[Closed] Braking with one finger - who really does it?

Brake less. 🙂

Me, or I least I try to.. Brakes are Deore 525 with Goodridge hoses, so they're like on-off switches anyway

i do, with avid bb7s and shimano saints.

Do it, you wont look back.

I ride 100% of the time, even on the commuter with one finger braking.

Yep I do, and I brake more than most...

Yes, learned it in my DH days, use middle finger too as it's even less prone to arm pain then

Do you seriously need 2?
I've 1 finger braked since I got disks, Julies, BB7s, Juicy 7s.

sometimes, depends what and where..

Can lock up both wheels no problem 1 finger braking on my Elixirs

Apparently I do, all the pics Im in I am anyway. Didnt think I did though

Me, and with my middle finger right on the end of the lever. Works very well

i only use one finger on both mtb and bmx. 2 finger braking feels wrong to me now

Have been 1 finger braking for a few years now and can't imagine going back. More than enough power. Avid Juicys and Formula Oros.

me.

i've been one-finger-braking since i first started using disc brakes.

you really don't need hope 4-pots (the 4 pot thing is a gimmick anyway, it makes sense on motorbikes where separating one piston into 2 means a smaller section disc can be used = lighter. it makes sense on cars where separating one piston into 2 means you can effectively fit a bigger piston between the wheel and the hub. 4 pot brakes are not more powerfull, but they are more expensive, so we get persuaded to buy them)

if you need to use 2 fingers, then it's a clear sign that you need to clean your discs, and buy some new pads - metal, they last longer.

no, i don't have forearms like popeye, i just have clean brakes.

Never used to. Got mad arm pump first year I went to Spain.
Couldn't move brake levers due to stupid gear indicator windows though, so this year I made some covers for the shifters, took the indicator windows off and set my brakes up for 1 finger.

Much better. More confident descending as you don't have all your fingers wrapped round the brake, but on the grips. And the brakes are plenty strong enough for 1 finger.
Some of the long techy descents that I am not very confident on, I ended up reverting to 2 fingers, as I started to get a bit of arm pump but nowhere near as bad as the year before. Probably more due to me gripping the bars to tight than the influence of braking.

Yep I do (Shimano XT brakes).

yep. middle finger. Juicy 7's and Hayes Stroker's. Agree with stumpy that any arm pump I suffer on long/scary descents is probably more to do with being too tense/gripping too tightly

yep me - last time I remember 2 finger braking was at the end of a week in the Alps when my body was shot and just didn't have any power left in my arms

Me, I've only ever used 1 finger since I went to v-brakes...never needed to use any more - plus I've got my brakes set up so only my index finger can grab the lever...I used to use my middle finger to brake but after a skills course I went back to my index finger as I had more control (for my new found extreme riding style!!!) over the bars using my index finger to brake with.

index finger with bite close to the bars

vees or disks and even on the drops on my road bike

Sometimes one, sometimes two fingers (on the brakes that is)
Magura Julie HPs and Older XTs off road, Deore Vees on the commuter.
My old Hope Minis always needed two fingers though to stop quickly. I think older Hopes were regarded as being a bit underpowered compared to others.

2 fingers? Middle finger? Freaks! 😉

I used to have to use 2 fingers with my old Mono Minis but since changing to Elixirs, bring the levers inboard on the bars about an inch, and having the bite point close the the bar it's 1 (index) finger all the way 🙂

No problems with getting enough power but I find the lever hits my knuckles if only using one finger. Maybe I have a strange grip or something

me, I can endo and skid my Elixir R's with my little fingers. Absolutely true. My Hope C2's could do it as well, just.

move your levers inward mk jase.

run your levers really close to the bars and quite far in - then you will minimize hand pump.

shifted over to one finger braking a few years ago. reduced hand fatigue, better grip on the bars - what's not to like?

