brake dragging

[bluerider125]

recently one of my online friends at a site i cant disclose (SPAM) suggested to drag your rear brake over those jump faces you arent quite ready to hit, or even those that you just need to stay low over. i took this and ran with it, and it works AWESOME. it helps you stay low and fast. just wondering if this is a good technique to "fall back" on, and use. i see people jumping every jump on the track and brake-tapping every one, and i know that's not the best way to do it, body position is, so i cant say that it is something to do everywhere but is it a normal thing? every time i watch a stupid(super)cross NOBODY is staying low, hopefully the upcoming outdoor season i can watch Kdub and see if he brake-drags.

ok short version: is it ok to brake drag :)

Rob

 

[LawDog101]

No brake dragging necessary

I think you seriously run the risk of cooking your pads and rotor. Pros use their body position, legs and the angle at which they hit the jump to stay low. Brake dragging is not necessary. Just a surefire way of ruining a set of pads.

James

 

[bluerider125]

thanks for the info... i meant to say that i only use it on a few parts of the track, like over a monster peaky triple that you dont want to jump yet, but still want to go fast over it. i dont consider myself a pro but i do know how to keep the bike low using body position, etc. but when i tried using the rear brake it helped a ton! on my OLD yz, the brakes didnt fade after 2 full hours of track time using the technique.

Rob

 

[Shig]

Any technique you are comfortable with that makes you faster is a good one in my book. I've never dragged my brake, but I've certainly used engine braking and body english to get the same effect. I often turn the front wheel into the face of the jump to fly a flatter trajectory. I'm no Bubba, but it certainly has made me faster. Watching supercross is deceptive. Often the approaches are so short and technical that the riders are scraping for every last bit of boost to clear a section. If you really want to see how the top pros scrub speed on jumps, watch an outdoor national. There's some incredible footage of Bubba in Great Outdoors II where he defies the laws of physics without ever touching the rear brake.