-laden cargo bikes. That said, bikes have separate controls for each wheel, so can optimize using one brake while the other cools.

    I don’t expect to ever see a “runaway bike lane” in my lifetime.