1 finger on avid juicys. Because of the slightly longer stroke than most brakes I don't think you could use middle finger and be able to get full power. It may be worth considered how long the brake levers are. Avids are comparitively quite short, so I can get away with leaving the shifters (complete with windows) inside of the brake levers?

1 finger on the hope mono minis for XC riding. Need 2 to get any power out of them for 'big hill' riding though

2 fingers on the low-end V-brakes on the commuter

Middle finger??????? That's weird. It's the strongest finger you have and if you are using it you might as well be using two. You need it on the bars IMNSHO. Can you middle finger brakers do a manual/wheelie and feather the brake at the same time? Thinking about it just feels wrong. 🙂

I do.....something wrong with your brakes/fingers if you need to use two!

i use the middle finger - Index finger seems stronger on the bars

what's all this middle finger braking about?!

i ride on so many people's bike who don't seem to have their brakes set up. I know everyone likes to have the set up differently but i'll never understand how having the lever almost horizontal and wound right out gives you enough control.

got mine set up pointing down about 2 inches from horizontal with a good inch between the mount and the inside end of the grip (and shifter even further inside from the brake) and wound in so the bite is about 1cm off the bar.

further up is better than too far down brake wise.

always.

levers are located inboard so that index finger grips on the very end of the lever (nicely seated in the hook bit) which is fine in 99% of situations.

Shimano XT, Hayes nines & C2s , all of those 180mm rotor on the front

Only ever used one finger since getting cable/hydraulic disc brakes; one of the advantages over rim brakes.

I think it helps to push the levers toward the stem a bit and then move your hands to the outside of the grips when descending which improves leverage and puts your forefinger over the crook on the end of the lever. Adjust the lever throw to optimise your finger power at the braking point - a bit trial and error but worthwhile to reduce effort and fatigue.

I'm probably never going fast enough to need two finger braking 😉

I'm a one finger braker as well.

"urther up is better than too far down"

Yes that's true. I reviewed my lever angle a while back based on my body position when descending. Raising the angle of the levers a bit has helped drop my chest and elbows comfortably to get lower over the bike.

Always index finger only on Hope Mono Minis. All the professionals use index finger and the Lopez/McCormack skills book says index only so I reckon it must be right.

Using the middle finger restricts the lever travel as it traps the index finger on the bar.

95% of the time I do not have power issues with the Mono Minis. Key is to get the lever far enough inboard so that the index finger is right on the end of the lever for maximum leverage. I reckon a lot of people are actually grabbing the middle of the lever

hayes 9's 203mm rotors.....1 finger only

I use two, but not because of the brakes, more me.

I've ridden motorbikes for ever, and use two on these too.

If you are comfortable, don't worry.

I use two - spent years downhilling on knackered V Brakes and got used to it that way. Recenlty tried setting levers more in-board to try and encourange one finger braking but it doesn't feel comfortable.

The first time I even considered how many fingers I grabbed the levers with was when I was told off during my motorbike lessons for using two finger clutching/braking.

All four fingers? What are you supposed to hold onto the bar with?! You end up controlling the bike with the heels of your hands - it's wrong.

so much more control 1 finger braking...

I use single finger, it didn’t take much effort or thought to re-train myself really, 2 finger braking seems to result in jabby, skiddy braking and forearm cramp (so called “arm pump”) single finger braking is smoother and more controlled, and you learn to spot braking points better…

I’m an index finger user, I’ve noticed a few people use their middle finger (including Steve Jones), can’t really see the difference but could be worth a go..

As for lever positioning, I angle them such that my finger is in line with my forearm when in my “normal” riding position, this varies slightly from bike to bike of course as I have a different position for DH and XC riding but the principle is simple, you don’t want to over extend the various tendons in your arm/hands and you don’t want to twist your wrist and potentially break/sprain it…

I see way too many bikes with the levers near vertical, looks stupid and is probably quite dangerous…

think about your position on the bike and how your levers can affect it.