How should I use the front and rear brakes? Together? One more than the other?

You should favour the _front_ brake as this is where most of your stopping power lies, particularly downhill. But don't pull too sharply or you'll go over the bars - a gentle, firm increasing pressure is the way to do it, especially with disc brakes, which can be extremely powerful.

The steeper the hill you are going down, the greater the amount of weight which is on the front wheel, and the less amount of weight on the back wheel. The centre of gravity of the rider and the bike, i.e. the point through which the weight acts is a point somewhere between the riders hips and the bottom bracket, and forward a bit. If you are travelling downhill and this point moves beyond the point where the front wheel is contacting the ground, then you will go over tha bars. As there is so little weight on the back wheel on steep hills and whilst under the influence of heavy braking, it will skip around on bumpy surfaces and not be very effective.

The best way to think about it is as the front brake as the 'stopper' and the rear brake as the 'modulator' or 'braking stabiliser' - it keeps the effects of braking even throughout the bike.

The rules are different in gravel or sand or other very loose surfaces, where you'll need to use both brakes liberally, paying very close attention to the effects, such as lockup, and easing off accordingly. The back brake really helps with turns on gravelly or sandy downhill sections.
170 days ago

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